Natural Vegetation and Wildlife: Made by Prashant Kumar

NATURAL VEGETATION
AND WILDLIFE
MADE BY
PRASHANT KUMAR
This Phot o by U nknow n aut hor is licensed under CC BY-SA.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF INDIA
 OUR COUNTRY INDIA IS ONE OF THE TWELVE MEGA BIO-DIVERSITY OF

THE WORLD .WITH ABOUT 47000 PLANT SPECIES INDIA OCCUPIES
TENTH PLACE IN THE WORLD AND FOURTH PLACE IN THE ASIA IN PLANT
DIVERSITY. THERE ARE ABOUT 15000 FLOWERING PLANTS IN INDIA
WHICH ACCOUNT FOR 6 PERCENT IN THE WORLD'S TOTAL NUMBER OF
FLOWERING PLANTS . THE COUNTRY HAS MANY NON FLOWERING
PLANTS SUCH AS FERNS, ALGAE AND FUNGI . INDIA HAS
APPROXIMATELY 90000SPECIES OF ANIMALS AS WELL AS RICH
VARIETY OF FISH IN ITS FRESH AND MARINE WATERS.
WHAT IS NATURAL VEGETATION
 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 .THUS
CULTIVATED CROPS AND FRUITS , ORCHARDS FORM PART OF VEGETATION BUT
NOT NATURAL VEGETATION .
RELIEF FEATURES ----
 LAND----
 LAND AFFECTS THE NATURAL VEGETATION DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY .THE
NATURE OF LAND INFLUENCES THE TYPE OF VEGETATION . THE FERTILE
LEVEL IS GENERALLY DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE THE UNDULATING AND
ROUGH TERRAINS ARE AREAS WHERE GRASSLAND AND WOODLANDS
DEVELOP AND GIVE SHELTER TOA VARIETY OF WILDLIFE'.
 SOIL---
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOILS PROVIDE BASIS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF
VEGETATION . THE SANDY SOILS OF THE DESERT SUPPORT CACTUS AND
THORNY BUSHES WHILE WET ,MARSHY ,DELTAIC SOILS
SUPPORT MANGROVES AND DELTAIC VEGETATION .TEH HILL SLOPES WIYH
SOME DEPTH HAVE CONICAL TREES .
CLIMATIC FEATURES -----
 TEMPERATURE ----
 The character and extent of vegetation are mainly determined by
temperature along with humidity in the air, precipitation and soil. On
the slopes of the Himalayas and the hills of the Peninsula above the
height of 915 metres, the the fall in the temperature affects the types
of vegetation and its growth, and changes it from tropical to
subtropical temperate and alpine vegetation.
 PHOTOPERIOD---
 The variation in duration of sunlight at different places is due to
differences in latitude, altitude, season and duration of the day. Due
to longer duration of sunlight, trees grow faster in summer.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
 PRECIPITATION----
 In India almost the entire rainfall is brought in by
the advancing southwest monsoon (June to
September) and retreating northeast monsoons.
Areas of heavy rainfall have more dense
vegetation as compared to other areas of less
rainfall.
WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM ?
 Plants occur in distinct groups of communities in areas having similar

climatic conditions. The nature of the plants in an area, to a large
extent, determines the animal life in that area. When the vegetation is
altered, the animal life also changes All the plants and animals in an
area are interdependent and interrelated to each other in their physical
environment, thus.forming an ecosystem. Human Beings are also an
integral part of the ecosystem How do the human beings influence the
ecology of a region? They utilise the vegetation and upper par wild life.
The greed of human beings leads to cover utilisation of these resources.
They cut the trees and kill the animals creating ecological
imbalance. As a result some of the plants and animals have reached
the verge of extinction .A very large ecosystem on land having distinct
types of vegetation and animal life is called a biome. The biomes are
identified on the basis of plants.
TYPES OF VEGETATION
 THE FOLLOWING ARE THE MAJOR TYPES OF VEGETATION FOUND IN

