SUBJECT: GEOGRAPHY

TOPIC : NATURAL

VEGETATION AND WILD LIFE

Tropical Deciduous Forests

and

Thorny forests and scrubs

The tropical deciduous forest is found in tropical areas with a dry season that still has enough moisture for tree growth. Note the Asiatic lions in the photo.

Tropical Deciduous Forest

Western India

Introduction

Tropical deciduous forests are like

tropical rain forests, but have a

pronounced dry season which causes

the trees to lose their leaves. This type

of forest is found on the fringes of the

tropical rain forests. As the climate

gets drier, tropical deciduous forests

grade into savannah, and, eventually,

grasslands.

DistributionTropical deciduous forests grow in

seasonally dry areas of the tropics.

These forests occur mainly in India, the

Myanmar-Vietnam-southern coastal

China region, eastern Brazil, smaller

areas in South and Central America,

the West Indies, south-eastern Africa,

and northern Australia.

Dry

Wet

Climate

Well defined dry (winter) and wet

(summer) season

Rainfall of 70-200cm

Like in the tropical rainforest

climate, temperatures remain

high all year

Soil is richer in nutrients

than in tropical rainforest

because trees drop

down leaves and the

trees grow more

sparsely.

Moist deciduous forests are found in tropical

regions where both rainy and dry seasons

occur during the year. These forests are

different from tropical rain forests in that the

trees are not as tall and have rather thick

bark. In the first month of the dry season,

the leaves fall. New leaves sprout just

before the rainy season begins.

Dry tropical deciduous forests occur in regions that have long, severe dry seasons, such as the savannas (grasslands) of Africa. The tallest trees are shorter and more twisted than those in a temperate forest, and the bark is thicker. Some trees may store water in their trunks. During the dry season, the trees lose their leaves, and many produce flowers. Some, such as wattle trees in Australia, have adapted by producing thorns instead of many leaves.

The trees here are typically not as close

together as in the tropical rainforests,

so more light can reach the forest floor,

especially when the deciduous species

have dropped their leaves. The

availability of sunlight on the forest floor

results in dense undergrowth, which

makes walking extremely difficult.

Black palm

Baobab forest

Many animals live on trees

Life on forest floor is more diverse

Animals are adapted to dry season

Red-Knee Tarantula

Gilt-Edged Tanager

Hooded Visorbearer

Hummingbird Parrot

Lemur

Angonoka tortoise

Komodo dragon

Flying fox

Bengal Tiger

Ocelot

Monkey

Sloth bearCrested Gibbon

Gaur

Tapir

Dry tropical forests share many of the

problems of the rainforest, in terms of

pressures for agricultural development as a

consequence of human population

pressure. Recovery of these forests after

disturbance can take even longer than that

of rainforest.

Monsoon forests are now largely logged out

in SE Asia. Dry tropical forests also heavily

logged, nearly vanished in Indonesia.

Tropical Deciduous Forests

TROPICAL MOIST DECIDUOUS FORESTS

TROPICAL DRY DECIDUOUS FORESTS

Tropical Deciduous Forests

Moist deciduous

Receives rainfall between 200-100 cm.Exist mostly in eastern part of the country –Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Eastern Ghats.Main trees are Teak, Bamboo, Sal and Arjun.

Receives rainfall between 100-70 cm.

Found in rainier parts of the peninsular plateau and the plains of Bihar and U.P.

Main trees are Teak, Peepal, Sal and Neem.

Large parts cleared for cultivation and grazing.

COMMON PLANTS

Bamboo

Arjun

Neem

COMMON ANIMALS

CROCODILE

Thorny forests and scrubs

Rainfall below 70 cm.Natural vegetation - Thorny trees and bushes.Main areas are Rajasthan, Gujrat,Haryana and M.P.Acacias, Cacti, Euphorbias and palms are the main plants growing.Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimize evaporation

Thorny forests and scrubs

Ory

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