Understanding the role of slope aspect in shaping the vegetation attributes and soil properties in Montane ecosystems

Montane ecosystems are a remarkably diverse ecosystem, mainly characterised by hillslope asymmetry, i.e., hillslope variation as a function of slope angle and slope aspect. Slope angle, aspect, and elevation are considered as the primary factors creating spatial variation, causing differences in vegetation growth and distribution, ecosystem functioning, and processes. Differences in slope aspect cause differences in air and soil temperature, moisture content, evaporation, which creates microclimatic zonation, and that these differences are closely associated with alterations in vegetation structure and composition. North-facing shady slopes are supported with thick and dense vegetation with nutrient-rich soil, whereas, thin and scattered vegetation along with weaker soil development with higher erosion rates in southfacing sunny slope. However, the information related to the effect of the slope aspect in different latitudinal areas is still unclear. In this review, an effort has been made to collate the studies dealing with different facets of the slope and aspect in varied latitudinal regions and how it influences ecosystem processes and soil properties in the montane ecosystem. The present literature survey shows that the slope aspect has its maximum effect in the mid-latitudinal region. In the low-latitudinal region, the slope aspect shows no consistent differences between the opposite aspects. The effect could be seen in its lowest limit in the higher-latitudinal region. The slope aspect is a crucial parameter in montane forest ecosystems and for sustainable forest management measures, which cannot be neglected for studying topography related vegetation dynamics. Moreover, water and soil conservation measures should be applied precisely on drier and warmer aspects.