MCQ
Q.
Teak, Sal, Sandalwood are important species of
Correct Answer: D
The correct answer is Tropical Deciduous Forests.
Key Points
- Tropical Deciduous Forests
- These are the most widespread forests in India.
- They are also called the monsoon forests because the trees in these forests shed their leaves during the dry season and re-grow during the monsoon. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
- They spread over regions that receive rainfall between 70-200 cm.
- The average temperature of Tropical Deciduous forests is 30oC. Hence, Statement 2 is correct.
- The humidity in these forests lies in the range of 80-90 per cent.
- The prime feature of these forests as trees shed their leaves in the dry season and grow back leaf in rainy seasons.
- Major states where tropical deciduous forests are found:
- Madhya Pradesh
- Uttar Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Jharkhand
- Odisha
- Maharashtra
- Some parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
- On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are further divided into
- Moist Deciduous
- Dry Deciduous
- Moist Deciduous forests
- They spread over regions that receive rainfall between 100-200 cm.
- These forests are found in the northeastern states along the foothills of the Himalayas, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, and Odisha.
- Teak, Sal, Shisham, Hurra, Mahua, Amla, Semul, Kusum, and Sandalwood, etc. are the main species of these forests. Hence, Statement 3 is correct.
- Dry Deciduous forests
- They spread over regions that receive rainfall between 70-100 cm.
- These forests are found in the rainy areas of Peninsular India, Plains of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
- In the higher rainfall regions of the Peninsular plateau and the northern Indian plain, these forests have a parkland landscape with open stretches in which teak and other trees interspersed with patches of grass are common.
- As the dry season begins, the trees shed their leaves completely and the forest appears like a vast grassland with naked trees all around.
- Tendu, Palas, Amaltas, Bel, Khair, Axlewood, etc. are the common trees of these forests.
Additional Information
- Tropical Thorn Forests
- Tropical Thorn Forests are found in areas having less than 50cm of Rainfall.
- A variety of Grasses and Shrubs are found in these thorn forests.
- They are present in dry and semi-dry areas of south-west Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat,
- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
- In Tropical Thorn Forest, Trees remain leafless for the most part of the year
- Tussocky Grass grows up to 2m in these areas.
- Montane Forests
- Evergreen type of vegetation is prevalent in montane forests.
- Generally, they are conical in shape so that it is easy for the snow to slide down.
- Montane Forest is an ecosystem found in mountains.
- These forests can be found in the higher hilly areas of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, also in the region of Eastern Himalayas to the east of 88°E longitude including the hills of Assam, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.
- Some significant trees of the montane temperate forest are rhododendrons, ferns, oak, maple, juniper, deodar, chilgoza, etc.
- Tropical Evergreen Forests
- Tropical evergreen forests are dense, multi-layered, and harbor many types of plants and animals.
- These forests are found in the areas receiving heavy rainfall (more than 200 cm annual rainfall).
- Therefore, these forests always appear green and are known as evergreen forests.
- The greatest single area of tropical evergreen forest is the Amazon Basin, in the northern half of South America.
- In India, evergreen forests are found in the western slopes of the Western Ghats in States such as Kerala and Karnataka. They are also found in the hills of Jaintia and Khasi.
- Evergreen forests are found in the Assam Valley, the foothills of the eastern Himalayas, and the lower parts of the Naga Hills, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Manipur.
- Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber, and cinchona are some of the commercially important trees that grow in the tropical evergreen forests.