Question

What are the three broad categories of natural vegetation.

Answer 1

Three broad categories of natural vegetation are Forests, Grasslands and Shrubs.

FORESTS

• Tropical Evergreen Forests:

1. Tropical rainforests,
2. Regions near the equator close to the tropics,
3. receive heavy rainfall,
4. no dry season,
5. trees do not shed leaves together

• Tropical Deciduous Forests:

1. Tropical deciduous monsoon forests,
2. seasonal changes,
3. trees shed leaves in dry season to conserve water
4. Hardwood trees are found here

• Temperate Evergreen Forests:

1. Mid Latitudinal coastal region,
2. Common along the eastern margin of the continents

• Temperate Deciduous Forests:

1. North eastern part of USA, China, New Zealand, Chile and also found in coastal regions of Western Europe
2. They shed their leaves in dry season

• Mediterranean Vegetation:

1. Areas around Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Africa and Asia
2. Hot dry summer
3. Mild rainy winters

• Coniferous Forests

1. Also called as Taiga forests
2. found at higher latitudes(50º-70º) in northern hemisphere
3. Tall softwood evergreen trees

GRASSLANDS

• Tropical grasslands:

1. grow on either sides of the equator,
2. Areas of moderate to low amount of rainfall,
3. Grasses about 3 to 4 metres

• Temperate grasslands:

1. Found in the mid latitudinal zones and in interior part of continent,
2. grasses are short and nutritious

SHRUBS

• Thorny bushes:

1. Desert areas
2. vegetation is scarce,
3. scanty rain
4. scorching heat.