NCERT Solutions For Class 7 Geography Social Science Chapter 6 Natural Vegetation and Wildlife
1. Answer the following Questions briefly.
(a) Which are the two factors on which the growth of vegetation mostly depends?
(b) Which are the three broad categories of natural vegetation?
(c) Name the two hardwood trees commonly found in tropical evergreen forest
(d) In which part of the world are tropical deciduous forests found?
(e) In which climatic conditions are citrus fruits cultivated?
(f) Mention the uses of coniferous forest.
(g) In which part of the world is seasonal grassland found?
Answer: (a) The two factors on which the growth of vegetation mostly depends are— temperature and moisture.
(b) The three broad categories of natural vegetation are—forests, grasslands and shrubs.
(c) Rosewood and mahogany.
(d) Tropical deciduous forests are found in the large part of India, northern Australia and in central America.
(e) Citrus fruits are cultivated in the regions marked for hot dry summers and mild rainy winters.
(f) The woods of coniferous forests are tall and soft. Chir, pine and cedar are the important variety of trees in these forests. The woods of these trees are very useful for making pulp, which is used for manufacturing paper and newsprint. Match boxes and packing boxes are also made from softwood.
(g) Seasonal grasslands are found in the mid-latitudinal zones and in the interior part of the continents.
2. Tick the correct answer.
(a) Mosses and Lichens are found in
(i) Desertic vegetation
(ii) Tropical vegetation (iii) Tundra vegetation.
(b) Thorny bushes are found in
(i) Hot and humid tropical climate
(ii) Hot and dry desertic climate
(iii) Cold polar climate.
(c) In tropical evergreen forest, one of the common animals is
(i) Monkey (ii) Giraffe
(iii) Camel.
(d) One important variety of coniferous forest is
(i) Rosewood (ii) Pine
(iii) Teak.
(e) Steppe grassland is found in
(i) S. Africa (ii) Australia
(iii) Central Asia.
Answer: (a)—(iii), (b)—(ii), (c)—(i), (d)—(ii), (e)—(iii).
Question 3.
Match the following.
(i) Walrus (a) Soft wood tree
(ii) Cedar (b) An animal of tropical deciduous forest
(iii) Olives (c) A polar animal
(iv) Elephants (d) Temperate grassland in Australia
(v) Campos (e) Thorny shrubs
(vi) Downs (f) A citrus fruit
(g) Tropical grassland of Brazil
Answer.
(i) Walrus (c) A polar animal
(ii) Cedar (a) Soft wood tree
(iii) Olives (f) A citrus fruit
(iv) Elephants (b) An animal of tropical deciduous forest
(v) Campos (g) Tropical grassland of Brazil
(vi) Downs (d) Temperate grassland in Australia
4. Give reasons:
(a) The animals in polar region have thick fur and thick skin.
(b) Tropical deciduous frees shed their leaves in the dry season.
(c) The type and thickness of vegetation changes from place to place.
Answer: (a) The animals in polar region have thick fur and thick skin to protect themselves from the cold climatic conditions.
(b) Tropical deciduous trees shed their leaves in the dry season to conserve water.
(c) The type and thickness of vegetation changes from place to place because of the variation in temperature and moisture.
INTEXT Questions WITH THEIR ANSWERS
Question 1.
Now can you tell why Salima saw changes in the natural vegetation as she climbed higher and higher? What type of vegetations did she see in the Himalayas starting with the foothills and going to the higher altitudes? (NCERT Page 39)
Answer.
Salima saw changes in the natural vegetation as she climbed higher and higher because of the following reasons:
- Change in climate with increase in height.
- Slope
- Thickness of the soil.
Types of vegetation she saw
- Sal and teak forests
- Coniferous forests
- Rhodo-dendrous
- Short grass
Question 2.
Like Salima, when you go to visit any new place, notice the type of natural vegetation occurring there and try to think of factors responsible for the growth of such vegetation in that habitat.
Note down if any human interference has taken place in that area in terms of deforestation, grazing, cultivation of cash crops, constructional activities etc. (NCERT Page 39)
Answer.
In October to Nainital.
- Alpine and Montane vegetation.
Factors:
- Cold climate.
- Heavy rainfall.
- Mountanous soil.
Yes, for habitation and commercial activities.
Question 3.
Where in India do tropical evergreen and tropical deciduous forests occur? Name the states. (NCERT Page 41)
Which type of forest dominates most part of India?
Answer.
- Western slopes of western ghats, N.E. India—Tropical evergreen (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa and N.E. states)
- Central India—Deciduous (M.P., Chhattisgarh), Jharkhand etc.
- Tropical Deciduous.
Question 4.
Look around in your surroundings and find out the articles made of hard wood and soft wood.
Find out and learn names of few trees of your locality. (NCERT Page 43)
Answer.
Hardwood: Steppers, bridges, furniture, doors, windows.
Softwood: Matches, packing material, false ceiling, boats etc.
Mango, neem, jamun, shisham, kikar, peepal, sal.
Question 5.
Can you name the great desert of India? Name some of the common animals of the desert. (NCERT page 44)
Answer.
Thar is the great Indian desert.
Camel, Snakes, lizards and many insects are found here.
VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE Questions
1. How is height of land and the character of vegetation related with each other? [V. Imp.]
Answer: With the change in height the climate changes and that changes natural vegetation.
2. Where are shrubs found?
Answer: Shrubs are found in the dry regions.
3. Why do trees of tropical evergreen forests not shed their leaves altogether?
Answer: It is because there is no particular dry season.
