Question

Write in detail about the natural vegetation and animals of Peninsular (Deccan plateau).

Answer 1

Hint: The Deccan Plateau, also known as the Great Peninsular Plateau, is the largest plateau in India. The mainland of South India is situated on this plateau. This plateau is triangular. It is spread across 8 states of India.

Complete Answer:
Natural vegetation is called trees, grasses and shrubs that grow on their own under different physical conditions. Natural vegetation depends on the ground, climate, soil type etc. of a place, climate is most important in this. The surface and climate of India are different at different places, hence different types of natural vegetation are found in different regions of the country. Forests are the most important of India's natural vegetation.

Different types of forests are found in different parts of India, whose classification is as follows: -
1. Tropical Rain Forests - These forests occur in parts of India where rainfall exceeds 200 cm. These forests are very dense and green throughout the year. Some of the trees in it are even more than 60 meters tall and are stunning from the top. These are mostly found in the states of Maharashtra, Kerala and Assam.

2. Monsoon Deciduous Forests - These forests are found in areas where rainfall is up to 50-200 cm. The trees here are about 15 meters tall and they drop their leaves in summer. Sal tegan ebony mango turmeric is the main among these trees. These forests are found in Central India, Deccan Plateau, and sub-Himalayan regions.

3. Tropical Dry Forests - They are found in areas where rainfall is up to 50-100 cm. Their length is up to 6-9 meters and they drop their leaves in summer. This includes the Sheesham Acacia Chandan series etc. These are found more in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.

4. Desert vegetation - They occur in parts of India where rainfall is less than 50 cm. Thorn trees and thorn bushes grow in this vegetation. Their roots are very long so that they can get deep humidity. Their bark is thick and hard. These are mostly found in Rajasthan, Gujarat and South Punjab.

5. Deltai Forests - These forests are found in the delta regions of most rivers, hence they are called deltai forests. The Sundarbans are called Sundarbans due to the large number of beautiful trees in the Ganges. These forests are found in the delta regions of rivers like Mahanadi Godavari, Krishna Kaveri etc.

6. Mountain Forests - Special types of forests are found in mountainous regions. It changes according to height. There are oak pine trees from 1000 to 2000 m, cedar trees from 2000-2500 and small shrubs up to 2500-3000. Above this, up to 5000 meters vegetation like moss is found.

Animals in Deccan plateau: Although not exceptional in terms of endemism and diversity, this ecoregion harbors several of India's large, threatened vertebrates such as the tiger (Panthera tigris), wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee), wild dog (Cuon alpinus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), gaur (Bos gaurus), blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), and chinkara (Gazella bennettii) (IUCN 2000). Significantly, the large habitat blocks provide an opportunity to conserve these wide-ranging species whose populations are fast declining throughout most of their ranges because of habitat loss and hunting.

The known mammal fauna in the ecoregion includes eighty-two species, but none are endemic to the ecoregion. In addition to the larger, threatened mammal species mentioned earlier, the ecoregion also harbors the threatened Malabar squirrel.

Note: The Deccan plateau is a geographically distinct region that lies to the south of the Gangetic plains - which lies between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and includes a substantial area to the north of the Satpura Range, popularly considered divided. Goes to Northern India and Deccan. The plateau is bounded by ghats to the east and west, while its northern end is the Vindhya Range. The Deccan has an average elevation of about 2,000 feet (600 m), which is generally tilted eastward; Its major rivers, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery, flow east from the Western Ghats into the Bay of Bengal.