Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Class 9 Extra Questions Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.How do human beings influence the ecology of a region?

Answer:Human beings influence the ecology of a region in the following ways :

They utilise the vegetation and wildlife of a particular region.

The greed of human beings leads to overutilisation of these resources.

They cut trees and kill the animals, thereby, creating an ecological imbalance.

Question 2.What are endangered species? Give examples.

Answer:The plants and animals that are at the verge of extinction are called endangered species.

Rhinoceroes, Great Indians bustards and tigers are some of the examples of endangered species of
animals.

Question 3.Write a short note on the biodiversity in India.Or‘India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity
countries of the world’. Explain

Answer:Our country India is one of the 12 mega bio-diversity countries of the worid. With about 47,000
plant species, India occupies tenth place in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity.

There are about 15,000 flowering plants in India, which account for 6 per cent in the world’s total
number of flowering plants.

The country has many non-flowering plants, such as ferns,’algae and fungi. India also has 90,000 species
of animals, as well as, a rich variety of fish in its fresh and marine waters.

Question 4.Discuss how flora and fauna are interrelated to each other.

Answer:The interrelation between flora and fauna is as under :

Flora refers to the autotrophs, i.e., producer of their own food themselves, while fauna refers to the
heterotrophs, i.e., getting their food directly or indirectly from autotrophs.

Food webs and food chains make ex-facie the interrelation between the flora and fauna.

Flora provides food to all living organisms while fauna provides nutrients to the soil from its waste and
decay.

Question 5.Name any three medicinal plants found in India with atleast one use of each.
Answer:The tree medicinal plants found in India are :

Sarpagandha: It is used to treat blood pressure. It is found only in India.

Jamun: The juice from ripe fruit is used to prepare vinegar, which is carminative and diuretic, and has
digestive properties.

Arjun: The fresh juice of leaves is a cure for earache. It is also used to regulate blood pressure.

Question 6.Write a short note on Mangrove Forests.

Answer:The mangrove tidal forests are found in the areas of coasts influenced by tides. Mud and silt get
accumulated on such coasts. Dense mangroves are the common varieties with roots of the plants
submerged under water. The deltas of the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Godavari and the
Kaveri are covered by such vegetation. In the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta, sundari trees are found, which
provide durable hard timber. Palm, coconut, keora, agar, etc., also grow in some parts of the delta.

Royal Bengal Tiger is the famous animal in these forests. Turtles, crocodiles, gharials and snakes are also
found in these forests.

Question 7.Distinguish between the moist and dry deciduous forests.

Answer:Moist Deciduous Forest1. These are found in areas receiving annual rainfall between 100 cm
and 200 cm.

Dry Deciduous Forests1.These forests are found in areas receiving annual rainfall between 70 cm and
100 cm.

Moist Deciduous Forests2. Trees found in these forests are teak, sal, shisham, sandalwood, khair and
bamboos.

Dry Deciduous Forests2.There are open stretches in which, teak, sal, peepal, neem, etc. grow.

Moist Deciduous Forest3. These forests are generally found in Jharkhand, West Odisha, Chhattisgarh and
on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.

Dry Deciduous Forests3. These forests are found in the rainer parts of the peninsular plateau and the
plains of U.R, and Bihar.

Question 8.Write a short note on thorny forests and scrubs.

Answer:The thorny forest and scrubs are found in regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall, the natural
vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes. This type of vegetation is found in the north-western
part of the country, including semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Acacias, palms, euphorbias and cacti are the main plant species. Trees are
scattered and have long roots penetrating deep into the soil to get moisture. The stems are succulent to
conserve water. Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimise evaporation. These forests give way to
thorn forests and scrubs in arid areas. In these forests, the common animals are rats, mice, rabbits, fox,
wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horses and camels.

Question 9.Write three measures to conserve ecosystem.

Answer:The measures to conserve ecosystem are :

Deforestation has disturbed our ecosystem. It must be stopped forthwith.

Indiscriminate killing of wild animals has distorted our ecosystem. Hence, killing of

animals should be stopped immediately.

Ecosystem can be conserved by developing more wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and biosphere
reserves.

Question 10.Why is conservation of wildlife very essential? Explain.

Answer:The government has taken many special efforts to preserve endangered species of birds and
animals. Periodic census is undertaken to find out the latest position and trends in this regard. The
Project Tiger has been a great success. We have many tiger reserves in various parts of the country.
Likewise, the Project Rhino is being implemented in Assam. The Indian Bustard of Rajasthan and Malwa
Plateau are yet another endangered species. Even the number of lions had been dwindling for long.
Conservation of wildlife is essential in order to protect the endangered species of birds and animals and
also to maintain the ecological balance. The Government of India has so far set-up eighteen biosphere
reserves.

Question 11.What do you know about migratory birds?

Answer:Some of the wetlands of India are popular with migratory birds. During winters, birds, such as
Siberian Crane come in large numbers. One such place favourable with birds is the Rann of Kachchh. At a
place where the desert merges with the sea, flamingo with their brilliant, pink plumage come in
thousands to build nest mounds from the salty mud and raise their young ones.

Question 12.How does the land influence the vegetation cover of India?

Answer:Land affects the natural vegetation directly and indirectly. The nature of land influences the type
of vegetation. The fertile level is generally devoted to agriculture. The undulating and rough terrains are
areas where grasslands and woodlands develop and give shelter to a variety of wildlife.
Question 13.Which human activities are disturbing the ecosystem?

