Mention any three features of thorn and scrub forests
Answers
Answer:
✴️The trees of the thorny bushes have long roots which penetrate deep into the soil in search of water.
✴️Leaves are thick and small to minimise evaporation.
Answer:
Thorny forests and scrubs are found in the
North-Western part of the country including semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
Characteristics of the thorn forests and scrubs are as follows
(i) Trees are scattered and have long roots penetrating deep into the soil in order to get moisture.
(ii) The stems are succulent to conserve water.
(iii) Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimise evaporation
Explanation:
What is Thorn Forest?
Thorn Forest is a type of desert formation which has scrub-like vegetation. They are mostly tropical and subtropical forests having trees and plants with armed thorns and spines.
Thorn forests experience very little rainfall and are prevalent in the arid regions.
The vegetation found here is often short and small with few tall trees set against the sparse ground where grass lacks.
What is the meaning of thorns?
Thorns are sharp and pointed woody projections that protrude from the stem of a plant. They are often stiff and mostly found on plants that are leafless.
Where are the Thorn Forests found?
In India, Thorn forests are found in arid regions which experiences less rainfall of less than 70 cm. The North-western part of India homes the Thorn forests.
They can be found in the semi-arid areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Thorn forests span over a substantial part of North America, Africa and Australia. In the North American region, these are found in the southwestern part.
The African continent experiences Thorn forests in southwestern Africa, South Africa and smaller regions of the African land.
Features of the Thorn Forest
Each form of vegetation has its special attributes which help in distinguishing them.
Thorn forests can be characterized through several features which are as follows:-
Thorn forests are prevalent in areas which experience an annual rainfall of less than 70 cm
The trees found here are short, stunted and scattered
The leaves of the trees and shrubs found have thick and small leaves which helps in minimizing evaporation
Vegetation in thorn forests have long roots to penetrate deep into the soil to search and fetch water
It experiences very long and hot summer season
The plants are leafless for the majority part of the year and are scattered
Humidity conditions are less than 5 per cent
The general length of the trees ranges between 6 to 10 meters, which is low as compared to other forms of vegetations or forests
Temperature and Climate conditions of the Thorn Forest
The thorn forests experience very less rainfall throughout the year and are found in deserted, arid or semi-arid regions.
The average temperature around the year is 25 to 30 degrees Celsius which can exceed 40 degrees Celsius in summer months.
The climatic conditions are warm and dry and the vegetation and animals have adapted and moulded their habitat according to the climatic conditions.
What plants and trees are found in Thorn Forest?
The plants and trees found across the Thorn forests are adapted to the semi-arid and arid nature of the land. The vegetation is adapted to the hot temperatures and harsh climatic conditions.
The prominent vegetation found across Thorn forests are as follows:-
Palms
Acacias
Cacti
Euphorbias
Babool
Keekar
Khair
Which animals are found in Thorn Forest?
The main animals found in Thorn forests are as follows:-
Wolf
Rats and Mice
Rabbits
Fox
Tigers and Lions
Horses
Camels
Spotted Dear
Tibetan Antelope
Wild Sheep
What are other names for Thorn Forest?
Thorn forests can be found in various arid regions across the world. They are known by different names in different regions.
The commonly prevalent name is the Thorn Forests which is the recognised one in India as well. In South America, the thorn forests are often referred to as Caatinga.
What is the current status of Thorn Forest in India?
The Punjab plains in Pakistan had an abundance of natural tropical thorn forests which formed the major vegetation cover of the area.
Prior to land reclamation followed by canal irrigation, the thorn forest was the major source of firewood supplies for a substantial part of the urban and rural population.
The widespread vegetation was home to rich flora and fauna and enriched the balance of the same.
According to the outcomes of several studies performed, a progressive deterioration has been tracked. The natural tropical thorn forest in Punjab and Rajasthan regions have significantly disappeared.
The remaining parts of the forests are subject to continuous decline attributing to the various factors.
Desertification, overgrazing, wind erosion, salinity, etc are leading to their dispersion.