NOTES PREPARED BY
ADIL AHMAD,M.A,M.Phill
TEACHER SCHOOL EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Chapter 5
Natural Vegetation and Wildlife
1. Why are the southern slopes in Himalayan region covered with thick vegetation cover as compared to northern slopes of the same hills?
Ans. The northern slopes of the hills in Himalayan region are at high altitude and have low temperature or are snow covered. This does not allow much vegetation. In the southern part of the hills there are plains and valleys watered by rivers and with fertile soil and pleasant temperature levels all required for dense growth of vegetation.
2. Why have the western slopes of the Western Ghats covered with thick forests and not the eastern slopes?
Ans. The westward facing slopes receive much more rain than the
eastward facing slopes and the Western Ghats are considerably wetter than
the dry Deccan to the east.
Exercise
1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:
i) To which one of the following types of vegetation does belong to?
(a) Tundra(b) Tidal
(c) Himalayan
(d) Tropical Evergreen
d) Tropical Evergreen
ii) Cinchona trees are found in the Of rainfall more than;
(a) 100 cm
(b) 50 cm
(c) 70 cm
(d) Less than 50 cm
a) 100 cm
iii) In which of the following states is the Simplipal bio-reserve located?
(a) Punjab
(b) Delhi
(c) Odisha
(d) West Ber
Ans:- odisha
iv) Which one of the following bio-reserves of India is not included in the world network of bio reserve?
(a) Manas
(b) Nilgiri
(c) Gulf of Mannar
(d) Nanda Devi
a) Manas
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
i) Define an ecosystem.
Ans. All the plants and animals in an area are interdependent on each
other. The plants and animals, along with their physical environment make
the ecosystem. Interrelation between plants and animals in the natural
environment is called Ecosystem.
ii) What factors are responsible for the distribution of plants animals in India?
Ans. Factors responsible for the distribution of plants and animals in India
are:
a) Relief: Land and soil
b) Climate: Temperature, Humidity, Photoperiod and Precipitation.
iii) What is a bio-reserve? Give two examples.
Ans. Bio-reserves are the large areas where vegetation, wildlife and the
environment are conserved to preserve the biological diversity. In totality
there are 14 bio-reserves in India. For eg.Sundarbans Bio-reserve in West
Bengal and Nanda Devi Bio-reserve in Uttaranchal.
iv) Name two animals having habitat in different types of vegetation.
Ans. Tropical animals: Tiger, Elephant
Montane animals: Snow Leopard, Spotted dear
3. Distinguish between
i) Flora and Fauna
Flora: The Plant species of particular region or period are called Flora.
Fauna: The animal species of particular region or period are called Fauna.
ii) Tropical Evergreen and Deciduous forests.
Tropical Evergreen Forests: These are also called Rain Forest. Since the region is warm and wet throughout the year, there is no definite time for the trees to shed their leaves. Examples: ebony, mahogany, rubber, rosewood. Common animals found in these forests are elephants and
monkeys. These are present in areas receiving more than 200 cm of rainfall.
Tropical Deciduous Forests: These are also called Monsoon Forest. The trees shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer.
Examples: teak, bamboo, sandalwood, peepal, neem. Common animals found in these forests are lions and tigers. These are Present in are as receiving rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm
4. Name different types of vegetation found in India and describe the vegetation of high altitudes.
Ans. The different types of vegetation found in India are:
i) Tropical Evergreen Forests
ii) Tropical Deciduous Forests
iii) Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs
iv) Montane Forests
V) Mangrove Forests
Alpine vegetation is found at places over 3,600 m in height. The trees
common to these are silver fir, junipers, pines and birches. The trees get
stunted as they reach the snow line. There are shrubs and scrubs that ultimately merge into Alpine grasslands. lichens and mosses.
5. Quite a few species of plants and animals are endangered in India. Why?
Ans.Species that generally face high risk of extinction are known as endangered species.
Quite a few species of plants and animals in India are endangered. Some of the common causes are mentioned below -
1.Mainly due to the greediness of human beings because of the commercial value that plants and animals have.
2.Humans are hunting animals for their skins, horns and hooves that are in great demand and a huge amount of profit.
3. Deforestation on a wide scale also harms the habitat of animals and the same leads towards the decline of the different species of trees as well plants. Ecological balance is also disturbed due to deforestation, which is considered harmful for both flora and fauna.
4. At the same time factors such as pollution due to chemical and industrial wastes, acid deposits, introduction of alien species and reckless
cutting of the forests to bring land under cultivation and inhabitation, are also considered responsible for the imbalance.
Some of the endangered plants include Ebony tree, Umbrella tree, Indian mallow etc while few of the endangered animals are Blackbuck, Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, Blue whale, Central Kashmir Vole, Banteng.
6. Why has India a rich heritage of flora and fauna?
Ans. India has a rich heritage of flora and fauna due to following reasons:
i. India is a diverse country with different relief features (i.e. mountains, plateaus, plains, etc.) Different types of vegetations are found in these
regions and the vegetations support different type of animals
ii. Availability of different types of soil providing base for different type of
vegetations.
iii. Variation in the climatic conditions (Temperature humidity, etc.). Climate of India differs from north to south and east to west. Thus, supporting large variety of flora and fauna.
iv. India has a monsoon type of climate where rainfall varies from 20 cms to 300 cms distributed throughout the year supporting large amount of flora and fauna.
v. Variation in the duration of sunlight at different places due to difference. in the latitude and altitude.
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