Class 7 Geography Chapter 5 Notes - Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

What is Natural Vegetation?

Natural vegetation is the plant life of a region.

• Natural vegetation is of three types: forest, grasslands and shrubs.
• The changes in the type of natural vegetation mainly occur because of the changes in the climate region.  

Forests  

• Forests are of six types: Tropical Evergreen, Tropical Deciduous, Temperate Evergreen, Temperate Decidous, Mediterranean, Vegetation, and Coniferous forests.  
• Tropical Evergreen Forests are those which occur in the region near the equator and close to the tropics.  
• Tropical Decidous Forests are monsoon forests which shed their leaves in the dry season to conserve water.  
  
  Forest
• Temperate Evergreen Forests are located in mid-latitudinal coastal region.  
• Temperate Deciduous Forests are those which shed their leaves in the dry season.  
• Meditteranean Vegetation is found around Mediterranean Sea in Europe.  
• Coniferous Forests are found in areas along with the Taiga.  

Tropical Evergreen Forests

• Tropical Evergreen forests are also called tropical rainforests.
• These thick forests occur in the regions near the equator and close to the tropics.
• These regions are hot and receive heavy rainfall throughout the year.
• As there is no dry season, the trees do not shed their leaves. This is the reason they are called evergreen.
• The thick canopies of the closely spaced trees do not allow the sunlight to penetrate inside the forest even in the daytime.
• Hardwood trees like rosewood, ebony, mahogany are common here.

Tropical Deciduous Forests

• Tropical deciduous 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 which are used to make furniture, transport and constructional materials.
• Tigers, lions, elephants, langoors and monkeys are the common animals of these regions.

Temperate Evergreen Forests

• 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 in South-East Brazil.
• They comprise both hard and softwood trees like oak, pine, eucalyptus, etc.

Temperate Deciduous Forests

• Temperate Deciduous forests are found towards higher latitudes.
• These are found in the northeastern part of USA, China, New Zealand, Chile and also found in the coastal regions of Western Europe.
• They shed their leaves in the dry season.
• The common trees are oak, ash, beech, etc.
• Deer, foxes, wolves are the animals commonly found. Birds like pheasants, monals are also found here.

Mediterranean Vegetation

• The west and south-west margins of the continents are covered with Mediterranean vegetation.
• It is mostly found in the areas around the Mediterranean sea in Europe, Africa and Asia.
• This kind of vegetation is also found outside the actual Mediterranean region in California in the USA, south-west Africa, southwestern South America and Southwest Australia.
• Citrus fruits such as oranges, figs, olives and grapes are commonly cultivated here.

Coniferous Forests

• In the higher latitudes of Northern hemisphere, the spectacular Coniferous forests are found.
• These are also called Taiga.
• These forests are also seen in the higher altitudes.
• Chir, pine, cedar is the important variety of trees in these forests.
• Silver fox, mink, polar bear are the common animals found here.

Grasslands

• Tropical grasslands: These occur on either side of the equator and extend till the tropics. This vegetation grows in areas of moderate to a low amount of rainfall. Elephants, zebras, giraffes, deer, leopards are common in tropical grasslands.
• Temperate grasslands: These are found in the mid latitudinal zones and in the interior part of the continents. Wild buffaloes, bison, antelopes are common in the temperate region.
  Grassland
• Thorny Bushes: Thorny bushes are found in dry desert-like regions. These are found in areas with scanty rain and scorching heat.  
  
  Thorny Bushes
• Tundra Vegetation: Tundra vegetation growth of natural vegetation is very limited here. It is found in polar areas.
  
  Tundra Vegetation