Natural Vegetation

Question 1

define natural vegetation

Answer 1

the plant community which has grown naturally without any human assistance, and has not been disturbed for a long time, so as to allow individual special to adjust themselves to the climate and soil conditions

Question 1

define flora

Answer 1

plants of a particular region or period, listed as species and considered as a group

Question 2

define vegetation

Answer 2

assemblage of plant species living in association with each other in a given environmental setup

Question 3

define forests

Answer 3

large tract of land covered with trees, with an undergrowth of shrubs and herbs, sustaining thousands of life forms, including plants and animals

Question 4

importance of forests

Answer 4

1. productive functions
2. protective functions
3. regulatory functions
4. accessory functions

Question 5

productive functions of forests

Answer 5

trees provide fruits, leaves, roots, tubers of plants
wood used in making furniture and industrial units
wood and bamboo pulp used for paper
wood is used as source of energy and warmth

Question 6

protective functions of forests

Answer 6

control water cycle
humus acts as natural sponge and soaks rainwater into the soil
trees prevent soil erosion and loss of nutrients
thick hums increases fertility of soil

Question 7

regulatory functions of forests

Answer 7

use CO2 and release oxygen, used by animals
regulate the water cycle
helps in precipitation

Question 8

accessory functions of forests

Answer 8

provide habitat for wildlife
provide aesthetics and recreation to humans

Question 9

major vegetation regions

Answer 9

1. tropical evergreen
2. tropical deciduous
3. tropical desert
4. littoral
5. mountain

Question 10

climate of tropical evergreen

Answer 10

annual rainfall more than 200 cm
short dry season
average annual temp is 25-27 degrees C
average annual humidity is 77%

Question 11

distribution of tropical evergreen

Answer 11

western slopes of western ghats
hills of NE india
island groups of lakshadweep and andaman nicobar
TN coast

Question 12

characteristic features of tropical evergreen

Answer 12

1. luxuriant vegetation of all kinds- multi layered structure
2. trees are more than 60 m
3. carpet layer of herbs and grasses cannot grow because the dense canopy of trees do not allow sunlight to reach
4. trees do not have a fixed time to shed their leaves, to flower or fruition, so they appear green all year around

Question 13

trees in tropical evergreen

Answer 13

rosewood, mahogany, ebony, toon, chaplas, sissoo, gurjan, telsur

Question 14

economical value of tropical evergreen

Answer 14

produce various plant species of high economic value
timber is hard, durable, fine grained

Question 15

why can’t tropical evergreen forests be fully exploited

Answer 15

due to tangled mass of canes, palms, bamboos, ferns and climbers, along with lack of means of transport

Question 16

category of deciduous forests

Answer 16

1. moist deciduous
2. dry deciduous

Question 17

most widespread forests in india

Answer 17

tropical deciduous forest

Question 18

climate of moist deciduous

Answer 18

rainfall between 100-200 cm
mean annual temp: 24-27 C
humidity: 50-80%

Question 19

distribution of moist deciduous

Answer 19

along NE part of peninsula
foothills of himalayas
eastern slopes of western ghats
UP, maharashtra, karnataka, tamil nadu

Question 20

characteristics of moist deciduous

Answer 20

1. shed leaves 6 to 8 weeks during the spring and early summer when there is water shortage
2. a particular species can be found over a large area
3. commercially most exploited forests in india

Question 21

common trees in moist deciduous

Answer 21

sal, teak, arjun, shisham, mahua, mulberry, sandalwood

Question 22

economical value of moist deciduous

Answer 22

commercially most exploited
provide timber, sandalwood

Question 23

climate of dry deciduous

Answer 23

annual temp: 23-24 C
annual rain: 70-100 cm
humidity: 51-58%

Question 24

distribution of dry deciduous

Answer 24

rainier parts of peninsular plateau plains of bihar and UP

Question 25

characteristics of dry deciduous

Answer 25

1. thrive between moist deciduous and tropical thorn forests 2. in north indian plains, where there is high rainfall, they have open stretches in which teak and others are interspersed with patches of grass 3. shed leaves completely in dry season

Question 26

trees of dry deciduous

Answer 26

teak, dal, rosewood, bel, axlewood

Question 27

economical value of dry deciduous

Answer 27

provide timber, fruits, other useful products large tracts of these forests cleared for agriculture

