Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Chapter Notes | Window on the Word Class 7: Solutions, Notes & Worksheets PDF Download

Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

The biosphere consists of all living organisms and their habitats. It includes natural vegetation and wildlife as key elements.

Natural Vegetation

• Natural vegetation comprises plants and trees that grow in a region without human introduction.

Wildlife

• Wildlife refers to organisms native to a region that have not been domesticated by humans.

Natural Vegetation Zones

The type of natural vegetation and wildlife found in a place is determined by physical and climatic factors like temperature, rainfall, altitude, and soil. This chapter focuses on the different vegetation zones of the world and their key characteristics.

Classification of Natural Vegetation

• Forests
• Grasslands
• Deserts
• Tundra

Forests: 

Forests are extensive areas covered in trees and thrive in regions with adequate precipitation and warmth. They vary based on the climatic zone they are located in and are found in distinct belts around the world.

Tropical Evergreen Forests: 

Tropical evergreen forests, also known as equatorial forests, are situated in equatorial and tropical regions globally. Examples include the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America, the Congo basin in Africa, and countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and India in Southeast Asia.

Climate and Vegetation

Climate and Vegetation Overview

These regions have a hot and humid climate, with temperatures ranging from 15 to 30 degrees Celsius. They experience abundant rainfall throughout the year, earning them the name 'rainforests'.

Forest Characteristics

The forests in these regions are characterized by evergreen trees that shed their leaves at different times. The trees have broad leaves, and the forests are dense with a thick canopy that limits sunlight penetration to the forest floor.

Plant Life

Due to the thick canopy, few plants grow near the forest floor. Predominantly, hardwood trees such as ebony, rosewood, and mahogany thrive in these areas. Additionally, vines, orchids, and ferns are common plant species found in these rainforests.

Wildlife and Tropical Forests

Wildlife in Tropical Evergreen Rainforests:

It is believed that tropical evergreen rainforests harbor more than half of the world's land species.

Various animals inhabit these forests, such as snakes, crocodiles, gorillas, chimpanzees, jaguars, macaws, toucans, and vultures.

Tropical Deciduous Forests:

Location: Found in monsoon regions, also known as monsoon forests, including parts of India, southern China, south Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and northern Australia.

Climate and Vegetation: Temperatures range from 20 to 48°C, with heavy monsoon rains promoting lush greenery. Tree species in this forest type include sandalwood, sal, shisham, bamboo, teak, and banyan.

Wildlife and Mangrove Forests

• Tigers, lions, elephants, and deer are mammals that inhabit monsoon forests.
• Reptiles such as turtles, snakes, and crocodiles, along with a variety of birds like eagles, parakeets, and kingfishers, can also be found in these forests.

Mangrove Forests

• Mangrove forests, also known as tidal forests, thrive in tropical and subtropical regions where the water is brackish and the land is marshy.

Climate and Vegetation

• Mangrove forests thrive in areas where the temperature remains above 15-20°C consistently throughout the year.
• Mangroves have the ability to grow in saline water and play a crucial role in safeguarding coastal regions from soil erosion, high tide inundation, and strong winds.
• Common species of mangroves include Sundari, keora, goran, and kewa.

Wildlife and Forests

Wildlife: Apart from supporting marine animals like oysters, fish, and crabs, mangrove forest regions also support other wildlife such as crocodiles, snakes, herons, and pelicans. 

Temperate Evergreen Forests

Location:  Found along the eastern coasts in temperate areas of the world.

Examples: Pacific Ocean in north-western North America, south-western South America, New Zealand, Tasmania, north-west Europe, and southern Japan.

Climate and Vegetation

Cool climate with heavy rainfall; known as mixed forests with trees like pine, acacia, eucalyptus, cedars, and oak.

Wildlife

Animals include bears, deer, salamanders, woodpeckers, boars, leopards, and rodents like beavers, rats, squirrels, and porcupines

Temperate Deciduous Forests 

Location: Found in higher latitudes of the temperate zone, in the interiors of continents. 

