EXERCISE
Question 1.
On the basis of the information given in the chapter, figures and maps, complete the table below:
Answer:
| S. No. | Type of forest | Characteristics | Regions in India | Regions in Brazil |
| (1) | Tropical Forests | Broad-leaved evergreen trees. | Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Western Ghats. Some parts of North East India. | Amazon Basin, Guyana Highlands. |
| (2) | Semi arid thorny vegetation | (a) Thorny and shrub type vegetation. (b) Leaves are small in size. Leaves are modified into thorns to minimise evaporation. | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. | North-Eastern part of Brazil. |
| (3) | Savannah | Scanty bushes and shrub like trees and rain resistant grass. | Brazilian Highland. | |
| (4) | Tropical semi-deciduous | Mixed type vegetation. | Central India and South India. | Parana Basin and South Eastern part of Brazil. |
| (5) | Grasslands | Grassland region like the Pampas of Argentina. | Foothills of Shiwalik hills and Assam. | Southern Brazil. |
2. Identify the odd man out:
Question 1.
Forest type of Brazil ______.
(a) Thorny bush type vegetation
(b) Evergreen forests
(c) The Himalayan Forests
(d) Deciduous forests
Answer:
(c) The Himalayan Forests
Question 2.
With reference to India
(a) Mangrove forests
(b) Mediterranean forests
(c) Thorny bush-type vegetation
(d) Equatorial forests
Answer:
(b) Mediterranean forests
Question 3.
With reference to Fauna of Brazil.
(a) Anaconda
(b) Tamairin
(c) Red Panda
(d) Lion
Answer:
(c) Red Panda
Question 4.
With reference to flora in India.
(a Deodar
(b) Anjan
(c) Orchid
(d) Banyan
Answer:
(c) Orchid
3. Match the Column:
| Column ‘A’ | Column ‘B’ |
| Evergreen Forests | (a) Sundari trees |
| Deciduous forests | (b) Pine |
| Coastal forests | (c) Pau Brasil |
| Himalayan forests | (d) Khejari |
| Thorny and bush type vegetation | (e) Teak |
| (f) Orchid |
Answer:
1 – c
2 – e
3 – a
4 – b
5 – d
4. Answer in short:
Question a.
Differentiate between the forest types of Brazil and India.
Answer:
| Forest type of Brazil | Forest type of India |
| 1. The northern part of Brazil lies in the equatorial region. It receives ample sunshine and heavy rainfall. So dense evergreen forests are seen here. | 1. The location of India is far away from the Equator. Heavy rainfall occurs only in the Western Ghats and North Eastern hilly areas. So evergreen forests are seen in these regions. |
| 2. The Highland region of Brazil receives low rainfall. So tropical grasslands are seen in this region. | 2. The Peninsula region of India receives rainfall between 1000 mm to 2000 mm, so they are covered by deciduous forests. |
| 3. As there are no tall and long extending mountains in Brazil, Himalayan type forests are not found here. | 3. Owing to presence of Himalayas, Himalayan type forests are found in North and North-East of India that are classified on the basis of altitude. |
| 4. Thorny shrubs are found to the North Eastern part of Brazilian Highlands which is also considered to be a Drought Quadrilateral. | 4. Thorny shrubs are found in India receiving less than 500 mm of rainfall. It is majorly found in Gujarat, Rajasthan and rain shadow regions of the Western Ghats. |
Question b.
Correlate wildlife and natural vegetation in India and Brazil.
Answer:
(i) Depending upon favourable geographical conditions, we find a variety of natural vegetation in India and Brazil. Also depending upon the vegetation we find a variety of wildlife in different regions.
(ii) Grasslands of Brazil like the Savannah and the deciduous forest of India have a large number of herbivores and carnivores.
(iii) The dense evergreen forests of India in the west, north east India and the Amazon Basin of Brazil are a home to a large variety of birds, insects, reptiles along with the herbivores and the carnivores.
(iv) Coastal forests and swampy areas of Pantanal and Sunderbans have mangroves, a variety of birds, fishes and reptiles like crocodiles, alligators and the anacondas in Brazil.
(v) Vegetation provides food and shelter to wildlife but if vegetation is limited like in the Thar desert or the Caatinga it will also limit the variety of animals species.
