Natural Vegetation and Habitats

Tropical rainforest,

The Shillong plateau,

The Himalayas consist of a mosaic of diverse forest ecosystems and ecoregions, with different forest types suited for distinct elevation bands. Ths with the variation in the altitude, we have different types o forests in the Himalayas viz. European Oak forests, Coniferous forests and Alpine vegetation as well.

Covering approximately 10,000 km2 the Sundarbans in the Northern Bay of Bengal is the largest contiguous mangrove forest on earth. Mangroves forests are highly productive and diverse ecosystems, providing a wide range of direct ecosystem services for resident populations. In addition, mangroves function as a buffer against frequently occurring cyclones; helping to protect local settlements including the two most populous cities of the world, Kolkata, and Dhaka, against their worst effects. While large tracts of the Indian Sundarbans were cleared, drained and reclaimed for cultivation during the British colonial era, the remaining parts have been under various protection regimes since the 1970s, primarily to protect the remaining population of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris ssp. Tigris). 

The Himalayas possess a vast range of altitudes and climates, allowing for a diverse array of vegetation types, from tropical foothills to alpine tundra. Other regions listed are more climatically uniform.

The character and extent of vegetation are mainly determined by temperature along with the humidity in the air, precipitation and soil. On the slopes of Himalayas and the hills of Peninsula above the height of 915 metres, the fall in the temperature affects the types of vegetation and its growth, and changes it from tropical to subtropical temperature. So in the mountainous area with the increase in altitude there is corresponding decrease in temperature, which leads to change in vegetation types. 

Tropical rainforests are the forests consisting of evergreen trees with green foliage throughout year. They constitute 6 to 7% of earth’s land surface. Such forest give shelter to 50% of world’s species.

Stems are succulent and leaves are mostly thick. This means that the vegetation is found in the area of Tropical thorn forests and scrubs. This is an adaptation which turn leaves thick and succulent to prevent water loss from transpiration. 

The Gobi Desert is a cold desert located in Asia, characterized by extreme temperature fluctuations and high elevation. The Sahara, Arabian, and Thar are all classified as tropical or subtropical hot deserts.

Desert plants are typically xerophytic, meaning they are adapted to survive in arid conditions. Perennial shrubs with deep roots or water-storing tissues are the standard definition of desert vegetation.

Tropical Rain Forests grows in areas where rainfall is more than 200 cm. Trees in these forests never shed their leaves at all any time in any part of the year. Trees in these belts have dense growth. Important varieties of tress are mahogony, rubber, rosewood, sisthu.

The tropical evergreen forests usually occur in areas receiving more than 200 cm of rainfall. Semi evergreen forests lies on the dry sides of evergreen forests in Western Ghats, West Bengal, Odisha and other North-Eastern regions of India. The trees in this vegetation are hard wooded, and grow close to each other. Rubber belongs to semi-evergreen forests. Bamboo, ebony and rubber are important vegetation of this region.

Temperate deciduous forests or temperate broad-leaf forests are dominated by trees that lose their leaves each year. Temperate deciduous forests are located in the mid-latitude areas which means that they are found between the polar regions and the tropics. The deciduous forest regions are exposed to warm and cold air masses, which cause this area to have four seasons. The temperature varies widely from season to season with cold winters and hot, wet summers.  When temperature decreases, trees change color and then lose their leaves. This is in preparation for the winter season. Because it gets so cold, the trees have adapted to the winter by going into a period of dormancy or sleep.