Natural vegetation

NATURAL
VEGETATION AND
WILD LIFE

• Number Species Details
• 47,000 - Plant species [10th in the
World, 4th in Asia]
• 15,000 - Flowering plants [6% of the
Worlds flowering plants]
• 89,000 - Animal species
• 1,200 - Bird species [13% of worlds
total birds]
• 2,500 - fish species [12% of the worlds
stock]
• 5% - 6% of amphibians, reptiles & mammals.

What is virgin vegetation?
• A plant community,
which has grown
naturally without
human aid and has
been left undisturbed
by humans for a long
time is called virgin
vegetation.

What factors are responsible for the huge
diversity in flora & fauna kingdom?
• Relief 1. Land
• Nature of land influences
the type of vegetation
• Fertile level land is
generally devoted to
agriculture
• Undulating & rough
terrain are areas where
grassland and woodlands
develop & give shelter to
a variety of wildlife.
2.Soil
• Different types of soil
provide basis for different
types of vegetation
• Sandy desert soil support
cactus and thorny bushes.
• Wet, marshy, deltaic, soils
support mangroves &
deltaic vegetation.
• The hill slopes with some
depth of soil have
coniferous trees

• Climate
– Temperature
• The character & extent
of vegetation are mainly
determined by
temperature along with
humidity in the air,
precipitation, & soil.
• On the slopes of the
Himalayas and the hills of
the peninsula above the
height of 915 metres, the
fall in temperature affects
the types of vegetation
and its growth, and
changes it from tropical to
subtropical temperate and
alpine vegetation.
• Photoperiod
• The variation in
duration of sunlight at
different places is due
to differences in
latitude, altitude,
season and duration of
the day.
• Due to longer duration
of sunlight, trees grow
faster in summer.

– Precipitation
– In India the advancing
southwest monsoon
and retreating
northeast monsoons
bring in almost the
entire rainfall.
– Areas of heavy rainfall
have more dense
vegetation as
compared to other
areas of less rainfall

Why are forests important for human
beings?
• They are renewable
resources
• Play a major role in
enhancing the quality of
environment
• 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
• Controls wind force and
temperature and causes
rainfall
• Provides humus to the soil
• Provide shelter to the
wildlife

‘India’s natural vegetation has undergone
many changes due to various factors ‘
what are they?
• The growing demand for cultivated land
• Development of industries & mining
• Urbanization
• Over-grazing of pastures.

What is an ecosystem?
• All the plants and animals in a given area are
interlinked and interdependent on each other
as well as the physical environment, forming
an ecosystem.
• Human beings are also an integral part of the
ecosystem.

Difference between Flora and Fauna?
Flora : Plants of a
particular region
or period, listed
by species and
considered as a
group.
• Fauna : Species
of animals of a
given area.

A note on the Indian Flora
• 47,000 plant species – 10th in world and 4th in Asia.
• 15,000 flowering plants – 6% of world’s total.
• India also rich in non flowering plants like ferns, algae and
fungi.
• Flora ranges from one found in tropics to the Arctic
region,due to the country’s varied relief, temperature and
rainfall conditions.
• Most of Himalayan and Peninsular regions are covered with
indigenous vegetation. These species are found in the North
Indian Plains and the Thar Desert.
• Owing to destruction of forests for agricultural and industrial
development, several plants are facing extinction.
• The vegetal cover of India, in large parts, is no more ‘natural’
in a real sense. Except some inaccessible regions like the Thar
Desert or the Himalayas, the vegetation has been destroyed
in some places or replaced or degraded by human occupancy.

What are biomes? What is the basis
of their grouping?
• A very large ecosystem on land having distinct
types of vegetation and animal life is called a
biome.
• Plant formations are used as basis of their
groupings or identification.

The five principle Biomes of the world
Listed in order of availability of soil, water and
heat,
the five principal biomes of the world are :
• Forests.
• Savanna.
• Grassland.
• Desert.
• Tundra.

