Chap-6-Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

MINIMUM LEARNING PROGRAME

The vegetation that grows on its own without any interference of human beings is
called natural vegetation.

The factors that influence the growth of natural vegetation are:

1. Height of land.
2. Temperature and moisture.
3. Slope and thickness of soil.
The type and thickness of vegetation varied from place to place because of variation
of these factors.

Natural vegetation is generally classified in to three broad categories as

follows:
1. Forests: Which grow where temperature and rainfall are plentiful to support a tree
cover.
2. Grasslands: Which grow in the region of moderate rain.
3. Shrubs: Thorny shrubs are scrubs grow in the dry region.

Following are the different types of forests found on Earth:

Features of Different types of Forests are as follows:
a. Tropical evergreen forests
1. These thick forests occur in the regions near the equator and close to the tropics.
2. These regions are hot and receive heavy rainfall throughout the year.
3. As there is no particular dry season, the trees do not shed their leaves altogether.
This is the reason they are called evergreen.
4. The thick canopies of the closely spaced trees do not allow the sunlight to
penetrate inside the forest even in the day time
5. Hardwood trees like rosewood, ebony, mahogany are common here

b. Tropical deciduous forests

1.Tropical deciduous are the monsoon forests found in the large part of India,
northern Australia and in central America .

2.These regions experience seasonal changes. Trees shed their leaves in the dry
season to conserve water.

3. The hardwood trees found in these forests are sal, teak, neem and shisham.
Hardwood trees are extremely useful for making furniture, transport and
constructional materials.

4. Tigers, lions, elephants, langoors and monkeys are the common animals of these

regions

c. Temperate evergreen forests.

1. These forests are located in mid-latitudinal coastal regions. They are commonly
found along the eastern margins of the continents e.g,In south east USA, South
China and in South East Brazil.

2.They comprise both hard and soft wood trees like oak, pine, eucalyptus, etc.

d. Temperate deciduous forests.

1. These are found in the north eastern part of USA, China, New Zealand, Chile and
also found in the coastal regions of Western Europe.

2.They shed their leaves in the dry season.

3. The common trees are oak, ash, beech, etc. Deer, foxes, wolves are the animals
commonly found. Birds like pheasants ,monals are also found here .

e. Mediterranean forest

1.They are known as the ‘orchards of the world’ for their fruit cultivation

2. It is mostly found in the areas around the Mediterranean sea in Europe, Africa and
Asia, hence the name. This kind of vegetation is also found outside the actual
Mediterranean region in California in the USA, south west Africa, south western
South America and South west Australia.

3.These regions are marked for hot dry summers and mild rainy winters.

4.Citrus fruits such as oranges, figs, olives and grapes are commonly cultivated here

f. Coniferous forest

1.In the higher latitudes (50° – 70°) of Northern hemisphere the spectacular
Coniferous forests are found

2. These are also called as Taiga. These forests are also seen in the higher
altitudes. They are tall, softwood evergreen trees.

3. The woods of these trees are very useful for making pulp, which is used for
manufacturing paper and newsprint. Match boxes and packing boxes are also made
from softwood.

4. Chir, pine, cedar are the important variety of trees in these forests.

5. Silver fox, mink, polar bear are the common animals found here.

Two types of grasslands found on Earth are:

a. Tropical grasslands
1.These grow on either side of the equator and extend till the tropics.
2. This vegetation grows in the areas of moderate to low amount of rainfall.
3. They can grow very tall, about 3 to 4 meters in height.
4. Elephants, zebras, giraffes, deer, leapords are common in tropical grasslands
b. Temperate grasslands
1. These are found in the mid-latitudinal zones in the interior part of the continents.
2. Usually grass here is short and nutritious.
3. Wild buffaloes, bison, antelopes are common in the temperate region

Thorny bushes: These are found in the dry desert like regions. Tropical deserts are
located on the western margins of the continents.
The vegetation cover is scarce here because of scanty rain and scorching heat.

Tundra type of vegetation:

1. It is found in Polar Regions where the climate is extremely cold.
2. The growth of natural vegetation is very limited.
3. This vegetation grows only during the very short summer.
4. Only mosses, lichens and very small shrubs are found here

List of Questions-to be studied for term exams

Q1.Why the Mediterranean vegetation is known as “ the orchards of the
world”?

Ans- They are known as the ‘orchards of the world’ for their fruit cultivation

2. It is mostly found in the areas around the Mediterranean sea in Europe, Africa and
Asia, hence the name. This kind of vegetation is also found outside the actual
Mediterranean region in California in the USA, south west Africa, south western
South America and South west Australia.

3.These regions are marked for hot dry summers and mild rainy winters.

4.Citrus fruits such as oranges, figs, olives and grapes are commonly cultivated here

Q2. Give any 4 features of Mediterranean forests.

i) These are located along the western margins of the continents, mostly in
temperate regions in both the hemispheres.

ii)In this region, the summer season is dry. There is moderate rainfall of about 80 cm
during the winter season.

iii) Trees of this region have broad leaves, long roots and thick bark.

iv) Main trees found in this region are Olives, figs, nuts and of citrus fruits.

v) There is not much wildlife here.

Q3. Give reasons why sunlight cannot penetrate in the tropical evergreen
forests even in day time?

Ans.-In tropical evergreen forests, the trees are very dense. Many species of
trees are found in these forests and these have broad leaves. The thick
canopies of closely spaced trees do not allow sunlight to penetrate inside the
tropical evergreen forests even in day time.

Q4. Mention the uses of Coniferous forests.

Ans- The uses of coniferous forests are-

i) The softwood of these trees are very useful for making pulp, which is
used for making paper.
ii) Match boxes and packing boxes are also made from softwood trees of
coniferous forests.
iii) Coniferous trees are fast growing, quick to mature and therefore replenish
easily. Trees grow very quickly and can be harvested every 40-50 years.
Their straight and long trunks make them more useful for construction and
making furniture.