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Geography > Natural Vegetation > Flashcards

Natural Vegetation Flashcards

1
Q

Define Natural Vegetation

A

Plant community which has grown naturally without human aid and has been left undisturbed by the human beings for a long time.

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2
Q

Flora and Fauna.

A

Flora - Plants of a particular region or period
Fauna - Species of Animals

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3
Q

Define Vegetation

A

Vegetation refers to the assemblage of plant species living in association with each other in a given environmental set-up.

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4
Q

Define Forests

A

Forests refer to large tracts of land covered with tress and accompanying undergrowth of shrubs, herbs and sustaining thousands of life forms (both plants and animals)

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5
Q

Importance of forests

A
  1. Provides varius products like fruits, leaves, wood, bamboo, etc which can be used as a source of food as well as construction and as a source of energy
  2. The forest control water flow, therby prevent soil erosion by water and the thick humus layer prevents evaporation of water.
  3. Takes in Carbon dioxide and releases oxygen during phtosynthesis and absorbs water through roots and release water vapour during transpiration thereby regulating oxygen and water levels in atomosphere.
  4. Provides habitat to various species
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6
Q

Major vegetation belts of the country

A

Tropic Evergreen
Tropical Deciduous
Tropical desert
Littoral
Mountain

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6
Q

Short note on tropical rainforests

A

Annual rainfall > 200cm
Annual average temp. 25 C to 27 C
Annual average humidity 77%

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7
Q

Distribution of Tropical Rain forests

A
  • Western slopes of Western ghats
  • Hills of NE region
  • Island groups - Laskshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar
  • TN Coast
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8
Q

Charcteristics feaures of Tropical rain forests

A
  1. Warm and wet - luxuriant growth of all kinds of vegetation
  2. Trees grow vigourously more than 60m height.
  3. Grasses and shrubs on the floor cannot grow (dense canopy of trees prevent enough sunlight to reach the ground)
  4. Have no definite time for shedding leaves, flowering or fruiting - appear greeen all the year round.
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9
Q

Economic value of Tropical Evergeren forests

A

HIGH ECONOMIC VALUE (Time produced is durable, hard and fine-grained) yet unexploitable

Tangled mass of canes, palms, bamboos, ferns and climbers & lack of means of transport.

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10
Q

Short note on Tropical Deciduous forests

A
  • Also called Tropical Monsoon forests
  • Most widespread forest of India.
  • Types - Moist Deciduous and Dry Deciduous
  • Moist Deciduous - annual rainfall - 100 to 200cm, annual mean temp. - 24 to 27 C and annual humidity - 50 to 80% (have bigger area than evergreen forests)
  • Dry Deciduous - annual rainfall - 70 to 100cm, mean annual temp. 23 to 27 C and annual humidity - 51 to 58%.
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11
Q

Distribution of moist deciduous forests

A

NE region of Penninsula
Foothills of Himalayas
Eastern slopes of Western Ghats

occupies sizeable area in UP, Maharastra, TN & Karnataka (MK TUP)

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12
Q

Charcteristics feaures of moist deciduous forests

A
  1. Sheds their leaves for six - eight weeks during spring and early summer when shortage of water is accutely felt (sub-soil water is not sufficient to keep the leaves all the year round).
  2. Particular species found over a large area.
  3. Commercially most exploited forests of India.
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13
Q

Economic value of moist deciduous forests

A

valuable timber and sandalwood is of great demand in India and abroad. (Commercially most exploited).

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14
Q

Distribution of DRY deciduous forests

A

Rainier parts of Peninsular plateau
Plains of Bihar and UP

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15
Q

Charcteristics feaures of DRY deciduous forests

A
  1. Thrive between moist deciduous forests(in east) and Tropical Thorn forest (in the west)
  2. On wetter margin transitioned - moist deciduous. On drier margin transitioned - thorn forests.
  3. In north ndian plains and areas of heavy rain in Penninsular plateau, Teak and other tress are interspersed with patches of grass.
  4. Durng dry seasons - leaves are completely shed - giving an appearance of vast grassland with naked trees.
16
Q

Economic value of dry deciduous forests

A

Timber, fruits, etc.