Climate and Vegetation: Cool climate, moderate rainfall, four distinct seasons with trees like oak, ash, beech, maple, chestnut, cherry, and walnut.

Wildlife: Animals include owls, hawks, raccoons, foxes, and wolves.

Mediterranean Vegetation

• Location: Mediterranean vegetation can be found in regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, southern California, central Chile, and south-western Australia.
• Climate and Vegetation: These regions experience mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The vegetation primarily consists of shrubs and small trees. Most plants in this area have small waxy leaves that help them retain moisture during the dry summers. The trees typically have thick barks. Examples of trees found in this region include oak, olive, fig, eucalyptus, cork, and beech.
• Wildlife: Various animals such as bats, deer, squirrels, foxes, lizards, and falcons inhabit the Mediterranean regions.

Coniferous Forests

• Location: Coniferous forests are predominantly located in the sub-polar belt between the latitudes 50°N and 60°N in the Northern Hemisphere. They cover the northern regions of Canada and Eurasia, where they are referred to as boreal forests or taiga. These forests are also present at high altitudes in mountainous regions around the world.

Climate, Vegetation, and Wildlife

• Winters in these regions are harsh, with temperatures dropping as low as -40°C, while summers are mild.
• The forests in these areas mainly consist of softwood trees, particularly conifers, characterized by their slender, needle-like leaves.
• Common trees found include birch, cedar, pine, spruce, and fir.
• Various animals such as the silver fox, lynx, mink, reindeer, and bears inhabit these regions.Grasslands
• Grasslands are expansive areas covered mainly with grasses.
• They exist in regions with insufficient rainfall to sustain tree growth but more moist than deserts.
• The height of the grasses varies depending on the amount of rainfall received.

Tropical Grasslands

• Tropical grasslands are located on both sides of the equator, reaching into the tropics.
• They occur in regions with moderate to low levels of rainfall.
• Tropical grasslands typically maintain a warm climate year-round.
• These areas may have a sparse distribution of trees.

Wildlife

Various large herbivorous animals inhabit tropical grasslands, including elephants, zebras, giraffes, deer, and rhinos.Predators such as leopards, lions, jackals, and hyenas are also present in these regions.

Temperate Grasslands: Temperate grasslands are located between the latitudes 40° and 50° in the Northern and Southern hemispheres as well as in the interior regions of continents. Due to their distance from oceans, these grasslands endure extreme temperatures, featuring hot summers and cold winters. They are also comparatively drier than tropical grasslands.

Wildlife: In temperate grasslands, you can find animals such as bison, wild buffaloes, antelopes, and hyenas. These grasslands are known by different names in various regions.

Desert Vegetation and Tundra

Location: Deserts are located between 15° and 35° North and South latitudes.

Climate and vegetation: Desert areas receive minimal rainfall and experience extreme temperature variations. Vegetation in deserts includes trees, shrubs, and grasses adapted to harsh conditions. Plants have specialized adaptations like deep roots, thick stems for water storage, and leaves in the form of thorns or small, waxy-coated structures. Common desert trees include date palm, acacia, khejri, and cactus.

Wildlife: Deserts host a variety of animals including camels, lizards, snakes, gazelles, ostriches, vultures, desert foxes, blackbucks, and peacocks.

Tundra: Location: Tundra vegetation is found in polar regions and high altitudes with very cold temperatures, such as in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Climate and Vegetation: Mosses, lichens, and very small shrubs are the sole types of vegetation present in the Arctic region. These plants experience growth only in the brief summers, as the area is blanketed with snow and ice during the winter months. The harsh and short growing season leads to the development of diminutive plants that thrive close to the surface, resembling a dense mat.

Wildlife : Animals in the Arctic possess thick fur to shield themselves from the extreme cold. Among the creatures inhabiting this region are the polar bear, Arctic fox, musk ox, caribou, walrus, and lemming.