Consider the following statements : 1. Areas where rainfall exceeds 250 cm 2. Annual temperature 25°C - 27°C 3. Average humidity exceeds 75% 4. Trees do not shed the leaves To which one of the following types of vegetation does the above represent ?
- A.Tropical wet evergreen
- B.Tropical semi evergreen
- C.Tropical moist deciduous
- D.Tropical dry evergreen
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Tropical wet evergreen. Very heavy rainfall, high and steady temperature, humidity above 75 per cent and trees that stay green all year are the marks of tropical wet evergreen forests.
In India these forests grow on the western slopes of the Western Ghats, in the hills of the North-East and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where rainfall is very high and there is no long dry season. Trees grow tall, often 60 metres or more, and form a dense, layered canopy. Because different trees shed their leaves at different times, the forest as a whole never looks bare. Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona are typical trees.
B is wrong because semi-evergreen forests lie in slightly drier belts next to the wet evergreen forests and mix evergreen and deciduous trees. C is wrong because moist deciduous forests get about 100 to 200 cm of rain and shed their leaves in the dry season. D is wrong because dry evergreen forests are found on the Tamil Nadu coast, which gets much less rain.
Exam tip: over 200 cm rain = evergreen; 100-200 cm = moist deciduous; 70-100 cm = dry deciduous; below 70 cm = thorn forests.
Practice Questions
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