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Natural Vegetation

Question
CBSEENGE11011331

“Each vegetation has its characteristic life-cycle which represents its delicate balance with its environment”. Elaborate this statement giving concrete examples.

Solution
 India has a cover of vegetation which consists of variety of plants. These plants occur in marked groups of communities under the specific and particular natural environmental conditions. Plants are highly sensitive to change in environmental conditions such as those relating to soils, climate and drainage. Changes in the natural environment conditions may make some plants extinct. Others adapt themselves to the new environment. Thus the plant communities in an area show changes with passage of time. Each vegetation type requires a specific environmental condition for its growth. They follow a life-cycle as other living organisms do. Every plant has a specific life span. It keeps on growing as per environmental conditions. It draws food and water from soils and survives unit a certain period of time. It goes through various stages of life like human growth patterns such as young, mature and old stages.

The time and period of life varies from plant to plant. It may be a few weeks to thousands of years. Some plants renew themselves very slowly, whereas some very fast. The growth of plants shows very close relationship with the natural environment. Supply of water, temperature, the duration of sunlight, soil, slope and drainage features are the major factors affecting the growth of various types of vegetation. These controls characterise a life cycle which represents its delicate balance with its environment. Therefore in studying vegetation type, we concern ourselves with dominent species, appearance, adaptation, their mutual association and stages of growth to reach a climate, that is their optimum development as a community beyond which they do not develop, but remain stable.