Natural Vegetation And Wild Life

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1. India is one of the twelve mega biodiversity countries of the world.
2. With about 47,000 plant species India occupies tenth place in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity.
3. There are about 15,000 flowering plants in India which account for 6 percent in the world’s total number of flowering plants.
4. The country has many non-flowering plants such as ferns, algae and fungi. India also has approximately 90,000 species of animals as well as a rich variety of fish in its fresh and marine waters.
5. Natural vegetation refers to a plant community which has grown naturally without human aid and has been left undisturbed by humans for a long time. This is termed as a virgin vegetation.
6. The term flora is used to denote plants of a particular region or period.
7. The term fauna is used to denote species of animals.

This huge diversity in flora and fauna kingdom is due to the following factors.

1. Land
2. Soil
3. Temperature

1. Land affects the natural vegetation directly and indirectly.
2. The nature of land influences the type of vegetation.
3. The fertile level is generally devoted to agriculture.
4. The undulating and rough terrains are areas where grassland and woodlands develop and give shelter to a
   variety of wild life.

1. The soils also vary over space. Different types of soils provide the basis for different types of vegetation.
2. The sandy soils of the desert support cactus and thorny bushes while wet, marshy, deltaic soils support mangroves and deltaic vegetation.
3. The hill slopes with some the depth of soil have conical trees.