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BIOSPHERE AND FOREST

Q1. What is Biosphere?
The surface area of the Earth where living things can exist and where sufficient oxygen is available.
Q2. What is forest?
It is an area on the landed surface with high density of vegetation.
Q3. What is Biome?
It is the term for classification of forests based on soil and flora and fauna.
Q4. What is the scientific name for the classification of forests?
Physiognomy.
Q5. What is a Steppe?
A plain without trees.
Q6. What is a Prairie?
Plains with tall grasses.
Q7. What is Boreal?
The area in a climatic zone, where winters are snowy and summers are short.
Q8. What is Tundra?
A word derived from the finnish word Tunturi meaning treeless plains. Area where the growth of trees are hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. Eg: Treeless plains of Arctic.
Q9. What are 'afforestation' and 'deforestation'?
Planting of trees on barrenland or transferring an area into a forest is afforestation. Converting a forest region into barren lands is deforestation.
Q10. What are Campos?
The tropical grasslands or Savanna of Brazil, situated north of the equatorial forests of the Amazon basin.
Q11. What are Savannas?
A treeless plain or a grassland with scattered trees, especially in or near tropics.
Q12. What is Canopy?
Uppermost level of the forests which form the basis for various habitants is called so.
Q13. What are the six broad categories of forests?


UNESCO has actually classified the forests into 26 types and brought them into six broader categories viz:

1. Temperate Needle Leaf

2. Temperate Broad Leaf and Mixed.

3. Tropical Moist

4. Tropical Dry

5. Sparse Trees and Parkland.

6. Forest Plantations.

Q14. What is the topmost layer of a forest called?
Canopy - with tall mature trees.
Q15. What is the term for the second layer of a forest?
Sub canopy with smaller mature trees.
Q16. How the third layer of a forest known?
Shrub - low growing woody plants.
Q17. The fourth and last layer of a forest is called?
Ground Cover - small plants and grasses.
Q18. What does 'coniferous' in relation to forests mean?
Trees that grow tall and in conical shape like Pine, Fir etc.,
Q19. Where do the Temperate Broad Leaf and Mixed forests occur?
Occur in areas with warm and cool seasons i.e. warm and rainy climatic places.
Q20. What are the characteristics of temperate broad leaf and mixed forests?
They are dominated by broad leaf trees like Oak, Peach, Maples etc.,
Q21. What are Temperate Coniferous forests?
Forests that occur in places with warm summers and cool winters with adequate rain fall.
Q22. Temperate coniferous forests are found in which countries and places?


1. Pacific North West

2. South America

3. New Zealand

4. Australia

5. N.W.Europe

6. Southern Japan

7. Caspian Sea Region, Turkey

8. Georgia 

9. Northern Iran.

Q23. What are Temperate Rain Forests?
Both coniferous and Broad leaf forests that occur in the mid latitudes in areas with higher rain fall. They grow up to the shorelines.
Q24. Temperate rain forest are found in?
North and South America and New Zealand.
Q25. Where do the Tropical and Sub tropical Moist Broad Leaf forests occur?
Occur at places with low rain fall and humid temperatures.
Q26. What are the sub types in tropical and sub tropical Moist Broad Leaf forests?
1. Tropical Rain forests 2. Moist Deciduous forests 3. Montane Rain forests and 4. Flooded forests.
Q27. Where are the tropical and sub tropical Moist Broad Leaf forests are formed?

1. Indian Sub Continent

2. South East Africa

3. South and Central America

4. New Guinea

5. Eastern Indonesia

6. North and East Australia     and

7. Tropical islands of Pacific Ocean.

Q28. Which two countries of South America hold half of the world's tropical and sub tropical Moist Broad Leaf forests?
Brazil and Peru.
Q29. Where does the tropical and sub tropical dry broad leaf forests occur?
Also called Tropical Dry forests. Normally occur in tropical and sub tropicaldry latitudes. These forests experience warm year around and bounty rainfall, but still experience several months of dry seasons. Deciduous trees like Teak, Ebony etc. dominate these forests.
Q30. Where are the tropical and sub tropical dry forests found?
Coromandel coast of Bay of Bengal and Eastern Ghats of India and Sri Lanka.
Q31. What types of forests are found in India?
Tropical and sub tropical dry broad leaf forests, also called tropical dry forests.
Q32. What are Boreal forests and where are they found?
Evergreen and coniferous forests mostly found in very cold climatic regions. Eg: Alaska, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Kazakhstan, Northern Europe, Russia and in northern continental United States.
Q33. Why trees do not grow in the cold climatic regions?
Due to very low temperatures.
Q34. What are the causes of forest fire?
Lightning, Volcanic eruptions, Heat waves, Drought, and El Nino effects.
Q35. Which is the world's largest forest and also the densest?
Amazon, Brazil.
Q36. Which is the largest urban forest located in the heart of a city?

Tijuca forest in the heart of the city of Rio - de - Janeiro, covering about 32 SQKM. (it was the former capital of Brazil).