Vegetation – The plant life of a region or the plant community is called vegetation.
Natural Vegetation – Plants which grow on their own; without human intervention are called natural vegetation.
The growth of vegetation depends on:
Temperature
Moisture
Slope
Thickness of soil
Forest – An area of land which is densely covered with trees is called forest.
This type of natural vegetation can be seen where temperature and rainfall are plentiful to support tree cover.
Depending on temperature and rainfall, forests can be dense and open.
Tropical Evergreen Forests:
These forests are found in the regions near the equator and close to the tropics.
These regions are hot and receive plenty of rainfall throughout the year.
Since rainfall is throughout the year, there is no particular dry season.
Hence the trees do not shed their leaves altogether and the trees always appear green.
Thick canopies of these closely spaced trees do not allow sunlight to penetrate inside the forest even in day time.
The following hardwood trees are common here; rosewood, ebony, mahogany, etc.
Tropical Deciduous Forests:
These are the monsoon forests.
They are found in the large part of India, Northern Australia and Central America.
Trees shed their leaves in the dry season to conserve water. Due to this, these are called deciduous trees.
Sal, teak, neem and sheesham are the common trees found in this forest.
Tiger, lion, elephant, etc. are the common animals.
Temperate Evergreen Forests:
These are located in the mid-latitudinal coastal regions.
They are commonly found along the eastern margin of the continents e.g., in south east USA, South China and in South East Brazil.
They comprise both hard and softwood trees like; oak, pine, eucalyptus etc.
Temperate Deciduous Forests:
These forests can be found towards higher latitudes.
The areas where they are found include; North – eastern part of USA, China, New Zealand, Chile and Coastal regions of western Europe.
Oak and birch are the common trees of this forest.
Deer, fox and wolf are the common animals.
Mediterranean Vegetation:
The west and south west margins of continents are different from the east and north east margins.
While most of the east and north east margins are covered by temperate evergreen and deciduous forests the west and south west margins have Mediterranean vegetation.
Mediterranean regions are known as the ‘orchards of the world’ because of their fruit cultivation.
The trees in this region adapt themselves to the dry summers with the help of their thick barks and wax coated leaves which reduce transpiration.
Since these are found in the areas around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Africa and Asia; these are called Mediterranean vegetation.
This kind of vegetation is also found outside the actual Mediterranean region such as in California in the USA, South west Africa, South western South America and South west Australia.
These regions experience dry summers and mild rainy winters.
Citrus fruits such as oranges, olives, grapes and figs are grown here.
The natural vegetation has been removed so that people can cultivate what they want to. Much wildlife is not found in these regions.
Coniferous forests:
These are found in the higher latitudes (50o – 70o) of Northern hemisphere.
These are also called ‘Taiga’.
Taiga means pure or untouched in the Russian language.
The trees found here are tall, softwood evergreen trees, e.g. chir, pine and cedar.
The woods of these trees are used for making pulp which is used for manufacturing paper and newsprint.
These are also used for making matchboxes and packing boxes.
The common animals found here are silver fox, mink, and polar bear.
Grassland: A large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used for grazing is called grassland.
Grasslands are known by different names in different regions which are as follows:
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Region
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Name
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East Africa
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Savanna
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Brazil
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Campos
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Venezuela
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Llanos
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Argentina
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Pampas
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N. America
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Prairies
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South Africa
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Veld
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Central Asia
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Steppe
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Australia
|
Down
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Shrub: A woody plant which is smaller than a tree and has several main stems arising at or near the ground are called shrub.
Thorny bushes – Those plants a sharp woody extension pointed of a stem or leaf are called thorny bushes.
These are found in dry desert-like regions.
Tropical deserts are found on the western margins of the continents.
Because of scanty rain and the scorching heat, vegetation is scarce.
Tundra Vegetation – The vegetation near the polar region is called tundra vegetation.
In the polar region, where the climate is extremely cold, the growth of natural vegetation is very limited.
The vegetation here, which grows only during the very short summer, consists of: Mosses, Lichens and Very small shrubs.
The vegetation mentioned above is called the Tundra type of vegetation.
It is found in the polar areas of Europe, Asia and North America.
Some of the animals found here are; seal, walrus, arctic owl, polar bear, snow fox, etc.
These animals have thick skin and thick fur to protect them from the cold climate.
Wildlife – Animals which live in their natural habitat; usually away from human habitations; are called wildlife.
Conservation of Wildlife and Forests:
Conservation of forests and animals is very important for our long term well being.
The large scale deforestation and the resultant loss of natural habitat for animals are resulting in problems like soil erosion, lack of greenery, extinction of animals etc.
In the 1970s, an organized resistance to the destruction of forests spread throughout India and came to be known as the Chipko movement.