Question c.
What environmental issues are faced by Brazil and India?
Answer:
- Degradation of environment is happening in Brazil due to illegal smuggling of wild animals, slash and burn agriculture (roca), deforestation, pollution, etc.
- Due to these problems, many endemic species are on the verge of extinction.
- India too faces environmental issues such as poaching, pollution and the fast spreading deforestation.
- Many species of wildlife are on the verge of extinction in India.
Question d.
What are the major causes of degradation of forest in Brazil and India?
Answer:
(i) Forests are being cut down as more area is required to expand the cities. Hence rapid urbanisation is one of the reasons for degradation of forest.
(ii) To ensure continuous food supply to meet the needs of the ever increasing population, more and more area needs to be brought under agriculture. For the expansion of agricultural land, forest areas are being cut down.
(iii) In both India and Brazil, forests are being cut down for firewood and for other domestic needs.
(iv) Slash and Burn agriculture which is also known as Roca in Brazil and Jhum in India is responsible for deforestation.
(v) Apart from all the above reasons, forest fire, pollution, overgrazing, etc. are also responsible for the degradation of forests.
Question e.
Why does the deciduous type vegetation occupy most of India?
Answer:
- Vegetation in a region is affected by the climate and rainfall of the region.
- In dia lies in the tropical zone and it has a monsoon type climate throughout the year.
- Also, a major portion of India receives seasonal rainfall between 1000-2000 mm.
- Deciduous forests thrive well in this condition and these forests shed their leaves during the hot and dry summer so that water is not lost due to evaporation.
- Teak, bamboo, banyan, peepal, etc. are the trees found in deciduous forest of India.
5. Give geographical reasons:
Question a.
The northern part of Brazil is covered with dense forests.
Answer:
- The northern part of Brazil lies in the equatorial region.
- It receives ample sunlight and about 2000 mm of rainfall throughout the year.
- In this region, the growth of vegetation is very rapid.
- So, the northern part of Brazil is covered with dense and evergreen forests.
Question b.
Vegetation is scarce in the high altitude of the Himalayas.
Answer:
- As the altitude increases, the temperature decreases.
- The climate is very cold in the high altitudes. In Jammu and Kashmir and parts of Himalayas temperature drops to -40fiC.
- Also this region is snow-covered for most part of the year.
- Very few species of plants can survive in such extreme conditions. Only seasonally flowering trees are found at higher altitudes.
- Hence, vegetation is scarce in the high altitude of the Himalayas.
Question c.
A wide variety of insect species is found in Brazil.
Answer:
- Insects are mostly found in forests, grasslands and swampy lands.
- Many insects eat leaves, grass and nectar from the plant.
- The evergreen rainforests are seen in the northern parts of Brazil. The grasslands are found in the central parts and Paraguay-Parana river basin. Similarly, swampy lands are found in Pantanal region in Brazil. .
- Therefore, a wide variety of insect’s species is found in Brazil.
Question d.
Wild life in India is decreasing day by day.
Answer:
(i) Wildlife in India is decreasing day by day because of rapidly occurring deforestation, poaching, pollution.
(ii) Expansion of cities to accommodate the growing population is leading to cutting down of the valuable forest which leads to the loss of the habitat of wildlife.
(iii) Also the problem of pollution has become severe due to urbanisation. Various types of pollution have threatened the lives of many of the species.
(iv) Poaching of wildlife species have also led to the loss of wildlife in India.
(v) Agricultural practices like shifting cultivation has also reduced the forest cover leading to loss of wildlife habitat.
Question e.
Like India, there is a need for conservation of forests in Brazil too.
Answer:
(i) Like India, Brazil is facing the problem of degradation of environment due to deforestation, pollution, slash and burn agriculture, illegal smuggling of wild animals, etc.
(ii) Trees are being cut down to obtain wood, leading to large scale deforestation in both countries.
(iii) Also the problem of pollution has become severe due to urbanisation. Various types of pollution have threatened the lives of many of the species.
(iv) Agricultural practices like slash and burn agriculture (roca) has reduced the forest cover in Brazil.
(v) Like India, the problem of illegal smuggling of animals has affected Brazil too.
(vi) Hence there is a need for conservation of forests in both Brazil and India.
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