Earth: Our Home

Geography Elective

Chapter 3
Types
of
Natural Vegetation

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 You will learn:
• to describe the global distribution of
different types of forests
• to describe the characteristics of different
types of forests
• to compare the ways in which different
types of forests adapt to the environment

2
 What is Natural Vegetation?
• Natural vegetation refers to plants that
grow naturally in a place with little or no
human interference.
• It plays an important role in a forest
ecosystem by providing food and shelter
for the animals and native people that live
in the forest.

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 Major types of natural vegetation Forest biome
The vegetation in a forest biome consists of mainly trees. It generally has many varieties of plants.

Temperate Coniferous forest

Tropical rainforest
deciduous forest

Grassland biome
Grasses constitute the main plants in a grassland
biome. It has few varieties of plants.
Tropical grassland Temperate grassland

Desert biome
The vegetation in a desert biome consists of mainly sparse vegetation, such as scrubs and tough grasses in the hot desert,
and mosses and lichens in the cold desert. It has very few varieties of plants.

Hot desert vegetation

Cold desert vegetation
(tundra)

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 Distribution of Natural
Vegetation
• Climate is a major factor in influencing the
distribution of natural vegetation.
• There are 3 climatic types. .

Very low temperatures, often below 0ºC. Very low

Polar region
annual precipitation, below 250 mm
Low to modern temperatures, ranging from 0°C to 34°C, Temperate region
depending on the season. Moderate annual precipitation, 300
mm to 1 000mm High temperatures throughout the year, 20°C to 30°C. High
Tropical region
precipitation, above 1 000 mm
Tropical region

Temperate region

Polar region

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 Distribution of Natural
Vegetation
• Temperature and precipitation can
influence plant growth.
• Plant growth is more abundant in areas
where temperatures are consistently
above 20°C than in areas where
temperatures fall below 6°C.

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 Distribution of Natural
Vegetation
• Water is required by plants to make food.
• Thus, different types of natural vegetation
forests are found in different parts of the world.
- forests --- high precipitation at above
1 000mm per year.
- grasslands --- moderate precipitation
between 200mm to 1 000mm per year.
- hot desert vegetation or tundra --- no or
little precipitation at less than 250 mm per
year.
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Distribution of Natural
Vegetation

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Tropical forests are a cradle of biodiversity. It has
been estimated that half of the plant and animal life
forms that live on this planet are found in this
environment, even though tropical forests cover
only six percent of the earth’s surface.
Source: The Tropical Rainforest by Francesco Petretti, Journey Editions, 1998, Italy. 9
 Tropical Rainforest
• Tropical rainforests
- found in places that experience tropical
equatorial climate
- high temperatures, about 27°C
- high amount of rainfall, above 1 500mm
throughout the year
- examples of tropical rainforests are
Amazon Basin in South America, Congo
Basin in Africa and parts of Southeast
Asia
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 Tropical Rainforest
• Structure of the forest
- 5 layers:- Emergent layer, 30m to 50m
- Canopy layer, 15m to 30m
- Understorey layer, 6m to 15m
- Shrub layer, grow up to 6m
- Undergrowth layer, grow up to
5m

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 Tropical Rainforest
Emergent layer 50 m
Tall trees, called emergents, reach a height of 30 m
to 50 m. Their crowns appear above the canopy
layer. These trees have tall, thick and straight trunks.
30 m
Canopy layer
The trees in this layer reach a height of 15 m to 30 m.
Their wide, shallow and umbrella-shaped crowns
form a continuous leaf cover, called a canopy, as
they prevent sunlight from penetrating into the lower
layers of the forest. 15 m
Understorey layer
The trees here have narrower, oval-shaped crowns
because most of the sunlight is blocked by the
canopy. These trees grow where gaps in the canopy
allow sunlight to pass through. Their heights range
from 6 m to 15 m. Young trees of the emergent and
canopy layers are also found in this layer.
6m
Shrub layer
Tree saplings and woody plants are found in this
layer. They may grow up to 6 m high.
5m
Undergrowth layer
The undergrowth or forest floor is made up of
grasses, ferns, mosses and fungi. Plant growth is
sparse because very little sunlight reaches this layer.
Plants in this layer reach a maximum height of 5 m.
0m

