Moderate land use shifts plant diversity from overstory to understory and contributes to biotic homogenization in a seasonally dry tropical ecosystem

► We assessed the effects of moderate land use on savanna woodlands in South India. ► Moderate land use maintained overall plant diversity and species richness. ► Fire and livestock grazing shifted diversity from the overstory to the understory. ► Areas with biomass extraction had more common and fewer rare species. ► A mosaic of land uses could balance local needs with biodiversity conservation.