1. What position does India occupy in the world with regards to plant diversity?
Tenth place.
2. What position in Asia, does India hold in plant diversity?
Fourth place.
3. What is the number of flowing plants in India?
15,000 flowering plants.
4. What percentage of flowering plants does India contribute to the world’s total?
6%
5. What is Natural Vegetation?
Natural vegetation refers to the plants which have grown naturally without human aid and have been left undisturbed by humans for a long time.
6. Give another name for natural vegetation.
Virgin vegetation
7. Why are cultivated crops, fruits and vegetables not considered as natural vegetation?
They are grown with the help of man.
8. What is the difference between flora and fauna?
Flora refers to the plants of a particular region or period. The species of animals are referred to as fauna.
9. Why is there a great diversity in flora and fauna?
Differences in land, soil and climate cause a great diversity in the flora and fauna of a region.
10. What is the main occupation of people where land is fertile and level?
Agriculture
11. Which occupation can be carried on in grasslands and woodlands?
Cattle grazing
12. Why do trees grow faster in summer?
Due to longer duration of sunlight.
13. Why are the southern slopes of the Himalayas covered with thicker vegetation as compared to northern slopes?
The southern slopes of the Himalayas get direct sunlight while the northern slopes receive indirect rays or oblique rays.
14. Name the two winds which cause rainfall in the major part of the Indian subcontinent.
- South West Monsoons in Summer.
- North East Monsoons in Winter.
15. Why do the windward or western slopes of the Western Ghats have denser vegetation than the eastern or leeward slopes?
Rainfall is heavier on the windward or western slopes than the eastern or leeward slope. Hence we can find denser vegetation in the western slopes of western Ghats than the Eastern Ghats.
16. Which areas in India have been untouched by man or have not been modified?
Inaccessible regions of the Himalayas and the hilly region of Central India and the Marusthali.
17. According to the Indian State of Forest Report 2011, what is the percentage of forest cover in India.
21.05%.
18. What is the other name of Tropical Rain Forests?
These forests are also known as the Tropical Evergreen Forests.
19. Name two regions, one in the north of the Tropic of Cancer and one in the south of the Tropic of Cancer, where Tropical Evergreen Forests are found.
- North-Northern parts of Assam.
- South-Windward slopes of the Western Ghats.
20. Name any four commercially important trees of the Evergreen Forests.
Ebony, mahogany, rosewood and rubber.
21. For what purpose did the people in the forests use bamboo?
The people in the forests used bamboo for commercial purposes especially for the construction of houses and for carrying the water from the higher regions of heavy rainfall to the lower areas.
22. Name any four common animals found in the Tropical Evergreen Forests?
Elephants, monkeys, rhinoceros and snakes.
23. Name the most widespread forests of India. By what other name are they also known as?
Tropical Deciduous Forests. These forests are also known as Monsoon Forests.
24. What are the sub-divisions of the Tropical Deciduous Forests?
- Dry Deciduous - (70-100 cm of rain)
- Wet Deciduous - (100-200 cm of rain)
25. Why are thorny trees and shrubs found in Gujarat and Rajasthan?
Rainfall is less than 70 cm.
26. When was the Wildlife Protection Act implemented in India?
1972.
27. Name the natural habitat of the Indian lion.
Gir forest in Gujarat.
28. Name any two bird sanctuaries in India.
- Vedanthangal
- Ranganathittu
29. Name any three common animals each of thorn forests and the mangrove forests found in India.
The wild ass, camels and horses are the common animals of the thorn forest.
Tigers, crocodiles and gharials are found in coastal areas where mangrove forests exist.
30. How many species of animals and birds does India have?
India has approximately 90,000 of animal species and 2,000 species of birds.
31. Name any there animals found in rivers, lakes and the coastal areas of India.
Turtles, crocodiles and gharials.
32. Name any three animals which live in the Himalayas due to its cold climate.
The yak lives in Ladakh’s freezing high altitudes. The shaggy horned wild ox and the Tibetan antelope also live in the cold regions of Himalayas.
33. Differentiate between endemic ad exotic plants.
The Virgin vegetation which is purely Indian is known as endemic, while those plants which have come from outside India are known as exotic plants.
34. How does the vegetation change with the change on the soil?
Different types of soils have different characteristics and minerals, therefore it is suited to those plants which can grow well under those conditions.
35. What type of vegetation is supported by the following soils?
- Sandy soils of the desert - cactus and thorny bushes
- Marshy or deltaic soils - mangrove
- Hill soils - conical trees or coniferous trees
36. What are the causes for the variation of sunlight at different places?
- Differences in latitude
- Differences in altitude
- Season and duration of the day
37. Which forest is the most widespread forest of India? What is its name? Give an example of any two species of trees of these forests.
The Tropical Deciduous Forest is the most widespread forest of India. These forests are also called the Monsoon Forests. Shisham and Sal are two important species of these forests.
38. In which regions are the following animals found?
- Lion: Gir forest in Gujarat
- Tigers: Forests of Madhya Pradesh
- Leopards: Himalayas
39. Name four bioreserves in India which have been included in the world network of biosphere reserves.
- a. Sundarbans
- b. Nanda Devi
- c. Gulf of Mannar
- d. Nilgiris
40. What are migratory birds?
Migratory birds visit a warmer country during the winters as in their native country the temperature falls below freezing point. These birds return to their native area in summer.