🌳 Chapter 5 – Natural Vegetation and Wildlife 🐅🦜🌴

Natural vegetation

Plant community that grows naturally without human aid and has remained undisturbed

Virgin vegetation

Natural vegetation that has grown without human interference

Endemic species

Species of plants and animals found only in a particular area

Exotic species

Species that have come from outside India

Flora

Plant species of a particular region or period

Fauna

Animal species of a particular region or period

India's plant diversity

About 47

Flowering plants in India

Approx. 15

Animal species in India

About 90

Bird species in India

Approx. 2

Fish species in India

2

Tropical Evergreen Forests

Found in areas with >200 cm rainfall

Regions of Tropical Evergreen Forests

Western Ghats

Height of trees in evergreen forests

Up to 60 metres

Commercial trees in evergreen forests

Ebony

Animals in evergreen forests

Elephant

Tropical Deciduous Forests

Monsoon forests

Rainfall in tropical deciduous forests

Between 200 cm and 70 cm

Types of tropical deciduous forests

Moist deciduous and dry deciduous

Regions of moist deciduous forest

Eastern India

Dominant trees in moist deciduous forest

Teak

Regions of dry deciduous forest

Peninsular plateau

Dry deciduous forest trees

Teak

Animals in deciduous forests

Lion

Thorn forests and scrubs

Found in <70 cm rainfall areas; include bushes and thorny trees

Regions of thorn forests

Gujarat

Common plants in thorn forests

Acacia

Adaptations in thorn forest plants

Long roots

Animals in thorn forests

Rats

Montane forests

Natural vegetation found in mountainous regions with altitudinal variation

Vegetation at 1000–2000 m altitude

Wet temperate evergreen forests (oaks

Vegetation at 1500–3000 m altitude

Coniferous trees like pine

Vegetation above 3600 m

Alpine grasslands

Tribes in alpine regions

Gujjars and Bakarwals (use grasslands for grazing)

Animals in montane forests

Spotted deer

Mangrove forests

Found in coastal areas influenced by tides with muddy and silted soil

Regions of mangrove forests

Deltas of Ganga

Common mangrove tree

Sundari (used for durable timber)

Other trees in mangrove forest

Palm

Animals in mangrove forests

Royal Bengal tiger

Sarpagandha plant

Used to treat blood pressure;