Forests and Biomes in India :

India has a diverse range of forests: from the rainforest

of Kerala in the south to the alpine pastures of Ladakh
in the north, from the deserts of Rajasthan in the west to
the evergreen forests in the north-east. Climate, soil
type, topography, and elevation are the main factors
that determine the type of forest.
Indian forests perform an important role to make a
healthy environment and it reduce air pollutions. Near
about 19.26% of total indian areas are covered with
forest. These forests can be classified in six major
groups namely, 1. moist tropical, 2. dry tropical, 3.
Montane sub tropical, 4. Montane temperate, 5. sub
alpine and 6. alpine forest.

Moist tropical Forest

Annual rainfall ranges between 200 and 250 cm,
Annual temperature lies between 24 and 27C
Humidity is 80%,
the evergreen forests degenerate into semi evergreen
forests; such forests are found along the Western Coast,
in Upper Assam, lower slopes of the eastern Himalaya,
Orissa
coast
and
neighboring
hills.
Important plant varieties include bamboos, epiphytes,
mundane, Benteak, rosewood, Kusum, Bomsum, Indian
chestnut, Champa and Mesua etc.

Dry tropical Forest

This types of forests mainly found in Indian Northern
Hilly regions and some states of Southern India.
Average annual rainfall ranges varies from 51 cm to
151. Trees of these forests drop its leaves in winter
(when the weather remains driest) and new leaves are
generated after winter. Some significant trees of Dry
Tropical Forest are Sal, Acacia, Mangoes and Bamboo.
Montane sub tropical Forest
These types of forests mainly generated in the state of
Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur,
Arunachal Pradesh, etc. Some significant trees of
Montane sub tropical Forest are Poonspar, cinnamon,
rhododendron, pomegranate, olive, oleander, etc

Montane temperate Forest

These types of forests are mainly
generated in Northern middle Himalayas
ranges (1801 to 3001 Meters) and
Southern Niligiri higher Mountain ranges.
Average annual rainfalls 201 cm to
produce these types of forests. Some
significant trees of Montane temperate
Forest are Rhododendrons, Ferns, Oak,
Maple, Juniper, Deodar, Chilgoza, etc.

Sub Alpine Forest

Found between 2901 and 3501 meters, near the snow
line all over the Himalayas and the dry cold deserts.
Average temperatures in summers range from 20C to
22C. Winter temperatures are usually below the
freezing point accompanied by lots of snow. Major
common trees are Juniper, Rhododendron, Willow and
Black Currant. In the eastern parts, Red Fir, Black
Juniper, Birch and Larch are the common trees.
Alpine Forest
These grasslands start at an elevation of above 3000m grow up
to
the
region
just
below
the
snowline.
Climatic conditions vary from the sub-arctic to arctic, with snow
covering the ground for over 5 months a year. The vegetation
consists mainly of the black juniper, the drooping juniper;
honeysuckle and willow are the common trees.

Biomes of World
Biomes are defined as "the world's major communities,
classified according to the predominant vegetation and
characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular
environment" (Campbell).
Biomes are the major regional groupings of plants and animals
discernible at a global scale. Their distribution patterns are
strongly correlated with regional climate patterns and identified
according to the climax vegetation type. However, a biome is
composed not only of the climax vegetation, but also of
associated successional communities, persistent subclimax
communities, fauna, and soils.
The
Seven
Biomes
of
the
Desert, Tundra, Taiga, Savanna, Grassland,
Deciduous Forest, Tropical Rainforest

World:
Temperate

To understand the nature of the earths major biomes, one needs

to learn for each:
The global distribution pattern: Where each biome is found
and how each varies geographically.
The general characteristics of the regional climate and the
limitations or requirements imposed upon life by specific
temperature.
Aspects of the physical environment that may exert a stronger
influence than climate in determining common plant growth forms
and/or sub climax vegetation.
The soil order(s) that characterize the biome and those
processes involved in soil development.
The dominant, characteristic, and unique growth forms;
vertical stratification; leaf shape, size, and habit; and special
adaptations of the vegetation.
The types of animals (especially vertebrates) characteristic of
the biome and their typical morphological, physiological,
and/or behavioral adaptations to the environment.