OUR COUNTRY--
 TROPICAL EVERGREEN FORESTS
 TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FORESTS
 TROPICAL THORN FORESTS AND SCRUBS
 MONTANE FORESTS
 MANGROVE FORESTS
TROPICAL EVERGREEN FORESTS
 THESE FORESTS ARE RESTRICTED TO HEAVY RAINFALL. They are at their

best in areas having more than 200 cm of rainfall with a short dry
season The trees reach gre at heights up to 60 metres of even 3
above. Since the region is warm and wet throughout the year, it has
a luxurlan vegetation of all kinds - trees, shrubs, and creepers giving
it a multilayered structure There is no definite time for trees to shed
their leaves) As such, these forests appear green all the year round.
Some of the commercially important trees of this forestare ebony,
mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchonay The common animals
found in these forests are elephants, monkey, lemur and deer, The
one horned rhinoceros are found in the jungles of Assam and West
Bengal. Besides these animals plenty of birds, bats, sloth, scorpions
and snails are also found in these jungles
TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FORESTS
 These are the most widespread forests of India. They are also called the monsoon
forests)and spread over the region receiving rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm)
Trees of this forest-type shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer.)
On the basis of the availability of water. these forests are further divided into motst Ist
and dry deciduous The former is found in areas receiving rainfall between 200 and
100 cm. 2 These forests exist, therefore, mostly in the eastern part of the country -
northeastern states, along the foothills of the Himalayas. Jharkhand, West Orissa and
Chhattisgarh, and on the gastern slopes of the Western Ghats. (Teak is the most
dominant species of this forest. Bamboos, sal, shisham, sandalwood, khair, kusum,
arjun, mulberry are other commercially important species. The dry deciduous forests
are found in areas having rainfall between 100 cm and 70 cm. These forests are
found in the rainier parts of the peninsular plateau and the plains of Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh. There are open stretches in which Teak, Sal, Peepal, Neem grow. A large
part of this region has been cleared for cultivation and some parts are used for
grazing.In these forests, the common animals found are lion, tiger, pig, deer and
elephant. A huge variety of birds, lizards, snakes, and tortoises are also found here.
THE THORN FORESTS AND SCRUBS
 In regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall. the natural vegetation

consists of thorny trees and bushes. This type of vegetation is found 2
in the north-western part of the country including semi-arid areas of
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh
and Haryana. Acacias, palms, euphorbias and cacti are the main
plant species. Trees are scattered and have longroots penetrating
deep into the soil in order to get moisture. The stems are succulent to
conserve water. Leaves are mostly thick and small to 5 minimize
evaporation These forests give way to thorn forests and scrubs in arid
areas.In these forests, the common animals are rats, mice, rabbits,
fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horses and camels.
MONTANE FORESTS
 In mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to

the corresponding change in natural vegetation As such, there is a natural
vegetation belts in succession of the same order as we see from the tropical to the
tundra region. The wet temperate type of forests are found between a height of 1000
and 2000 metres Evergreen broad-leaf trees such as oaks and chestnuts
predominate/Between 1500 and 3000 metres, temperate forests containing
coniferous trees like pine, depdar, silver fir spruce and cedar, are found. These forests
cover mostly the southern slopes of the Himalayas, places having high altitude in
southern and north-east India (At higher elevations, temperate grasslands are
common. At high altitudes, generally more than 3,600 metres above sea-level,
temperate forests and 3) grasslands give way to the Alpine vegetation) Silver fir,
junipers, pines and birches are the common trees of these forests) However, they get
progressively stunted as they approach the snow-line. Ultimately through shrubs and
scrubs, they merge into the Alpine 5 grasslands. These are used extensively
forgrazing by nomadic tribes like the Gujjars and the Bakarwals At higher altitudes,
mosses and lichens form part of tundra vegetation The common animals found in
these forests are Kashmir stag, spotted dear, wild sheep, jack rabbit, Tibetan
antelope, yak, snow leopard, squirrels, Shaggy horn wild ibex, bear and rare red
panda, sheep and goats with thick hair This Photo by Unknown
MANGROVE FORESTS
 The mangrove tidal forests are found in the areas of coasts