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 Tropical Rainforest
• Characteristics of the 5 layers
Emergent layer
- trees have tall, thick and straight trunks
Canopy layer
- tree crowns inter-lock
- presence of epiphytes & lianas, and parasitic plants
Understorey layer
- trees with narrower crowns
- presence of parasitic plants
Shrub layer
- tree saplings & woody plants found
Undergrowth layer
- sparse due to lack of sunlight that reaches the forest
floor
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 Tropical Rainforest
• Characteristics
- a wide diversity of plant species
- 750 species of trees and 1 500 species of other plants
in 1 hectare
- the high temperature and rainfall throughout the year
enables it to support a large variety of plants

• Density
- extremely dense
- density is due to high temperature and rainfall that
encourage abundant vegetation growth

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 Tropical Rainforest
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Leaves
- are evergreens
- due to high rainfall throughout the year,
trees do not shed leaves at the same time
- are waxy with drip tips
- to allow rainwater to drain off easily

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 Tropical Rainforest
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Flowers & fruits
- are colourful & sweet-smelling
- to attract insects for pollination and
animals for seed dispersal

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 Quick Quiz
• Can you identify the
flower?

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 Quick Quiz
• It is a type of Rafflesia, a spectacular plant
found in the tropical rainforest.
• There are 15 to 19 species of Rafflesia.
• Rafflesia is known to produce the largest
individual flower on earth.

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 Tropical rainforest
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Bark & branches
- thin and smooth branches
- does not need protection against cold or dry conditions
- branches are found at the uppermost one-third of the
trunks to get as much sunlight as possible

Roots
- shallow and spreading
- nutrients are found at topsoil due to high decomposition
- buttress roots (of some tall trees)
- support weight of trees.

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 Tropical Monsoon Forest
• Tropical monsoon forest
- found in the tropics
- high temperatures, about 26°C
- high amount of rainfall, above 1 500mm
throughout the year, but with distinct wet
and dry seasons
- located in South Asia, Southeast
Asia,southern China and northern
Australia
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Tropical Monsoon Forest
• Distribution

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 Tropical Monsoon Forest
• Structure of the forest
- 3 layers:
- Canopy layer, 25m to 30m
- Understorey layer, about 15m
- Undergrowth layer

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 Tropical Monsoon Forest
30 m
Canopy layer
Trees can grow to 25 to 30 m
in height. They are more
spread out than those in a
tropical rainforests, plants such
as creepers, vines, epiphytes
and parasitic plants are found
within this layer.
15 m
Understorey layer
The trees in the understorey
are about 15 m in height.
6m
Undergrowth
Bamboo thickets and grasses
grow densely here during the
wet season. They are
dense during the dry season.
0m

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 Tropical Monsoon Forest
• Characteristics of the 3 layers
Canopy layer
- more spread out than those in tropical rainforest
- presence of epiphytes & lianas, and parasitic plants
Understorey layer
- consists of shorter trees about 15m in height
Undergrowth
- bamboo thickets and grasses grow densely here
during the wet season but are less dense during dry
season

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 Tropical Monsoon Forest
• Characteristics
Diversity of plant species
- about 200 species in 1 hectare
- less species compared to tropical rainforest
due to inconsistent rainfall

Density
- plant growth is abundant but less dense than
tropical rainforest

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 Tropical Monsoon Forest
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Leaves
- are deciduous
- shed leaves during the dry season to minimise
loss of water through transpiration
- waxy with drip tips to allow rainwater to drain
off easily

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 Tropical Monsoon Forest
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Bark & branches
- thick & coarse
- protects the trunk from heat and dryness during
the dry season
- withstand extreme heat from natural - forest
fires
- branches found around middle of trunks as
trees grow less dense than tropical rainforest

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 Tropical Monsoon Forest
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Roots
- deep tap roots
- to tap water sources deep under the
ground as rainfall is irregular throughout
the year

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 Tropical forests in a glance
• What are the similarities between the
tropical rainforest and the tropical
monsoon forest?

