SOCIAL PROJECT

Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

Forests

 There are 5 types of forests – Tropical Rainforest, Tropical Deciduous Forests,

Temperate Deciduous Forests, Mediterranean Forests and Coniferous forests
TROPICAL RAINFOREST
 Tropical Rainforest luxuriant forest found in wet tropical uplands and
lowlands around the Equator. They are also called Equatorial rainforests.
Tropical rainforests, which worldwide make up one of Earth’s largest biomes
(major life zones), are dominated by broad-leaved trees that form a dense
upper canopy (layer of foliage) and contain a diverse array of vegetation and
other life.
 Tropical rainforests are found in Central and South America, western and
central Africa, western India, Southeast Asia, the island of New Guinea, and
Australia. In India, its found in The delta region of bengal, Western ghats, parts
of Tamil nadu, Assam and the Lakshadweep islands
 Fauna of these rainforests includes the jaguar, tapir, okapi, boa constrictor,
African gray parrot, keel-billed toucan, crowned eagle, three-toed sloth, spider
monkey, large flying fox, king colobus, and Anacondas.
 Flora of these rainforests includes the bromeliads, palms, epiphytes, vines,
ferns, lilies, orchids and hardwood trees.
TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FORESTS
 Tropical deciduous forests are the most widespread forests of India. They are also
called the monsoon forests . Trees of this forest-type shed their leaves for about six to
eight weeks in dry summer. On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are
further divided into moist and dry deciduous.
 They are found in the north eastern states of Jharkhand, West Orissa and
Chhattisgarh. Moist Deciduous Forests are also found on the eastern slopes of
the Western Ghats.
 Teak trees are the most dominant species of trees found in these forests.
Sandalwoood,neem,peepal,sal,bamboo,kusum,arjun,khair, mulberry are found
in tropical deciduous forests.
 In India, Lion, tiger, pig, deer, nilgai, panda, hippopotamus and elephant are
some of the animals that make these forests their homes.
TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FORESTS
 Temperate deciduous or temperate broad-leaf forests are a variety of temperate
forest 'dominated' by trees that lose their leaves each year. They are found in areas
with warm moist summers and cool winters.
 Temperate deciduous forests are located in the mid-latitude areas which means
that they are found between the polar regions and the tropics. The deciduous
forest regions are exposed to warm and cold air masses, which cause this area
to have four seasons. The temperature varies widely from season to season with
cold winters and hot, wet summers.
 Temperate deciduous forests are home to trees such as oak, birch, beech,
aspen, elm and maple.
 Deciduous temperate forests are located in the cool, rainy regions of the
northern hemisphere (North America — including Canada, the United States,
and central Mexico — Europe, and western regions of Asia — including Japan,
China, North Korea, South Korea, and parts of Russia)
 Temperate deciduous forests include rabbits, otters, monkeys, beavers,
raccoons, porcupines and squirrels, Bears, white-tailed deer, moose, tigers,
elephants, giraffes, leopards and pandas.
MEDITERRANEAN FORESTS
 Mediterranean forests called the orchards of the world.
 Mediterranean forests is characterized by hot and dry summers, while winters tend to be cool and
moist. They feature thick barks and waxy leaves that aid in reducing transpiration.
 The plants of these types of forests are having thick bark and waxy leaves. These waxy leaves
reduce transpiration. Mediterranean plants adapt to dry summers.The forests of the
Mediterranean region are essential to maintaining water and soil resources. The forests
protect watersheds and regulate the local climate by increasing the air humidity and thereby
reducing the intensity of drought. In this way, they are a barrier against desertification.
 Mediterranean forests are found in the Mediterranean basin, California, the South African
Cape Province, South and southwestern Australia and parts of Central Chile.
 Fruit trees such as olive, figs, walnuts, and grapes. Shrubs: rosemary, Erica, Banksia, and
chamise. Sub-shrubs: such as lavender, Halimium, and sagebrush. Grasses: grassland types,
Themeda triandra, bunchgrasses, sedges, and rushes.
 Only a few mammals are endemic to Mediterranean forests: among these, the Barbary ape
(Morocco, Algeria and Gibraltar), mouflon (Sardinia, Corsica and Cyprus), Iberian lynx (Spain
and Portugal), Spanish imperial eagle, Algerian and Corsican nuthatch, and many reptiles such
as lizards, chameleons, tortoises and snakes.
CONIFEROUS FORESTS
 The forests in the Taiga region are evergreen coniferous forests. The word
'conifer' is a Latin word meaning 'cone-bearing' The forests in Taiga region are
named so because of the evergreen trees with needle shape or scale-like
leaves.
 They represent the largest land habitat for plant and animal species.
 Coniferous are most abundant in cool temperate and boreal regions, where
they are important timber trees and ornamentals, but they are most diverse in
warmer areas, including tropical mountains.
 The northern coniferous forest, or taiga, extends across North America from the
Pacific to the Atlantic, across northern Europe through Scandinavia and Russia,
and across Asia through Siberia to Mongolia, northern China, and northern
Japan.
 Pines, spruces, firs, and larches are the dominant trees in coniferous forests.
They are similar in shape and height and often form a nearly uniform stand with
a layer of low shrubs or herbs beneath. Mosses, liverworts, and lichens cover
the forest floor.