Tropical rainforest
Require rainfall above 200 cms with short dry season.
Found in the rainy parts (western slopes) of Western Ghats and
island groups of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands
upper parts of Assam, Tamilnadu coast.
Trees reach great heights, up to 60 mts. Or even more.
Since the region is warm and wet throughout the year, it has
luxuriant vegetation of all kinds – trees, shrubs and creepers
giving it a multi layered structure.
Evergreen forests – as there is no definite time for trees to shed
their leaves, these forests appear green all the year round.
Commercially important trees are ebony, mahogany and
rosewood rubber & cinchona.
Common animals found – elephants, monkey lemur & deer. One
horned rhinoceros – found in the jungles of Assam & West Bengal
Others – plenty of birds, bats, sloth, scorpions & snails are found.

Tropical deciduous forests
– Require rainfall between 70 cms and 200 cms.
– Called monsoon forests and are the most widespread
forests of India.
– Trees shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in
summer. On the basis of availability of water, these
forests are further divided into moist and dry
deciduous forests.[Ref: Distinguish between]
– Common animals found – lion, tiger, pig, deer &
elephants
– Others – huge variety of birds, lizards, snakes &
tortoises are found.
•

Tropical thorn forests and scrubs
– Require rainfall less than 70 cms.
– Found in semi arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and
Haryana.
– Vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes –
acacias, cacti, palms and euphorbias.
– Trees are scattered and have long roots penetrating
deep into the soil and spreading in a radial pattern to
find water.
– Stems are succulent to conserve water.
– Common animals found –rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf,
tiger, lion, wild ass, horses & camals.

Mangrove forests
– Found in areas of coasts influenced by tides
– Mud & silt get accumulated on such coasts.
– Dense mangroves are the common varieties with roots of
the plants submerged under water.
– Found in the deltas of Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Krishna,
the Godavari And the Kaveri.
– Sundari trees are found in the Ganga –Brahmaputra delta
– provide durable hard timbe.
– Other plants are Palm, Coconut, Keor, Agar.
– Famous animal found – Royal Bengal Tiger
– Common animals found – Turtles, Crocodiles, Gharials
&Snake

Tidal forests or mangrove forests

Montane forests
1000 – 2000 mt – wet temperate, evergreen broad leaf forests Oak& Chestnut
1500 – 3000 mt - Temperate forests with Conifers Pine, Deodar,
Silver Fir, Spruce, Cedar [southern slopes of Himalayas]
3000 -3600 mt – Temperate forests, Grasslands –
Silver fir, Juniper, Pine, Birches
Beyond 3600 mt – Shrubs, Scrubs
Alpine Grasslands
Moses &Lichens
Snow cap Common animals found – Kashmir stag,
spotted deer, wild sheep, jack rabbit,
Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard,
squirrels, shaggy horn wild ibex, bear &
rare red panda, sheep, & goats with
thick hair.

Name the tribes that use the Alpine
grasslands for extensive grazing.
• The Gujjars &
• The Bakarwals

What are endangered species?
• A large number of birds and
animals are in the danger of
getting extinct. These are called
endangered species.

What are migratory birds? Which
ones visit India?
• Birds that migrate from one region to
another, traveling in thousands to build
nests and raise their young ones and go
back later are termed ‘migratory’ birds.
• The ones that visit India are the
Siberian Crane and the Flamingo.

Mention the wild life found in Ladakh.
• Yak, Shaggy horned wild Ox, Tibetan
Antelope, the Bharal, Wild Sheep &
Kiang.
• The Ibex, Bears, Snow Leopards &
Red Panda in certain pockets

Distinguish between moist and dry
deciduous forests?
Moist deciduous
• Found in areas with rainfall
between 100 and 200 cm.
• Found in N.En states, along
foothills of Himalayas,
Jharkhand, West Orissa,
Chhattisgarh and eastern
slopes of Western Ghats.
• Important species – Teak,
bamboo, sal shisham, khair,
kusum, arjun, mulberry
sandalwood
Dry deciduous
• Found in areas with rainfall
between 75 and 100 cm.
• Found in rainier parts of
peninsular plateau and the
plains of Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh.
• There are open stretches in
which teak, sal, peepal,neem
and other trees grow.
• A large part of this vegetation
has been cleared for
cultivation and some parts are
used for grazing.

