Question and Answers- Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

Std: 9 Geo- Natural vegetation and wildlife

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Q1.Why does India possess a great variety of flora and fauna?

Answer:

Different types of soil: India has almost all major types of soils. It has alluvial soil which is very fertile, black soil, laterite soil, desert and mountain soil. The sandy soils of the desert support cactus and thorny bushes while wet, marshy deltic soils support mangroves and deltic vegetation.

Different climatic conditions: Different climatic conditions prevail in India. At some places, the temperature is at 55°C and at other,
it is about – 45°C. So it supports all types of plants. Some places receive a rainfall of more than 1000 cm, and some receive only 50 cm. This also helps in growing different type of plants.

Sunlight: Sunlight is one of the important factors responsible for the growth of vegetation. Due to the longer duration of sunlight, trees grow faster in most parts of India.

Precipitation: Precipitation also plays a vital role in the growth of different types of vegetation. Tropical rainforests are found in the Western Ghats due to heavy rainfall.

Q2. The mountainous region of India exhibits a succession of natural vegetation belts from tropical to tundra types, all compressed into an altitude of six kilometres or so”. Elaborate the above statement with four examples from different altitudinal belts.
Or
Describe the major vegetation zones of the Himalayan region.

Answer:

1.In the Himalayan region of our country, the vegetation differs according to the height.

2. In the foothill, (the Shiwalik) are tropical deciduous forests. ‘Sal’ is the most important species of economic significance.

3. The zone with altitude 1000 m – 2000 m consists of evergreen forests. Beech, chestnut, oak, ash, etc., are the main trees. These at a higher altitude are replaced by ‘chir’ and ‘chil’.

4. The zone between 1500m – 3000 m includes pine, cedar, silver fir and spruce. They are the famous coniferous trees, typical of the dry temperate region found in the inner Himalayan region.

5. At the height of 3600 m or more, shrubs, scrubs, and grasses of alpine variety are found.

Q3. Distinguish between the moist and dry deciduous forests.
Answer:

Moist Deciduous Forests	Dry Deciduous Forests
1. These are found in areas receiving annual rainfall between 100 cm and 200 cm.	1. These forests are found in areas receiving annual rainfall between 70 cm and 100 cm.
2. Trees found in these forests are teak, sal, shisham, sandalwood, khair and bamboos.	2. There are open stretches in which, teak, sal, peepal, neem, etc. grow.
3. These forests are generally found in Jharkhand, West Odisha, Chhattisgarh and on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.	3. These forests are found in the rainier parts of the peninsular plateau and the plains of Bihar.

 

Q4. How do the forests play both a productive and protective role?
Answer:
Productive Role of Forests :

a.The forests supply us wood, pulp, cellulose, packaging material etc. to run a number of industries like paper industry, packaging industry etc.

b.We obtain a number of consumer goods like fuel wood, timber, medicinal herbs, resins, gums, lac and honey from our forests.

c.Forests control the wind force and temperature and cause rainfall.

Protective Role of Forests :

a. Forests help in maintaining the ecological balance and providing pollution free air.

b. These help in checking soil erosion and raising the water table which is receding presently at a faster rate.

c. These provide humus to the soil and make it fertile.

d. These provide manure to the plants as their leaves and stems after they die, decompose in a natural way.

Q5. What are the different steps taken by the government to protect flora and fauna?
Answer:
The different steps taken by the government to protect flora and fauna are :

1.Eighteen biosphere reserves have been set up in the country to protect flora fauna.

2.The Sunderbans in the West Bengal, Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand, the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu and the Nilgiris have been included in the world network of biosphere reserves.

3.Financial and technical assistance is provided to many botanical gardens by the government since 1992.

4.Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and many other eco-developmental projects have been introduced by the government.

5. 103 National Parks, 535 Wildlife Sanctuaries and Zoological Gardens are set up to take care of natural heritage.