Question 28

climate of tropical desert forests

Answer 28

rain: less than 50 cm mean annual temp: 25-27 C humidity: below 47%

Question 29

distribution of tropical desert

Answer 29

SW punjab Haryana UP central and eastern rajasthan MP AP

Question 30

characteristics of tropical desert

Answer 30

1. xerophytic vegetation- trees are stunted with large patches of coarse grasses 2. have trees that have adapted themselves to drought conditions, called xerophytes \ 3. plants remain leafless for most part of the year and look like scrubs

Question 31

important trees in tropical desert

Answer 31

babool or acacia (xerophytes) date palm, ber, neem, cactii, khejri, kanju

Question 32

economical value of tropical desert

Answer 32

ber is eaten raw or made into pickle its timber is hard, strong, tough, durable babool bark and gum have medicinal value date palm is eaten raw, used at astringent, decoration, syrup neem bark and roots have medicinal properties

Question 33

define mangroves

Answer 33

plants whose roots are underwater during high tide

Question 34

define wetlands

Answer 34

are lands between terrestrial and aquatic system where the water table is usually at or near the surface of the land

Question 35

climatic conditions of littoral forests

Answer 35

temp: 26-29 C rainfall is not more than 200 cm

Question 36

distribution of tidal forests

Answer 36

wet marshy areas, river deltas, swampy areas, along sea coasts deltas of large rivers on eastern coast pockets on the western coast in saline swamps of Sunderbans in WB coastal areas of AP and Odisha

Question 37

characteristics of littoral forests

Answer 37

1. mainly evergreen species of varying density and height 2. tree trunks are supported by stilt roots which remain underwater during high tide but can be seen during low tide 3. profuse growth with tangle of climbers, which is an adaptation for survival in soft and shifting mud 4. breathing roots called pneumatophores

Question 38

define pneumatophores

Answer 38

breathing roots in mangroves because of waterlogged conditions, the roots are deprived of oxygen during the high tides. some mangrove roots extend vertically above the ground. these vertical roots have pores which enable them to breathe when other roots remain submerged during high tide

Question 39

important trees in littoral

Answer 39

keora, amur, bhara, rhizapora, screw pines, canes, sundari, agar

Question 40

economical value of littoral

Answer 40

mangrove trees are used for fuel sundari trees provide hard durable timber

Question 41

climate in mountain forests

Answer 41

temp: 12-13 C rain: 100-300 cm humidity: 56-65%

Question 42

relief in mountain forests

Answer 42

forests occur at an altitude of 1000 m to 4000 m

Question 43

distribution of mountain forests

Answer 43

himalayan zone vindhyas, nilgiris, western ghats

Question 44

characteristics of mountain forests

Answer 44

1. contain mixed species of broad leafed evergreen trees and conifers, scrubs, creepers, ferns 2. at foothills of himalayas, deciduous trees are found 3. at 1000-2000 m, moist temperate forests are found 4. between 1500-1750 m, coniferous trees like chir pine is found 5. at 2250-3000 m, spruce and blue pine is found 6. at higher altitudes, alpine forests and alpine grass up to the snowline are found 7. in peninsula, area is only 1500 m high and vegetation varies from tropical to temperate forests

Question 45

why, in the peninsular regions, mountain forests vary with tropical and temperate vegetation?

Answer 45

because of their closeness to tropics and height of only 1500 m above sea level. these temperate forests are called sholas

Question 46

trees in mountain forests

Answer 46

cinchona, wattle, plum, magnolia, laurel

Question 47

correlation of forests with the environment

Answer 47

1. moderators of climate- control humidity, temp, rain 2. play dominant role in carbon cycle, controls pollution 3. controls soil erosion, degradation, and floods 4. water percolation help, and maintain underground water table 5.decay of plant leaves provides humus to the soil

Question 48

effects of decline of forests

Answer 48

1. decline in forest productivity 2. moderate climate, regulating water supply, maintaining soil fertility , purifying air will be affected 3. reduction in precipitation, leading to drought 4. forests act as a sink for CO2. absence increases CO2 content in air, and global warming is caused

Question 49

conservation measures

Answer 49

1. increasing area under forests 2. afforestation around industrial units 3. stopping indiscriminate felling of trees 4. establishing corridors between different reserved forests 5. using alternative sources of energy 6. proper legislation and its implementation