Life on the Earth – Part I

Presentation No. 13
Date – 01/10/2021
Let’s watch this video on Natural Vegetation
and Wildlife
https://youtu.be/njE6OE5okHU
Types of Natural Vegetation
 Natural Vegetation
 Natural vegetation can be classified into three
broad categories as follows :-

Forest Grassland
s s

Shrubs/
Scrubs
 Forest
 It grows where temperature and rainfall are
plentiful to support a tree cover. Depending upon
these factors, dense and open forests grow.
 GRASSLAND

 IT GROWS IN THE REGION OF MODERATE

RAIN.
 SHRUBS

 THORNY SHRUBS AND

SCRUBS GROW IN
THE DRY REGION.
 Tropical Evergreen Forests

 Also called tropical

rainforests
 These thick forests occur in
the regions near the equator
and close to the tropics
 These trees do not shed
their leaves altogether
therefore they are called
evergreen
 Hardwood trees like
rosewood, ebony, mahogany
are common here
Now Let’s Go On A Virtual Tour Of
The Amazon Rain Forest

https://youtu.be/JEsV5rqbVNQ
Here’s a video on Tropical Evergreen
Forests:

https://youtu.be/LViyeWv5tG0
 Tropical Deciduous
•
Forests
These are the monsoon forests
found in the large part of India,
northern Australia and in central
America.
• These regions experience seasonal
changes. Trees shed their leaves in
the dry season to conserve water.
• The hardwood trees found in these
forests are sal, teak, neem and
shisham. Hardwood trees are
extremely useful for making furniture,
transport and construction material.
• Tigers, lions, elephants, langurs and
monkeys are the common animals of
this region.
• Found between latitudes 50° –
70° of the Northern Hemisphere
Coniferous
•
•
These are also called Taiga
These forests are also seen in
Forests
the higher altitudes

• They are softwood

tall, evergreen
trees is very
• Wood of these
• trees pine, cedar are the
Chir,
useful for making
important trees in these forests
• pulp fox, mink, polar bear are
Silver
the common animals
found here
Grassla
ndss
 Tropical
• These
Grasslands
occur between
the equatorial forests and
hot deserts in both the
hemispheres.
• This vegetation grows in
areas which receive about
100cm rainfall.
• The grasses of these
regions are very rough and
thick and can grow very tall,
about 3 to 4 metres in
height.
• Savannah grasslands of
Africa are of this type.
• Elephants, zebras, giraffes,
deer, leopards are common
in tropical grasslands
 Temperate
•
Grasslands
These are found in the
temperate zone and in the
interior parts of the continents.
• These grasslands receive
about 25 to 75cm rainfall.
• Usually, grass here is short
and soft.
• Veld grasslands of South
Africa are of this type.
• Wild buffaloes, bisons,
antilopes are common in the
temperate region.
 Thorny
• These are found in the
Bushes
dry desert like regions.
• Tropical deserts are
located on the western
margins of the
continents.
• Here, the temperature
remains very high
throughout the year.
• The vegetation cover is
scarce here because of
scanty rain and
scorching heat.
 Thorny
Bushes
• Cactus, shrubs and bushes are the common
vegetation of this area.
• Some important hot deserts of the world are the
Sahara desert (Africa), the Thar desert (India) and
the Atacama desert (S. America).
 Tun
•
dra
They are mostly found around
the polar region. The growth of
natural vegetation is very
limited here.
• Here, the temperature remains
below freezing point for the
major part of the year.
• Only mosses, lichens and very
small shrubs are found here. It
grows during the very short
summer.
• The main areas are northern
part of Siberia (Russia) and the
northern part of Canada.
 Tundra
• The animals have thick fur and thick skin to
protect themselves from the cold climatic
conditions.
• Seal, walruses, musk-oxen, Arctic owl, Polar bear
and snow foxes are some of the animals found
here.