Q6. Give a brief description of Tropical Evergreen Forests.
Answer:
1. Tropical Evergreen Forests are found in areas receiving heavy rainfall of over 200 cm, well-distributed throughout the year. They are also known as rainforests.
2. The warm, wet climate throughout the year supports luxuriant vegetation of all kinds including trees, shrubs and creepers.
3. The trees grow very tall, reaching a height of 60 metres or even above. As the trees grow very close to each other, they form a thick canopy. The different types of vegetation form a multilayered structure.
4. The climate supports a large number of broad-leaved trees of different species. Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber, cinchona, etc. are commercially important trees.
5. These trees do not shed their leaves at the same time as there is no distinct dry season.
6. This makes the forests evergreen as they retain their green look throughout the year.

Q7. Define natural vegetation or virgin vegetation.
Answer:
Natural vegetation refers to a plant community which has grown naturally without human aid and has been left undisturbed by humans for a long time. This is termed as virgin vegetation.

 

 

Q8. Distinguish between extinct and endangered species.

Answer:

Extinct Species	Endangered Species
(i) Extinct species are those species flora and fauna which are no more surviving.	(i) Endangered species are those species of flora and fauna which are in the danger of extinction.
(ii) Even after searches of known or likely areas where they may occur, they are no more found.	(ii) They have declined in number at an alarming rate. If the negative factors that have reduced their number is not checked, their survival is difficult.
(iii) Asiatic Cheetah and pink-head duck are extinct in India. Dodo and dinosaurs are extinct from the entire earth.	(iii) Black buck, Indian rhino, Indian wild ass, Sangai and Indian tiger are endangered species throughout the world.

 

Q9. Describe how India is one of the Indian mega bio-diversity countries of the world.
Answer:

1.Our country is one of the twelve mega bio-diversity countries of the world. With about 47,000 plant species India occupies tenth place in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity.

2. There are about 15,000 flowering plants in India which account for 6 percent in the world’s total number of flowering plants.

3. The country has many non-flowering plants such as ferns, algae and fungi.

4. India also has approximately 90,000 species of animals as well as rich variety of fish in its fresh and marine waters.

5. The country has about 2,000 species of birds and 2,546 species of fish. It shares between 5 and 8 percent of world is amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

 

Q10. Why is bio-diversity necessary and why should it be conserved?
OR
Why according to you flora and fauna should be conserved?
Answer:

Bio-diversity describes the whole range of the different varieties of living things and systems on the earth.

Bio-diversity can be found everywhere. It includes animal species, plant species, genes, ecosystems and landscapes.

Bio-diversity is very much needed and must be conserved. High biodiversity indicates the richness of a place. They help in maintaining the environment best suited for living. The more plant, insect and animal species there are in one area the greater the biodiversity and the healthier the ecosystem.

 

Q11. The vegetation of an area is dependent on various factors. Discuss.

Answer:

 The vegetation of any area is dependent on the following factors:

a) Relief features

Land: The type of vegetation depends on the land. Fertile land is best suited to agriculture. Rough and rugged lands are turned into grazing grasslands.

Soil: Different types of soil support different vegetations. Dry soils support thorny vegetation while swampy and marshy soils support deltaic vegetation. The soil in mountainous areas supports alpine vegetation.

b) Climatic Factor

Temperature: The vegetation is influenced by temperature and humidity. As the temperature falls with elevation, the vegetation changes from tropical to subtropical to temperate.

Photoperiod: Photoperiod is the time duration for which the sunlight is available. It varies with latitude, altitude, season, and duration of the day. Trees grow faster in summers due to the longer exposure to sunlight.

Precipitation: Higher precipitation ensures more thick vegetation and vice versa. The areas of low rainfall have low vegetative cover as opposed to the thick forests in areas of high rainfall.

 

Q12. Distinguish between Tropical Evergreen forest and Tropical Decidious forest.

Answer:

Tropical Evergreen forest	Tropical Decidious forest
These are also known as Rain forest	These are also known as Monsoon forest.
Since the region is warm and wet through the year, there is no definite time for the trees to shed their leaves.	The trees shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summers.
Examples: ebony, mahogany, rubber, rosewood	Examples: teak, bamboo, sandlewood, peepal, neem
Common animals found in these forests are elephants and monkeys	Common animals found in these forests are lions and tigers.
Present in areas receiving more than 200 cm rainfall	Present in areas receiving rainfall between 200cm and 70cm