4. What is the special feature of tropical evergreen forests? [V. imp.]
Ans. Thick canopies of the closely spaced trees are found here. As a result sunlight do not reach inside the forest.
5. Name the trees found in the tropical deciduous forests.
Ans. Sal, teak, neem and shisham.
6. Where are temperate evergreen forests located?
Answer: These forests are located in the mid-latitudinal coastal region.
7. Why are only citrus fruits cultivated in mediterranean regions? [V. Imp.]
Answer: It is because people have removed the natural vegetation in order to cultivate citrus fruits.
8. Mention one special feature of coniferous forests.
Answer: These forests have tall and softwood evergreen trees.
9. Name the animals found, in the coniferous forests.
Answer: Silver fox, mink and polar bear.
10. Name the animals found in tropical grasslands. ,
Answer: Elephants, zebras, giraffes, dear and leopards.
11. Where are Savannah grasslands found?
Answer: They are found in East Africa.
12. Where are Llanos grasslands found?
Answer: They are found in Venezuela.
13. Which type of grassland Prairie is?
Answer: Prairie is temperate grassland.
14. Where are tropical deserts located?
Answer: They are located on the western margins of the continents.
15. Name some animals found in polar regions.
Answer: Seal, walruses, musk-oxen, Arctic owl, polar bear and snow foxes.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE Questions
1. Mention the major features of tropical evergreen forests. [V. Imp.]
Answer: Major features of tropical evergreen forests are:
- These forests are so dense that thick canopies are developed which do not allow the sunlight to penetrate inside the forest.
- As there is no particular dry season, the trees do not shed their leaves altogether. This keeps the forest evergreen.
- Hardwood trees such as rosewood, ebony and mahogany are found here.
2. Mention the features of Mediterranean trees.
Answer: These trees adapt themselves to dry summers with the help of their thick barks and wax coated leaves which help them reduce transportation.
3. Write a short note tropical grasslands. [V. Imp.]
Answer: Tropical grasslands occur on either side of the equator and extend till the tropics. This vegetation grows in the areas of moderate to low amount of rainfall. The grass can grow very tall, about 3 to 4 metres in height. Savannah grasslands of Africa are of this type. Common animals found here are elephants, zebras, giraffes, deer and leopards.
4. Give cm account of the natural vegetation and wildlife found in the polar regions.
Answer: Polar regions are extremely cold. Therefore the growth of natural vegetation is very limited here. Only mosses, lichens and veiy small shrubs are found here. They grow during the very short summer. This is called Tundra type of vegetation. This vegetation is found in the polar areas of Europe, Asia and North America. The animals found here have thick fur and thick skin which protect them from the cold climatic conditions. Seal, walruses, musk-oxen, Arctic owl, Polar bear and snow foxes are some of the animals found in these regions.
LONG ANSWER TYPE Questions
1. Discuss various types of forests. [V. Imp.]
Answer: Types of forests: ,
- Tropical evergreen forests
- Tropical deciduous forests
- Temperate evergreen forests
- Temperate deciduous forests
- Mediterranean vegetation
- Coniferous forests
1. Tropical evergreen forests. These forest are very dense and found in the regions near the equator and close to the tropics. These regions receive heavy rain throughout the year. The trees of these forests do not shed their leaves altogether and therefore they remain green all the time. Hardwood trees like rosewood, ebony and mahogany are found here.
2. Tropical deciduous forests. These forest are found in the regions which experience seasonal changes. Trees shed their leaves in the dry season to conserve water. The hardwood trees like sal, teak, neem and shisham are found here. Animals like tigers, lions, elephants, langoors and monkeys are common in these forests.
3. Temperate evergreen forests. These forests are commonly found along the eastern margin of the continents. They comprise both hard and softwood trees. For example, oak, pine, eucalyptus etc.
4. Temperate deciduous forests. Trees of these forests shed their leaves in dry ‘season’. Oak, ash, beech, etc. are common trees here. Deer, foxes, wolves, etc. are common animals in these forests.
5. Mediterranean vegetation. It is mostly found in the areas around the Mediterranean sea in Europe, Africa and Asia. Citrus fruits like oranges, figs, olives and grapes are commonly cultivated in the mediterranean regions.
6. Coniferous forests. They are also called Taiga. They are tall, softwood evergreen trees. Chir, pine, cedar are important variety of trees in these forests. Silver, fox, mink, polar bear are the common animals found here.
2. Describe different types of grasslands. [V. Imp.]
Answer: Different types of grasslands are:
- Tropical grasslands
- Temperate grasslands
- Thorny bushes
- Tropical grasslands. This type of vegetation grows in the areas of moderate to low amount of rainfall. The grass here can grow very tall, about 3 to 4 metres in height. Savannah grasslands of Africa are of this type. Common animals found here are elephants, zebras, giraffes, deer, leopards etc.
- Temperate grasslands. This type of vegetation is found in the mid-latitudinal zones and in the interior part of the continents. Grass here is usually short and nutritious. Common animals found in this region are wild buffaloes, bisons, antitopes etc.
- Thorny bushes. These are found in the dry desert like regions. Tropical deserts are located on the western margins of the continents, which are characterised by searce vegetation.
Vegetation in the polar regions is also limited. Only mosses, lichens and very small shrubs are found here. It grows during the very short summer. This is called Tundra type of vegetation. Polar animals have thick fur and thick skin which protect them from the cold climate conditions, for example, seal, walruses, musk-oxen, Arctic owl, etc.