What influences the kind of
vegetation found in the mountains?
• The decrease in temperature with
increasing altitude leads to the
corresponding change in natural
vegetation. There is a succession of
natural vegetation belts in the same
order as we see from the tropical to
the tundra region.

Discuss the steps taken to conserve
flora and fauna?
• Periodic surveys and censuses of plants and
animals are undertaken to find out the latest
status and trends in this direction.
• Project Tiger and Project Rhinoceros were
undertaken to save them from getting extinct.
There are 16 tiger reserves in the country.
• Wildlife sanctuaries (49), bird sanctuaries and
national parks (89), have been set up.

What are Biosphere reserves?
Mention their three main objectives.
• Biosphere reserves are multipurpose protected areas,
where every plant and animal species will be protected in its
natural habitat. The major goal of setting up such reserves is
to preserve the genetic diversity in crucial natural
ecosystems.
• The major objectives are:
• To conserve and maintain diversity and integrity of the
natural heritage in it’s full form i.e. physical environment,
the flora and the fauna.
• To promote research on ecological conservation and other
aspects of environmental preservation.
• To provide facilities for education, awareness and training.

Name the Biosphere reserves included in
the world network of biosphere reserves.
Where are they located?
• Nilgiri – At the tri-junction of
Kerala, Karnataka and
TamilNadu.
• Nanda Devi – Uttaranchal.
• Gulf of Mannar – Tamil Nadu.
• Sundarbans – West Bengal

Name the Biosphere reserves in India.
Where are they located?
1. Nilgiri – at the tri-junction of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
2. Nanda Devi – Uttaranchal.
3. Nokrek – Meghalaya.
4. Great Nicobar – Andaman and Nicobar islands.
5. Gulf of Mannar –Tamil Nadu.
6. Manas – Assam.
7. Sundarbans –West Bengal
8. Similipal – Orissa.
9. Dibru-Saikhowa – Assam
10. Dihang-Debang – Arunachal Pradesh.
11. Pachmarhi – Madhya Pradesh
12. Khangchendzonga - Sikkim

Nilgiris – at the tri-junction of Kerala,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Great Nicobar – Andaman & Nicobar islands

Dihang-Debang – Arunachal Pradesh.

Where are the following animals
found?
• Elephants : In hot, wet forests of Assam,
Karnataka and Kerala.
• Rhinoceroses : In swampy and marshy lands of
Assam and WestBengal.
• Lions : In Gir forest in Gujarat.
• Tigers : In the forests of Madhya
Pradesh, the Sundarbans
of West Bengal and the
Himalayan region.
• Camels : In the Thar Desert.
• Wild Ass : Rann of Kutchch

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and Snow White Bengal tigers
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Why are species of animals facing a
major threat of extinction?
• Hunting by greedy hunters for commercial
purposes
• Pollution due to chemical and industrial
waste, acid deposits
• Introduction of alien species
• Reckless cutting of forests to bring land under
cultivation & inhabitations

What are the steps taken by the government
to protect the flora &fauna of the country?
• The steps taken are
• Fourteen biosphere reserves have been set up in the country
to protect flora & fauna. Four out of these namely
Sunderbans, Nanda Devi, Gulf of Mannar & Nilgiris have been
included in the world network of Biosphere reserves.
• Financial & 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.
• 89 National Parks, 49 Wildlife Sanctuaries and Zoological
gardens are set up to take care of Natural heritage

Natural vegetation

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