Can't see the forbs for the grasses – Forb ecology in Indian grasslands

Abhirami Ravichandran , Anish Paul, Sandeep Pulla

Grasslands are one of the world's most widespread and diverse ecosystems. However, ecological research in grasslands has largely focused on grasses and woody plants, while forbs, which are non-graminoid herbaceous plants, are often overlooked despite their considerable contributions to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of grasslands. In this review we synthesize current knowledge on the ecological roles of forbs in Indian grasslands by merging evidence from the global literature with 31 studies conducted across diverse Indian grassland ecosystems. Global studies demonstrate that forbs mainly contribute to species richness, pollination, nutrient cycling, ecosystem resilience, and post-disturbance recovery, whereas Indian research has primarily documented forbs within floristic assessments or medicinal uses, with relatively few studies unambiguously investigating their functional roles. Despite their ecological and livelihood importance, forbs remain comparatively understudied in grassland disturbance research, particularly in relation to how their functional traits and species-specific strategies influence persistence and recovery under repeated disturbances such as grazing. This review emphasizes the need to recognize forbs as distinct functional groups of Indian grasslands and identifies priority areas for future research to support more effective conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of these ecosystems.