Test: Natural Vegetation and Wildlife - UPSC MCQ

Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants.

The two factors on which the growth of vegetation mostly depends are - temperature and moisture. The three broad categories of natural vegetation are - forests, grasslands and shrubs. Tropical deciduous forests are found in the large part of India, northern Australia and in central America.

Simla is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

The forest is a complex ecosystem consisting mainly of trees that buffer the earth and support a myriad of life forms. The trees help create a special environment which, in turn, affects the kinds of animals and plants that can exist in the forest. Trees are an important component of the environment.

The tropical rainforests are also called evergreen forests as they remain green throughout the year.

Natural vegetation refers to a plant community which has grown naturally without human aid. They have been left undisturbed by humans for a long time. We call this virgin vegetation. Thus, cultivated crops and fruits, orchards form part of vegetation but not natural vegetation.

Anacondas are the largest and heaviest known snakes. They can be found in tropical rainforests, lakes and swamps of South America. Anacondas are especially numerous near Amazon and Orinoco rivers.

Lions, tigers, elephants, langoors, and monkeys are commonly found in tropical deciduous forests. Tropical deciduous forests experience seasonal changes.

The temperate evergreen forests are located in the mid-latitudinal coastal region.They are commonly found along the eastern margin of the continents,e.g.,In south east USA,South China and South East Brazil.They comprise both hard and soft wood trees like oak,pine,eucalyptus,etc.

Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora. Flora, fauna and other forms of life such as fungi are collectively referred to as biota.