influenced by tides, Mud and silt get accumutated on such coasts.
Dense mangroves are the common varieties with rootsof the plants
submerged under water. The deltas of the Ganga, the Mahanadi,
the Krishana, the Godavari and the Kaveri are covered by such
vegetation. In the Ganga- Brahamaputra delta, sundari trees are
found, which provide durable hard timber. Palm, coconut, keora,
agar, also grow in some parts of the delta.Royal Bengal Tiger is the
famous animal in these forests. Turtles, crocodiles, gharials and
snakes are also found in these forests.
TC-ND.
WILDLIFE OF INDIA
 Like its flora, India is also rich in its fauna. It has approximately
90,000 of animal species. The country has about 2,000 species of
birds. They constitute 13% of the world's total. There are 2,546
species of fish, which account for nearly 12% of the world's stock. It
also shares between 5 and 8 per cent of the world's amphibians,
reptiles and mammals. The elephants are the most majestic animals
among the mammals. They are found in the hot wet forests of
Assam, Karnataka and Kerala. One-horned rhinoceroses are the
other animals, which live in swampy and marshy lands of Assam
and West Bengal. Arid areas of the Rann of Kachchh and the Thar
Desert are the habitat for wild ass and camels respectively. Indian
bison, nilgai (blue bull), chousingha (four horned antelope), gazel
anddifferent species of deer are some other animals found in India.
It also has several species of monkeys
India is the only country in the world that has both tigers and lions. The
natural habitat of the Indian lion is the Gir forest in Gujarat. Tigers are found
in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, the Sundarbans of West Bengal and the
Himalayan region. Leopards too are members of the cat family. They
t
Are Importan among animals of prey. The Himalayas harbour a hardy
range of animals, which survive in extreme cold. Ladakh's freezing high
altitudes are a home to yak, the shaggy horned wild ox weighing around
one tonne, the Tibetan antelope, the bharal (blue sheep), wild sheep, and
the kiang (Tibetan wild ass). Furhtermore, the ibex, bear, snow-leopard
and very rare red panda are found in certain pockets. In the rivers, lakes
and coastal areas, turtles, crocodiles and gharials are found. The latter is
the only representative of a variety of crocodile, found in the world today.
Bird life in India is colourful. Peacocks. pheasants, ducks, parakeets,
cranes and pigeons are some of the birds inhabiting the forests and
wetlands of the country.
MAIN THREATS TO FLORA AND
FAUNA
 HUNTING BY GREEDY HUNTERS FOR COMMERCIAL PUPOSES
 POLLUTION DUE TO CHEMICAL AND INDUSTRIAL WASTE
 RECKLESS CUTTING OF THE FOREST TO BRING LAND UNDER
CULTIVATION
 INTRODUCTION OF ALIEN SPECIES

STEPS TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT TO
PROTECT FLORA AND FAUNA
 EIGHTEEN biosphere reserves have been set up in the country to
protect flora and fauna. Ten out of these, the Sunderbans in the West
Bengal, Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand, the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil
Nadu and the Nilgiris (Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) have
been included in the world network of Biosphese reserves.
 FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IS PROVIDED TO
MANY BOTANICAL GARDENS BY THE GOVERNMENT SINCE 1992 .
 Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and many
other eco- developmental projects have been introduced.
 103 National Parks, 535 Wildlife sanctuaries and Zoological gardens
are set up to take care of Natural heritage.
THANK YOU
FOR
WATCHING

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NATURAL VEGETATION

This Phot o by U nknow n aut hor is licensed under CC BY-SA.

 OUR COUNTRY INDIA IS ONE OF THE TWELVE MEGA BIO-DIVERSITY OF

 NATURAL VEGETATION REFERS TO A PLANT COMMUNITY WHICH HAS GROWN

 Plants occur in distinct groups of communities in areas having similar

 THE FOLLOWING ARE THE MAJOR TYPES OF VEGETATION FOUND IN

 THESE FORESTS ARE RESTRICTED TO HEAVY RAINFALL. They are at their

 In regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall. the natural vegetation

 In mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to

 The mangrove tidal forests are found in the areas of coasts

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

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