• What are the differences?

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 Tropical forests in a glance
• Similarities
- both forests are dense
- leaves are waxy with drip-tips

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 Tropical forests in a glance
• Differences diversity

density

leaves

bark &
branches
roots
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 Answers
Tropical rainforest Differences in Tropical
terms of monsoon
forest
more diversity less
denser density less dense
evergreen leaves deciduous
Smooth, thin bark bark & branches Thick bark
Branches at top one- Branches around
third middle of tree

shallow roots deep tap roots

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 Quick Quiz

• What do you think the

feature with the shape
of a heart is?
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 Quick Quiz
• It’s actually a picture of the mangrove
forest in New Caledonia, an island near
Australia in the southern Pacific Ocean.
• The sand is clearly seen because the
saltiness of the soil has discouraged plant
growth.
• Source: The Earth from the Air for Children by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, 2002, Thames
& Hudson, UK.

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 Mangrove forests
• Found mainly in areas experiencing
tropical climate, along sheltered coastal
regions and places where rivers constantly
deposit clay and silt.

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 Mangrove Forests
• Structure
- grows to a height of 2m to 40m
- horizontal zones of mangrove species

High tide
Low tide

Coastal area
Middle zone Inland zone
Avicennia and Sonneratia trees are
Rhizophora trees are common in this Bruguiera trees grow further inland, as
common in this zone, which is the
zone. They have prop roots or stilt roots. they are the least tolerant of salt water.
nearest to the coast. They have adapted
They have knee-like roots.
to growing in salt water, as the coastal
zone is flooded with seawater during
high tide. The trees have breathing
roots or aerial roots.

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 Mangrove Forests
• Characteristics & Adaptations
- four main species which are known as
halophytes
- Avicennia, Sonneratia, Rhizophora, Bruguiera
- dense & luxuriant

Leaves
- evergreen
- salt secretors
- ultrafiltrators

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 Mangrove Forests
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Flowers
- generally colourful to attract insects to pollinate
Fruits
- buoyant so that waves and currents can carry them
away
- elongated with sharp tips to anchor in soft muddy soil

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 Mangrove Forests
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Roots
- aerial roots that are exposed
- allow them to take in oxygen
- prop roots
- anchor the trees firmly in the muddy soil

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 Coniferous Forests
• Coniferous forest
- found in places that experience a cool
continental climate
- experiences seasons
- temperatures range from -40°C to 21°C
- low amount of precipitation, usually in the form
of snow, 300mm to 635mm in a year
- located in Alaska, northern Canada, northern
USA, northern Scandinavia & Russia

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 Coniferous Forests
• Distribution

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 Coniferous Forest
• Structure
- no distinct layers
- generally uniform in height, about 20m to
30m
- trees grow close together
- little undergrowth

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 Coniferous forests
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Diversity
- few species as not many trees can adapt to
the climate
- the trees grow in pure stands
Density
- forest are not dense as the climate does not
support dense vegetation growth

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 Coniferous Forest
• Characteristics
Leaves
- evergreen
- retain leaves so that photosynthesis can take
place whenever temperature rises above 6 °C
- needle-like with small surface area to reduce
water loss due to transpiration
- store water for use in winter

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 Coniferous Forest
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Flowers & Fruits
- trees bear female and male cones
- female cones produce seeds
- male cones produce pollen
- cones can be dispersed by wind or
animals after pollination

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 Coniferous forest
• Characteristics & Adaptations
Bark and branches
- thick bark
- to protect from long, cold winters
- flexible branches that slope downwards
- to enable snow to slide off easily
Roots
- shallow, spreading roots
- enable trees to absorb water easily from soil
surface when snow melts

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 Importance of Forests
• Support diversity of plants and animals.
• Natural habitats for animals.
• Provide us with resources.
• Home to some natives.
• Part of our natural heritage.

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 Learning Outcomes
•Global distribution of tropical rainforests,
tropical monsoon forests, mangroves and
coniferous forests.
•Characteristics and adaptations of tropical
rainforests, tropical monsoon forests,
mangroves and coniferous forests.
•Skills
- Compare and contrast the characteristics
of different forests.

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