Natural Vegetation and Wild Life Class 9 Worksheet Geography Chapter 1

Q.1. Which famous animal is found in the tidal forest?

Royal Bengal Tiger.

Q.2. Distinguish between reforestation and Afforestation.

Reforestation:
(i) It is practiced in areas where forests have been destroyed
(ii) Two saplings are planted to replace every fallen tree.
(iii)  It is practiced to avoid the evils of shifting agriculture.
Afforestation:
(i) New forests are planted in the new areas.
(ii) One sapling is planted to get one tree.
(iii) It is practiced to bring more area under forests.

Q.3. Describe the factors responsible for the distribution of plants and animals in India.

Land: The nature of land influences the type of vegetation. The fertile land is generally devoted to agriculture. The undulating and rough terrains are the areas where grassland and woodlands develops and give shelter to a variety of wildlife.
Soil: different types of soils provide basis for different types of vegetation. The sandy soils the desert support cactus and thorny bushes while wet, marshy, deltaic soils support mangroves and deltaic vegetation. The hill slopes with some depth of soil have conical trees.
Temperature: on the slopes of the Himalayas and the hills of the peninsula above the height of 915 meters, the fall in temperature affects the types of vegetation and its growth and it changes it from tropical to sub-tropical temperate and alpine vegetations.
Photoperiod: The variation in duration of sunlight at different places is due to differences in latitude, altitude, season and duration of the day. Due to longer duration of sunlight, trees grow faster in summer.
Precipitation: Areas of heavy rainfall have more dense vegetation as compared to other areas of less rainfall.

Q.4. In which regions the mangrove forests found?

Mangrove forests are found in the delta region of Ganga, the Mahanadi, and the Krishna.

Q.5. How far it is correct to say that Rann of kachchh is one of the extraordinary sights of India? Explain.

Some of the wetlands of India are popular with migratory birds, during winter, birds,such as Siberian Crane come in large number. One such place favourable with birds is the Rann of Kachchh. At this place where the desert merges with the sea, flamingo with their brilliant, pink plumage, come in thousands to built nest mounds from the salty mud and raise their young ones. Due to this reason environmentalists consider this place an extraordinary sight in the country. It is also a rich natural heritage of our country.

Q.6. Can you name the forest which is found in the areas of Western Ghats and Island Groups of India? And write their any four features.

• Tropical Rain Forests are found in the Western Ghats and the Island Groups of India. These are also found in the upper parts of Assam and Tamil Nadu. Following are the feature of these forests
• The areas having more than 200cm of rainfall with a short dry season are the most suitable for such forests.
• The trees reach great height up to 60 meters or even above. The areas has luxuriant vegetation including trees of all kinds of shrubs and creepers giving it a multilayered structure as the region remains warm and wet throughout the year.
• These trees appear green all the year round as there is no definite time to shed their leaves.
• Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona are important commercial trees in this forest.

Q.7. Which is the Largest Mammal on the land?

Elephant.

Q.8. Write down the features of Tropical Rain forests of India.

• These forests are restricted to torrential rainfall areas of Western Ghats and the island group of Lakshadweep and Nicobar, upper parts of Assam and Tamil Nadu.
• The areas having more than 200cm of rainfall with a short dry season are the most suitable for such forests.
• The trees reach great heights up to 60 meters or even above. This area has luxuriant vegetation including tree of all kinds, shrubs and creepers giving it a multi-layered structure as the region remains warm and wet throughout the year.
• These trees appear green all the year round as there is no definite time for trees to shed their leaves. Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona are important commercial trees in these forests.

Q.9. How many Biosphere reserves have been set up in India?

Fourteen Biosphere Reserves.

Q.10. What do you know about migratory birds?

• Some of the wetlands of India are popular with migratory birds.
• During winters, birds, such as Siberian Crane come in large numbers.
• One such place favourable with birds is the Rann of Kuchchh.
• At a place where the desert merges with the sea, flamingo with their brilliant, pink plumage, come in thousands to build nest mounds from the salty mud and rise their young ones.

Q.11. Write down the features of the Thorn Forests and Scrubs of India.

• The natural vegetation like thorny trees and bushes are to be found in the regions having less than 70 cm rainfall.
• Such type of vegetation grows in the north-western part of country including semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, utter Pradesh and Haryana.
• Acacias, plams, euphorbias and cacti are the main plant species of this region.
• Trees are scattered and have long roots penetrating deep into the soil in order to get moisture. The stems are succulent to conserve water. To minimize evaporation, leaves are mostly thick and small. These forests give way to thorn forests and scrubs in dry area.

Q.12. To which vegetation does rubber belong to?

Tropical Evergreen Vegetation.

Q.13. How has the photoperiod influence the vegetation cover of India?

he variation in duration of sunlight at different place is due to differences in latitude, altitude, seasons and duration of the day. Due to longer duration of sunlight, trees grow faster in summer.

Q.14. ‘India is one of the twelve mega diversity country of the world’. Explain.

Our country is one of the twelve mega bio-diversity countries of the world.

With about 47000 plant species India occupies tenth place in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. There are about 15000 flowering plants in India which account for 6% in the world’s total number of flowering plants. The country has many non-flowering plants such as ferns, algae and fungi. India also has approximately 90000 species of animals as well as rich variety of fish in its fresh and marine waters.

Q.15. In which state is the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve located?

Uttrakhand.

Q.16. How has the soil influence the vegetation cover of India?

• The soils also vary over spaces. Different types of soils provide basis for different types of vegetation. The sandy soil of the desert support cactus and thorny bushes.
• While wet, marshy, deltaic soil support mangroves and deltaic vegetation
• The hill slopes with some depth of soil have conical tree.

Q.17. Elephants are found in the hot and wet forests which states?

Assam and Karnataka.

Q.18. Why do we need to conserve the fauna?

We need to conserve fauna because they make surrounding beautiful and clean.
Forests are very helpful to bring rainfall and source of oxygen. We need to conserve forests to maintain our ecosystem. Forests should be conserving to maintain the diversity of plants.

Q.19. Write down the features of mangrove forests.

• 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 the common varieties with roots of the plant submerged under water.
• The deltas of the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Godavari and the Kaveri are covered by such vegetation.
• In the Ganga­-Brahmaputra delta, sundari trees are found, which provide durable hard timber.
• alm, coconut, krora, agar, also grow in some parts of the delta.
• Royal Bengal Tiger is a famous animal in these forests. Turtles, crocodiles, gharials and snakes are also found in these forests.

Q.20. Name three medicinal plants found in India and write one feature of each.

Sarpagandha: It is used to treat blood pressure. It is found only in India.
Jamun: The juice from ripe fruit is used to prepare vinegar which is carminative and diuretic and has digestive properties.
Arjun: The fresh juice of leaves id a cure for earache. It is also used to regulate blood pressure.