CH - 5NATURAL

VEGETATION AND WILD LIFE

(Geography)

Natural vegetation refers to a plant community which has grown naturally without human aid &

has been undisturbed by humans for a long time. This is also termed as “virgin vegetation”. The virgin vegetation, which are purely Indian are

known as indigenous species & which are came from outside India are known as exotic species.

The species of plants are referred to as flora and the species of animals are referred to as fauna.

WHAT IS NATURAL VEGETATION ?

Land: it effects the natural vegetation directly & indirectly. The nature of land influences the type of vegetation.

Soil: different types of soil provide basis for different types of vegetation.

Temperature: the fall & rise in the temperature affects the types of vegetation and its growth, & changes it from tropical to subtropical temperate & alpine vegetation.

FACTORS WHICH EFFECT FLORA AND FAUNA:-

Photoperiod {sunlight}: the variation in duration of sunlight at different places is due to differences in latitude, altitude, season & duration of the day. Due to longer duration of sunlight, trees grow faster in summer.

Precipitation{rainfall}: in India almost the entire rainfall is brought in by the advancing southwest monsoon & retreating northeast monsoons. Areas of heavy rainfall have more dense vegetation as compared to other areas of less rainfall.

Forests are renewable resources & play a major role in enhancing the quality of environment.

They modify local climate, control soil erosion, regulate stream flow, support a variety of industries, provide livelihood for many communities & offer panoramic or scenic view for recreation.

It controls wind force & temperature and causes rainfall.

It provides humus to soil & shelter to the wild life. It has undergone many changes.

WHY FORESTS ARE IMPORTANT FOR HUMAN BEINGS ?

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the 

nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system. 

These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.

As ecosystems are defined by the network of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their environment, they can be of any size but usually encompass specific, limited spaces (although some scientists say that the entire planet is an ecosystem).

ECOSYSTEM:-

The following major types of vegetation may be identified in our country :

1. Tropical evergreen forest2. Tropical deciduous forest3. Tropical thorn forests & scrubs4. Montane forests5. Mangrove forests

TYPES OF VEGETATION :-

These forests are restricted to heavy rainfall areas of Western Ghats, Assam, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar islands & Tamil Nadu coast.

They have more than 200cm of rainfall with a short dry season.

The trees reach up to the height of 60m or above. There is no definite time for trees to shed their

leaves. As they appear green full year. Main trees – ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber &

cinchona. Main animals – elephants, monkey, lemur, deer,

rhinoceros, bats, sloth, scorpions & snails.

1.TROPICAL EVERGREEN FORESTS =>

2. TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FORESTS => These are the most widespread forests in India. They receive rainfall between 200cm & 70cm. They shed there leaves for about six to eight

weeks in summer. The forest is divided into two types – a) moist deciduous forest b) dry deciduous forest Animal found is common – lion, tiger, pig, deer,

elephant, lizards, snakes, tortoises, etc.

a)Moist deciduous forest

Receive rainfall between 200 & 100cm.

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Found in Jharkhand, West Orissa, Chhattisgarh.

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Trees found – teak, sal, bamboo, shisham, khair, kusum, arjun, sandalwood, mulberry, etc.

b)Dry deciduous forest Receive rainfall

between 100 & 70 cm.

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Found in rainier parts of the peninsular plateau, plains of Bihar & Uttar Pradesh.

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Trees found – teak, sal, peepal, neem, etc.

3. TROPICAL THORN FORESTS & SCRUBS => Receive rainfall less than 70cm, the natural

vegetation consists of thorny trees & bushes. These are found in semi arid areas of

Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh & Haryana.

Trees have long roots & scattered deep into soil in order to get moisture.

Stems are succulent to conserve water, leaves are mostly thick & small to minimize evaporation.

Main trees – acacias, palms, euphorbia & cacti.

Main animals – camel, rats, wolf, wild ass, horse, etc.

4. MONTANE FORESTS => These are found in mountain areas, between the

height of 1000 & 2000 m. Found in – southern slopes of Himalayas, Jammu &

Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh & Sikkim. Alpine vegetation is a part of this type of forest & are

found in the high altitudes of 3600m above sea level. Main trees – pines, deodar, silver fur, spruce, birches,

junipers & cedar. Main animals – spotted deer, rabbits, yak, sheep,

rare red panda, goats with thick hair, bear, jack, etc.

5. MANGROVE FORESTS=> These are found in the areas of coasts influenced

by tides. Mud & slit get accumulated on such coasts.

Roots of tree found there gets submerged under water.

They are found in the Deltas of Ganga, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari & Kaveri rivers.

Main trees – sundari(ganga-bhramaputra delta), palm, coconut, keora, agar, etc.

Main animals – royal bengal tiger, turtles, crocodiles, gharials & snakes.

IMAGES OF FORESTS

1.Evergreen forests 2.Deciduous forests 3.Thorn forests & scrubs

4.Montane forests 5.Mangrove forests

WILD LIFE The country has about 2000 species of

birds. Wild life Protection Act was

implemented in 1972 in India. In india different types of wild life is

found In different region. Bio reserves are made for protection of

endangered animals.

MADE BY :-

ANUSHA GUPTACLASS = IX - A