Natural Vegetation & Wildlife Natural Vegetation & Wild Life

Natural Vegetation Natural vegetation is plants that have not been grown by humans. It doesn’t need help from humans and gets whatever it needs from its natural environment. India has around plant species, about flowering plants & around species of animals. Virgin vegetation is a vegetation which has grown without human intervention & it is not disturbed by humans for a relatively long period. There is a great diversity w.r.t. flora & fauna throughout the world.

Factors affecting Vegetation Relief Land:  Land directly and indirectly affects the natural vegetation.  If the land is level and fertile, it is mainly used for farming.  If the land is uneven then grassland and woodlands develop over it. Soil:  Different types of soil are fit for different types of vegetation.  For example; sandy soil is fit for cactus and thorny bushes, while wet and marshy soil is fit for mangrove vegetation.

Factors affecting Vegetation Climate Temperature and Humidity:  An area with high temperature and high humidity supports evergreen forest, while an area with high temperature and low humidity supports thorny bushes. Photoperiod:  Photoperiod depends on latitude, altitude, season and duration of the day. Trees grow faster in summer because of longer photoperiod. Precipitation:  If an area gets heavy rainfall, it is suitable for the growth of dense vegetation. On the other hand, an area with scanty rainfall is suitable for thorny bushes.

Ecosystem An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area, interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, atmosphere).

Types of Vegetation There are five major types of vegetation in India:  Tropical Rain Forest  Tropical Deciduous Forests  Tropical Thorn Forests & Scrubs  Montane Forests  Mangrove Forests

Tropical Rain Forests The tropical rainforests are confined to areas of heavy rainfall. Areas which receive more 200 cm of rainfall and have a short dry season are the best area for tropical rainforest. The forest has a multilayered structure. Flora - Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber Fauna - Elephants, monkey, lemur and deer, large number of birds, bats, sloth, scorpions and snails

Evergreen Forests (Western Ghats)

Ebony Rosewood Mahogany Rubber

Elephants Sloth Lemur One Horned Rhino

Tropical Deciduous Forests The trees of these forests shed their leaves during dry- winter and dry-summer. These are found in areas having 70cm to 200 cm of annual rainfall. They are also called Monsoon Forests. These forests can be divided into two types on the basis of availability of water.  Tropical moist deciduous forests  Tropical dry deciduous forests

Tropical DeciduousForests Moist Deciduous Forest: Found in areas which receive rainfall between 200 cm to 100 cm. Northeastern states, along the foothills of the Himalayas, Jharkhand, West Orissa and Chhattisgarh. They are also found on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Flora - Teak, Bamboos, Sal, Shisham, Sandalwood, Kusum, Arjun etc. Fauna - Tiger, Wolf, Gaur, Sloth bear etc.

Tropical DeciduousForests Dry Deciduous Forest: Found in areas which receive rainfall between 100 cm to 70 cm. Parts of peninsular plateau, plains of Bihar & Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, parts of Telangana. Flora - Teak, Sal, Peepal, Neem etc. Fauna - Four-horned antelope, chinkara, blackbuck, wild water buffalo etc.

DeciduousForests

Teak Sandalwood Peepal Neem

Four Horned AntelopeChinkara Water Buffalo Blackbuck

The thorn Forests & Scrubs Thorn forests grow in those regions which receive less than 70 cm of rainfall. Found Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The trees are scattered and they have long roots which go very deep in the ground. The stems are succulent to conserve water. Leaves are usually modified into thorns to prevent evaporation. Flora - Cacti, Palms, Acacias, Euphorbia etc. Fauna - Camels, Rabbits, Rats, Fox, Wolf, Wild ass etc.

CactiEuphorbia AcaciaPalm

CamelDesert Fox Wild Ass Viper

Montane Forests Flora - oak, chestnut, pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce and cedar. Fauna - Kashmir stag, spotted deer, jack rabbit, Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard, horn wild ibex,rare red panda

Montane Forests The forests in the mountainous areas are called Montane forest. The Wet Temperate type of forest is found between a height of 1000 and 2000 meters. Temperate forests are found between the heights of 1500 and 3000 meters. Alpine vegetation are found are heights of more than 3600 meters. There is no vegetation along the snowline and above.

Snow Leopard Jack Rabbit Kashmir Stag Red Panda

Dark Brown Oak Oak ForestChestnut Deodar Forest Spruce

Mangrove Forests Large and extensive types of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics. Roots of the mangrove plants are submerged under water. Hollow roots grow out vertically above water so that roots can breathe. Flora - Sundari, Keora, Agar, Coconut Fauna - Kashmir stag, spotted deer, jack rabbit, Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard, horn wild ibex,rare red panda.

Mangrove Forest : World Distribution

Mangrove Forest

Sundari TreeKewda Palm Coconut

Royal Bengal Tiger Crocodile Ganga Dolphin Macaque monkey

Wildlife of India There are more than 89,000 animal, more than1200 species of birds & over 2500 species of fish in India. It is home to Bengal tigers, Indian lions, deer, pythons, wolves, foxes, bears, crocodiles, wild dogs, monkeys, snakes, antelope species, varieties of bison and the Asian elephant. Peacocks, pheasants, ducks, parakeets, cranes & pigeons are some of the birds found in India. There are thousands of species of reptiles including many venomous snakes.

National Parks It is a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected. Established to conserve the natural habitats of the wild fauna and flora with a no human interference. There are 120+ national parks in India.

Wildlife of India The region's rich and diverse wildlife is preserved in :  120+ national parks  18 bio - reserves  500+ wildlife sanctuaries

Wildlife Sanctuaries A wildlife sanctuary is a declared protected area, where very limited human activity is allowed. It is not physically fenced to restrict the public from entering and roaming inside a wildlife. There are 500+ national parks in India.

National Park vs Wildlife Sanctury National Park  It is meant for protection of both flora and fauna.  Cultivation of land is not permitted.  Grazing is not allowed.  Forest products are not harvested.  Boundary is well demarcated. Wildlife Sanctury  It is meant for protection of only fauna.  Cultivation of land is permitted to some extent  Grazing is allowed.  Forest products are harvested.  Boundary is not well demarcated.

Biosphere Reserves Biosphere Reserves of India often include one or more National Parks or sanctuaries. The Indian government has established around 18 Biosphere Reserves in India.  Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve  Nanda Devi  Gulf of Mannar  Nokrek  Sundarbans  Manas  Simlipal  Dihang-Dibang  Pachmarhi  Achanakmar-Amarkantak  Great Rann of Kutch  Cold Desert  Khangchendzonga  Agasthyamalai  Great Nicobar  Dibru-Saikhowa  Seshachalam  Panna