Geography Class 9 : Chapter 5 - Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

In this page you get NCERT Solution Class 9 Social Science (Geography) Chapter 5 Natural Vegetation and Wildlife being given. Social Science have four parts. Social Science (Geography) Class 9th has been set by the CBSE Board. The speciality of this page is that here you can download pdf of NCERT Solution Class 9 Social Science (Geography). I expect that the given Class 9 Social Science (Geography) Solution Chapter 5 Natural Vegetation and Wildlife will be immensely useful to you.

 

Chapter 5

Natural Vegetation And Wildlife

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:

(i) To which one of the following types of vegetation does rubber belong to?

(a) Tundra   (b) Himalayan   (c) Tidal   (d) Tropical Evergreen

Answer: Tropical Evergreen

(ii) Cinchona trees are found in the areas of rainfall more than

(a) 100 cm   (b) 70 cm   (c) 50 cm   (d) less than 50 cm

Answer: 100 cm

(iii) In which of the following state is the Simlipal bio-reserve located?

(a) Punjab   (b) Delhi   (c) Odisha   (d) West Bengal

Answer: Odisha

(iv) Which one of the following bio-reserves of India is not included in the world network of bio reserve?

(a) Manas   (b) Gulf of Mannar   (c) Nilgiri   (d) Nanda Devi

Answer: Manas

2. Answer the following questions briefly.

(i) What factors are responsible for the distribution of plants and animals in India?

Answer: Climatic conditions:

Temperature, Humidity, Photoperiod, and Precipitation are climatic conditions.

Relief:

Land and Soil are relief factors.

(ii) What is a bio-reserve? Give two examples.

Answer: Bio-reserves are protected areas. This is done to protect natural vegetation, wildlife and the environment.
             Sunderbans in West Bengal and Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand are two important biosphere reserves.

(iii) Name two animals having habitat in the tropical and montane type of vegetation.

Answer: The animals of tropical vegetation are elephant, monkey, dear etc. The animals of montane vegetation are Kashmir stag, wild sheep, jack rabbit etc.

3. Distinguish between : (i) Flora and Fauna

Answer:

Flora:

• It refers to natural vegetation growing in a particular area.
• It was the first form of life appeared on the earth.
• It is able to convert solar energy into food energy.

Fauna:

• It refers to wildlife living in a particular area.
• It appeared on the earth after Flora because of being their heterotrophs.
• It has to live dependent on the floor for its survival.

(ii) Tropical Evergreen and Deciduous forests.

Answer:

Tropical Evergreen Forests:

• They are called rain forest.
• No definite time for trees to shed leaves.
• Rainfall is more than 200 cm.

Tropical Deciduous Forests:

• They are called Monsoon forest.
• Trees shed leaves for about six to eight weeks in the dry summer.
• Rainfall range is between 200 cm to 70 cm.

4. Name different types of vegetation found in India and describe the vegetation of high altitudes.

Answer: Major vegetation types found in India are as under:

1. Tropical evergreen forests
2. Tropical deciduous forests
3. Tropical Thorn forests and scrubs
4. Montane forests
5. Mangrove forests

Vegetation in high altitudes:

• Alpine vegetation found in altitudes above 3600 m.
• Trees in these areas are junipers, birches and pines.
• They get progressively standard as they approach the snow-line

5. Quite a few species of plants and animals are endangered in India. Why?

Answer: This is because of:

1. indiscriminate poaching and hunting of animals and cutting of trees,
2. pollution due to chemical and industrial waste,
3. acid deposits,
4. introduction of aline species,
5. clearing forest for inhabitation and agriculture owing to ever increase in population.

6. Why has India a rich heritage of flora and fauna?

Answer: The following factors make India a rich heritage of flora and fauna.

1. Temperature: India has all types of temperature i.e., cold, warm and hot. So, it is suitable for the existence of all types of flora and fauna.
2. So: Due to longer duration of sunlight, trees grow faster in the summer. It is also suitable for the fauna.
3. Rainfall: Rainfall has a direct impact on the growth of both flora and fauna. India receives much rainfall due to the monsoons. So, every type of flora and fauna is found here.
4. Soil: Almost all types of soil are found in India. So, it has different varieties of vegetations or forests.
5. Relief: Several relief features of India such as plains, mountain and plateaus are helpful in developing different types of flora and fauna.

Some other important questions

1. How many National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries have been set up by the government to take care of the natural heritage of India? Why have these been established by the government?

Ans. 103 National Parks and 535 Wildlife Sanctuaries have been set up to take care of the natural heritage of India. These have been established to protect and save the flora and fauna, and maintain the balance of the ecosystem.

2. Describe the major vegetation zones of the Himalayan region.

Ans. In mountainous areas (Himalayas), the decrease in temperature and increase in altitude leads to the corresponding changes in natural vegetation. The major vegetation zones are:

• Wet temperate type of forests are located between a height of 1000-2000 metres. Evergreen broad-leaf trees such as chir, chill, ash, oak, chestnuts are found in this region.
• Between 1500-3000 metres above sea-level, coniferous forests such as pine,deodar, silver fir, spruce and cedar arefound.
• At high altitude, Alpine vegetation comprising Silver fir, junipers, pines and birches is found.
• Tundra vegetation of moss and lichen prevails at higher altitude.

3. Write three measures to protect wildlife.

Ans. The measures taken by the Government for the protection and conservation of our biological diversity are:

• Periodic census are conducted to find out the latest position and trends in this regard.
• Tiger reserves have been set up. Project Tiger is a great success.
• Rhinos in Assam and elephants in Periyar are being conserved.
• Several national parks and bird sanctuaries have been set up.

4. What is the significance of forests?

Ans. Forests are very useful for human beings. They help us in many ways:

1. Forests purify the air. The trees break up carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen in the of sunlight. They consume carbon as their food and release oxygen in the atmosphere. Thus the trees are helpful in keeping the air clean.
2. Forests provide us fuel and timber. In many parts of India wood is used as fuel for cooking food and for many other purposes. Timber is used for making houses, furniture and railway coaches
3. Hundreds of industries depend on forests. For example, paper industry, plywood industry, paint, varnish, rubber goods, matchsticks and many.
4. Forests cause rain. Trees cool down the winds which have water vapour. Thus the forests help in causing rainfall. Forest areas have more rainfall than the other areas.
5. Forests prevent floods. The roots of the trees soak a lot of rainwater. The rainwater does not flow down quickly and cause floods.

5) Mention some of the steps taken by the government to protect flora and fauna of the country.

1. Fourteen biosphere reserves have been set up in the country to protect flora and fauna. Four out of these, the Sunderbans in the West Bengal, Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand, the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu and the Nilgiris (Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) have been included in the world network of Biosphere reserves.
2. Financial and technical assistance is provided to many Botanical Gardens by the government since 1992.
3. Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and many other eco-developmental projects have been introduced.
4. 89 National Parks, 49 Wildlife sanctuaries and Zoological gardens are set up to take care of natural heritage. All of us must realise the importance of the natural ecosystem for our own survival. It is possible if indiscriminate destruction of natural environment is put to an immediate end.