(large tracts are cleared for agricultural activities by slash and burn)

17
Q

Short note on Tropical DESERT forests

A

Also known as Tropical Thorn forests
Annual rainfall < 50cm
mean annual temp. 25 to 27 C
mean annual humidity - 47%

18
Q

Distribution of Tropical thorn forests

A

SW Punjab, Haryana, UP, Central Eastern Rajastan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, AP, Gujarat, parts of Maharastra
SaW PH UP CEASER MP CAP KG POM

19
Q

Characteristics of Tropical Thorn Forests

A
  1. Xerophytic vegetation. Due to paucity of rainfall - stunted growth with large patches of coarse grasses.
  2. Xerophytes (tress of this vegetation) survive in drought like conditions. eg. acacia and babool (long tap roots which go in search of deep undergrond water and the acacias have a symbotic relation with stinging ants i.e nectar for ants and safety for plants).
  3. Remain leafless for most of the year and looks like scrub vegetation.
20
Q

Economic Value of Tropical Thorn forests.

A
  1. Ber fruit (eaten raw, pickles and beverages)
  2. Timber - hard, strong, tough and durable (legs for beadsteads, boat ribs, agricultura implements, charcoal, etc.)
  3. Date Palm (eaten raw, astringent, decoction, paste for cough, sore throat, fever, etc.)
  4. Neem bark and roots (medicinal property)
  5. Neem oil, leaves and extracts (health and beauty products and also as insecticides)
21
Q

Short note on Littoral forests

A
  1. Another name: Tidal forests
  2. One of the specialised tropical natural vegetation.
  3. Wetland (land between terresterial and aquatic systems and have water table near surface of land)
  4. Annual rainfall not more than 200cm.
  5. mean annual temp. 26 to 29 C
22
Q

Distrbution of Littoral forests

A
  • Wet marshy areas, river deltas, tidal and swampy areas & along river coasts.
  • Deltas of large rivers on the eastern coast and pockets on the Western Coast (saline swamps of Sundarbans in West Bengal and coastal areas of AP and Odisha).
23
Q

Chacteristic features of Littoral forests

A
  1. Mainly evergreen species of varying density and height (usually associated with moisture)
  2. Tree trunks are supported by stilt roots (submerged under water during high tides and seen during low tides)
  3. Have profuse growth with a tangle of climbers (adaptation for survival in soft and shifting mud)
  4. Some mangrove roots extend vertically above ground and have breathing pores called pnuematophores (due to waterlogged conditions, roots are deprived of oxygen during high tides)
24
Q

Economic value of Littoral forest

A

Mangrove trees -> fuel
Sundari trees -> hard and durable timer.

25
Q

Short note on Mountain forests

A
  • Temperature decreases with altitude (has a corresponding effect on natural vegetation)
  • Annual rainfall - 100 to 300cm
  • Annual temp. - 12 to 13 C
  • Annual humdity - 56 - 65%
  • Relief - Altitude - 1000 to 4000m
26
Q

Distribution of Mountain forests

A
  • Cover entire Himalayan Region
  • In the Peninsular region, they are found in the Nilgiris, the Vindhyas and the Western Ghats.
27
Q

Charcteristics of Mountain Forests

A
  1. These forests contain a mix of broad leafed evergreen forests and conifers (scrubs, creepers and ferns are also found)
  2. In the Foothills - deciduous forests
  3. Altitude 1000 - 2000m - moist temperate forests
  4. In hills of WestBengal and Uttarkhand - Evergreen broad leafed trees (chestnut and oak)
  5. Altitude 1500 - 1750m - Coniferous trees like chir (important tree)
  6. Altitude 2250 - 3000m - blue pine and spruce
  7. At higher altitudes - alpine forests and alpine grasses followed by mosses and lichens uptil snowline (no vegetation beyond snowline)
  8. In Peninsular regions, the area is only about 1500m high and vegetaton varies tropical to temperate forests. (Reason: * Closeness to tropics, * Height is only 1500m above sea-level.
    * So the vegetation is temperate in the high region and sub-tropical in the lower region of the Western Ghats (Kerala), TN and Karnataka)
29
Q

Special name given to the temperate forests of the Nilgirs, Anaimalai and Palani hills

A

SHOLAS

30
Q

Give atleast 5 important trees of the 5 major belts

A

Tropical Evergreen Forests - Rosewood, Ebony, mahogany, toon, chaplas, telsur, gurjan, sisso, etc.
Tropical Deciduous forests - sal, teak, arjun, mahua, mulberry, semul, sandalwood, Ber etc.
Tropical Thorn forests - kikar, babool, khair, date palm, neem.
Littoral forests - Keora, amur, bhara, rhizophium, screw pine, canes and palms, sundari, agar, etc.
Mountain Vegetation - chir, pine, spruce, magnolia, laurel, cinchona, wattle, plum, etc

Geography (8 decks)

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