India's Forest Types

1. Tropical Evergreen Forests

 * Rainfall: Receive over 200 cm of rainfall.

 * Trees: Tall trees (up to 60 m or more).

 * Important trees: Ebony, Mahogany, Rosewood, Rubber, Cinchona.

 * Animals: One-horned rhinoceros, elephants, monkeys, lemurs.

 * Location: Found in the Western Ghats, Northeast India, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

2. Tropical Deciduous Forests

 * Rainfall: Receive rainfall between 70 cm and 200 cm.

 * Trees: Shed leaves for about six to eight weeks in the dry summer season. They are less dense than evergreen forests.

 * Important trees: Teak, Sal, Peepal, Neem, Shisham, Sandalwood.

 * Location: Found in the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh.

 * Sub-types:

   * Moist Deciduous: Found in areas with rainfall between 100 and 200 cm.

   * Dry Deciduous: Found in areas with rainfall between 70 and 100 cm.

3. Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs

 * Rainfall: Receive less than 70 cm of rainfall.

 * Trees: Have long roots to access moisture, and leaves are thick and small to minimize evaporation.

 * Important trees: Acacias, Palms, Euphorbias, Cacti.

 * Location: Found in the dry parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, and the semi-arid areas of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and the Deccan Plateau.

 * Animals: Rats, mice, rabbits, foxes, wolves, tigers, lions, camels, wild donkeys, horses.

4. Montane Forests

 * Trees: A wide range of vegetation types occur due to the change in temperature with increasing altitude.

 * Important trees: Oak, Chestnut, Fir, Pine, Spruce, Deodar.

 * Location: Found in the Himalayan regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

 * Sub-types:

   * Temperate Forests: Found at an altitude between 1500 and 3000 m.

   * Alpine Vegetation: Found at altitudes above 3600 m.

   * Tundra Vegetation: Found at higher altitudes with mosses and lichens.

 * Animals: Himalayan yak, snow leopard, ibex, and red panda.

5. Mangrove Forests

 * Trees: Can survive in saline water and are dense with prop roots submerged under water.

 * Important trees: Sundari trees.

 * Location: Found in the deltas of rivers like the Ganga-Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri.

 * Animals: Royal Bengal Tiger is a famous animal found in these foForest

Questions

1. Why are quite a few species of plants and animals endangered in India?

Answer: Endangered species of plants and animals are those which face the danger of getting extinct. About 1300 plant species are endangered and 20 species are extinct.

The main causes for this endangerment of plants and animals species are:

 * Hunting by greedy hunters for commercial purposes.

 * Pollution due to chemical and industrial wastes, acid deposits, etc.

 * Increasing population.

 * Reckless cutting of plants and trees to bring land under cultivation, expanding industrialization and habitation, etc.

 * Introduction of alien species causing imbalance in the ecosystem.

2. Write definitions

a) Natural Vegetation: This refers to a plant community that has grown naturally without any human intervention and has remained undisturbed for a long time.

b) Virgin Vegetation: This is another term for natural vegetation. It specifically denotes a plant community that is untouched by human activity. Crops, fruits, and orchards are part of general vegetation but not virgin vegetation.

c) Flora: The term flora is used to denote all the plant species found in a particular region or during a specific time period.

d) Fauna: This term refers to all the animal species of a particular region or period.

3. Types of Vegetation Found in India

According to the image, the following are the main types of vegetation found in India:

 * Tropical Evergreen Forests

 * Tropical Deciduous Forests

 * Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs

 * Montane Forests

 * Mangrove Forests

4. Why India Has a Rich Heritage of Flora and Fauna

India is one of the 12 mega bio-diversity countries of the world. With about 47,000 plant species and approximately 90,000 species of animals, India is home to a vast variety of plant and animal life, including a rich assortment of marine creatures. This diversity is primarily due to the country's varied geographical and climatic conditions.