Answer:The following human activities are disturbing the ecosystem :

Indiscriminate cutting of trees and clearing the forest areas, i.e., deforestation.

Excessive hunting of animals.

Overgrazing by animals.

Rapid rise in population leading to overexploitation of resources.

Question 14.What is a biome?

Answer:Biome means plant community occurring in distinct groups in areas having similar climatic
conditions. In other words, a very large ecosystem on land having different types of flora and fauna is
termed as biome. The biomes are categorized or identified on the basis of plant species.

Question 15.How has the soil influence the vegetation cover of India?

Answer:The soils also vary over spaces. Different types of soils provide basis for different types of
vegetation. The sandy soils of the desert support cactus and thorny bushes. While wet, marshy, deltaic
soils support mangroves and deltaic vegetation. The hill slopes with some depth of soil have conical
trees.

Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Class 9 Extra Questions Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.How do the forests play both a productive and protective role?

Answer:Productive Role of Forests :

The forests supply us wood, pulp, cellulose, packaging material etc. to run a number of industries like
paper industry, packaging industry etc.

We obtain a number of consumer goods like fuel wood, timber, medicinal herbs, resins, gums, lac and
honey from our forests.Forests control the wind force and temperature and cause rainfall.

Protective Role of Forests :

Forests help in maintaining the ecological balance and providing pollution free air.

These help in checking soil erosion and raising the water table which receding presently at a faster rate.

These provide humus to the soil and make it fertile.

These provide manure to the plants as their leaves and stems after they die, decompose in a natural
way.

Question 2.What are the different steps taken by the government to protect flora and fauna?
Answer:The different steps taken by the government to protect flora and fauna are :

Eighteen biosphere reserves have been set up in the country to protect flora fauna.

The Sunderbans in the West Bengal, Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand, the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu and
the Nilgiris have been included in the world network of biosphere reserves.

Financial and technical assistance is provided to many botanical gardens by the government since 1992.

Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and many other eco-developmental projects
have been introduced by the government.

103 National Parks, 535 Wildlife Sanctuaries and Zoological Gardens are set up to take care of natural
heritage.

Question 3.Write a short note on wildlife in India.

Answer:India is also rich in its fauna. It has approximately 90,000 animal species. The country has about
2,000 species of birds. They constitute 13% of the world’s total. There are 2,546 species of fish, which
account for nearly 12% of the world’s stock. It also shares between 5 and 8 per cent of the world’s
amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

The elephants are the most majestic animals among the mammals. They are found in the hot wet forests
of Assam, Karnataka and Kerala. One-horned rhinoceroses are the other animals, which live in swampy
and marshy lands of Assam and West Bengal. Arid areas of the Rann of Kachchh and the Thar Desert are
the habitat for wild ass and camels respectively. Indian bison, nilgai (blue bull), chousingha (four-horned
antelope), gazel and different species of deer are some other animals found in India. It also has several
species of monkeys.

India is the only country in the world that has both tigers and lions. The natural habitat of the Indian lion
is the Gir forest in Gujarat. Tigers are found in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, the Sundarbans of West
Bengal and the Himalayan region.

Question 4.What is the importance of biosphere reserve? What are its objectives?

Answer:Biosphere reserves are a series of multipurpose protected areas linked through a global
network, intended to demonstrate the relationship between conservation and development. The main
purpose of biosphere reserve is conservation of flora and fauna.

The main objectives are :

Preserving plant and animal species of the area in natural forms.

To protect flora and fauna from their overexploitation.

To save endangered species and prevent extinction of valuable species.

To undertake research and experimentation in forestry.

Question 5.Describe how rainfall and relief influence the vegetation of an area.

Answer:Factors like rainfall and relief influence the natural vegetation of an area.

Rainfall: In India, almost the entire rainfall is brought in by the advancing southwest monsoon (June to
September) and retreating northeast monsoons. Areas of heavy rainfall have more dense vegetation as
compared to areas of less rainfall.

Areas with more than 200 cm of annual rainfall have tropical evergreen rainforests. Tropical moist
deciduous forests are found in areas with 100 to 200 cm of rainfall. Tropical dry deciduous forests are
found in areas receiving rainfall between 100 cm and 70 cm. In regions with iess than 70 cm of rainfall,
the natural vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes.

Relief: The type of vegetation found in an area depends upon the relief or landform of the area. The
fertile level lands of plains are generally devoted to agriculture. Much of the natural vegetation is
cleared or altered in such areas. Grasslands and woodlands develop in areas with undulating and rough
terrains. Mountainous areas have succession of vegetation types according to the altitude of the area.

Question 6.Give a brief description of Tropical Evergreen Forests.

Answer:Tropical Evergreen Forests are found in areas receiving heavy rainfall of over 200 cm, well-
distributed throughout the year. They are also known as rainforests.

The warm, wet climate throughout the year supports luxuriant vegetation of all kinds including trees,
shrubs and creepers.

The trees grow very tall, reaching a height of 60 metres or even above. As the trees grow very close to
each other, they form a thick canopy. The different types of vegetation form a multilayered structure.

The climate supports a large number of broad-leaved trees of different species. Ebony, mahogany,
rosewood, rubber, cinchona, etc. are commercially important trees.

These trees do not shed their leaves at the same time as there is no distinct dry season.
This makes the forests evergreen as they retain their green look throughout the year.