Background and Research Approach

As climate change intensifies drought and heat stress, understanding how tree species cope with water limitation is critical for predicting forest resilience. Tropical Asia, despite its exceptional biodiversity, remains strongly underrepresented in global datasets on plant hydraulic and thermal traits, limiting climate vulnerability assessments and restoration planning. To address this gap, this Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) initiated a collaborative project between the University of Göttingen, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), and the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), Bangalore, to investigate tree water-use strategies and stress tolerance in the Western Ghats, one of the world’s most biodiverse and climate-sensitive regions.

The research focused on a disturbed site in the northern Western Ghats, where historically evergreen forests have transitioned toward more deciduous vegetation due to long-term anthropogenic disturbances and affected ecosystem stability, highlighting the need for climate-smart, trait-informed restoration. The project aimed to generate empirical data on hydraulic and thermal traits of 16 endemic tree species relevant for restoration, including drought and heat tolerance thresholds that are rarely integrated. In parallel, the mission sought to establish long-term interdisciplinary collaborations integrating empirical plant ecophysiology with theoretical plant hydraulics modeling.

Methods

A three-week intensive field and experimental campaign combined field-based monitoring with controlled juvenile plant experiments. Measured traits included embolism resistance, dehydration tolerance, minimum conductance, and diurnal stomatal conductance, alongside thermal sensitivity.

Field infrastructure establishment included installation of three soil moisture monitoring stations (one extending to 3 m depth) and deployment of sap flow sensors to quantify tree water-use dynamics. These measurements support assessment of restoration performance and shifts in water-use patterns as evergreen species re-establish in degraded forests.

Achievements and Challenges

Strong on-site collaboration enabled rapid setup of measurements, efficient data collection, and active knowledge exchange. Close coordination with partners at IIT Bombay, NCF Bangalore, and researchers at BITS Pilani Goa broadened the project’s interdisciplinary scope and strengthened its applied relevance. These collaborations were critical for smooth field implementation once permissions were secured and for adapting protocols to local conditions.

Challenges included identifying suitable study plots and obtaining forest department permits, which required over six weeks and initially delayed fieldwork. Logistical constraints were significant, as several specialized but essential materials were difficult to source locally. Limited access to laboratory facilities in the remote forest necessitated adaptive solutions, including converting living spaces into functional laboratories with support from the Vanoshi Forest homestay. Unexpected dew formation further constrained drought experiments, requiring construction of protective infrastructure to prevent rewetting of stressed plants. Although this increased logistical costs, financial and technical support from IIT Bombay, NCF, Bangalore enabled successful completion of the campaign.

Outputs and Outlook

Overall, the STSM delivered both immediate scientific results and established durable foundations for collaboration aimed at promoting climate-resilient forest restoration in the Western Ghats. As part of an intensive measurement campaign, plant responses to drought and heat stress were systematically investigated. This resulted in new datasets revealing pronounced interspecific variation as well as covariance in functional traits among the studied tree species. In addition, a long-term monitoring infrastructure was established, including soil moisture sensors and sap flow measurements, to enable the continuous assessment of ecophysiological processes. A particular emphasis was placed on training and capacity building: seven PhD candidates received hands-on training in plant ecophysiological and hydraulic measurement techniques under tropical field conditions.

The data collected within the project have already been made visible to the scientific community. Two conference abstracts were submitted – one to the EGU General Assembly and one to the Heat Conference in Córdoba (Spain). In addition, a presentation was given on 12 February 2026 as part of a seminar of the Department of Plant Ecology at the University of Göttingen, where the project results were presented.

The data are currently undergoing further analysis and form the basis of a scientific publication that is in preparation. Furthermore, the integration of the collected trait data into global databases, such as PSInet, is planned in order to enhance the international visibility and comparability of the results.

Another key achievement of the STSM was the establishment of formal collaborations with IIT Bombay and the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) in Bangalore. Building on these structures, initial discussions have already been initiated regarding future joint third-party funding proposals and further restoration-oriented research projects.

• Data generation:Collection of novel drought and heat tolerance trait data from tropical tree species in the Western Ghats, a globally underrepresented region.
• Strong collaborations: Establishment of close, interdisciplinary collaborations between the University of Göttingen, IIT Bombay, and the Nature Conservation Foundation.
• Capacity building: Hands-on training of seven PhD students in plant ecophysiological measurement techniques under tropical field conditions.