2. Natural vegetation
Natural vegetation refers to a plant
community which has grown naturally
without any human aid and has been left
undisturbed by humans for a long time
This is termed as a virgin vegetation.
3. Types of vegetation
O Tropical evergreen forests
O Tropical deciduous forests
O Tropical thorn forests and scrubs
O Montane forests
O Mangrove forests
4. Tropical evergreen forests
O Tropical evergreen forests are usually found in areas receiving
more than 200 cm of rainfall and having a temperature of 15 °C to
30 °C. Tropical evergreen forests are dense, multi-layered, and
harbour many types of plants and animals. The trees are evergreen
as there is no period of drought or frost. The canopy tree species
are mostly tall hardwoods with broad leaves that release large
quantities of water through transpiration, in a cycle that is important
in raising as much mineral nutrient material as possible from the
soil.
O In India, evergreen forests are found on the eastern & western
slopes of the Western Ghats in States such as Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra. And also found in Assam,
Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, West Bengal
and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They are also found in the hills
of Jaintia and Khasi. Some of the trees found in Indian Tropical
Forests are rosewood, mahogany and ebony. Bamboo and reeds
are also common. Because of dense foliage competing for light,
little direct sunlight reaches the understory.
5. Tropical deciduous forests
O Deciduous means "falling off at maturity"[1] or "tending to
fall off",[2] and it is typically used in order to refer to trees or
shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally (most commonly
during Autumn) and to the shedding of other plant
structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe.
In a more general sense, deciduous means "the dropping of
a part that is no longer needed" or "falling away after its
purpose is finished". In plants it is the result of natural
processes. "Deciduous" has a similar meaning when
referring to animal parts, such as deciduous antlers in
deer[3] or deciduous teeth, also known as baby teeth, in
some mammals (including humans).
O The deciduous characteristic has developed repeatedly
among woody plants. Trees include maple, many oaks, elm,
aspen, and birch.
6. Thorn forests and scrubs
O This ecoregion covers the arid portions of the Deccan
Plateau, extending across the Indian states of Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu to the
Northern Province, Sri Lanka| Northern Province of Sri
Lanka. Only small patches of natural habitat remain as,
most of the region has been cleared for grazing land.
O The annual rainfall is less than 750 mm (30 in), all falling
during the short rainy season and the area receives no
rainfall during the months of November to April.
Temperatures can exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during the hotter
months.
O The forests used to provide habitat to two prominent
mammal species, the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
and the Indian Elephant
7. Montane forests
O Montane forests differ from lowland forests in
the same area.[5] The climate of montane
forests is colder than lowland climate at the
same latitude, so the montane forests often
have species typical of higher-latitude lowland
forests.[6] Humans can disturb montane
forests through forestry and agriculture.[5] On
isolated mountains, montane forests
surrounded by treeless dry regions are typical
"sky island" ecosystems.[7]
8. Mangrove forests
O The Mangrove tidal forests are found in the areas
of coasts influenced by tides. Mud and silt get
accumulated on such coasts. Dense Mangroves
are common varieties with roots of plants
submerged under water. The deltas of Ganga, the
Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Godavari, and the
Kaveri are covered by such vegetation.
O In the Ganga-Bramhaputra delta, Sundri 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.
