SST – Grade 9

GEOGRAPHY - CHAPTER-5
Natural Vegetation & Wildlife
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1. What is flora and fauna?

The term flora is used to denote plants of a particular region or period whereas the species
of animals are referred to as fauna.

2. Outline bio-reserve with examples.

A biosphere reserve is a big forest area where different varieties of flora and fauna
are conserved by providing them with natural habitat without disturbance from
human interference.
Eg:- Nilgiri biosphere reserve (Kerala, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu) Nanda
Devi in Uttarakhand
The Sunderbans in West Bengal.

3. Distinguish between Tropical Evergreen Forests and Deciduous Forests.

The major differences between tropical evergreen forest and tropical deciduous forest are:

Tropical Evergreen forest Tropical deciduous forest

Tropical Evergreen Forests are very dense Tropical Deciduous Forests are less dense
compared to Tropical Evergreen forests.

Tropical Evergreen Forests are found in the Tropical Deciduous Forests are found in the
regions receiving more than 200 cm of region having rainfall in the range of 70 cm –
rainfall. 200 cm.

The trees of the tropical evergreen forests do The trees of the deciduous forests shed their
not shed their leaves at the same time as there leaves for about six to eight weeks during the
is no particular season for shedding their dry season.
leaves.

Tropical Evergreen forests are predominantly
found in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Karnataka, Maharashtra
This forest is found in-northeastern states,
along the foothills of the Himalayas,
Jharkhand, West Odisha and Chhattisgarh,
and on the eastern slopes of the Western
Ghats.

Some of the tree species found in Tropical Some of the tree species found in Tropical
 Evergreen Forests are Ebony, Mahogany, Deciduous forests are Teak, Sal, Sandalwood,
Rosewood, etc etc.

4. Describe the factors responsible for the huge diversity of flora and fauna.

i) Land - India is a vast country with a huge land influencing the type of vegetation.
ii) Soil - The different types of soil provide a basis for different types of
vegetation.
iii) Temperature - The variation in temperature affects the types of vegetation and its
growth and changes it from tropical to
sub tropical temperate and alpine vegetation.
iv) Photoperiod - The variation of duration in sunlight at different places contributes to the
growth of trees and occupation of animals.
v) Precipitation - The entire rainfall brought by the advancing south west monsoon and
retreating north east monsoon causes more
dense vegetation.

5. Write a brief note on Mangrove forests.

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 hard timber. Palm, coconut, keora, agar etc are also grown in some parts of the
delta.
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