Vegetation

Vegetation

Lush green plants, blossomed in colours and rich in fruits – You can feel the greenery right in front of your eyes, right? That is Vegetation.

The general term used for the plant species or plant life in a specific region is called the vegetation. The term or definition may seem simple, but it means a lot. The vegetation is the backbone of the biospheric functions on all possible spatial scales. 
The biological and chemical cycles such as water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle and more relies upon the vegetation at the given area and it plays an important role in the global scale energy balances. These cycles are also vital in describing the climate.
The productivity of land is characterized by the chemistry and structure of the soil which is influenced by the vegetation in that area.
The forest, which is actually a large-scale vegetation, includes wider variety of flora is home to innumerable species of animals and birds, and also those who ultimately feed on these creatures.
Vegetation is also critically important to the economy, especially in the use of fossil fuels as an energy source and also in the global production of food, wood, fuel and other forestry materials including medicinal plants and resins.
The aerobic metabolism or respiration happens, as an inevitable lung, thanks to oxygen. The primary source of this vital element is the global vegetation which actually includes the algal communities. 
All animals directly or indirectly depends on vegetation for food, shelter and medicine.
The vegetation is classified into separate regions in the world and are called biomes.
They include
1.	Tundra – This type of vegetation comprises of dwarf shrubs, grasses and lichens. This is due to the low temperature and short growing seasons. It is three types – the arctic, alpine and Antarctic.
2.	Taiga – This type of vegetation is comprised of coniferous forests including spines and larches. It is the world’s largest biome.
3.	Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest – It is a type of mixed coniferous forest region with typical four layer canopy arrangement.
4.	Temperate grasslands – Commonly called as savanna is a terrestrial biome with mostly grasses and shrubs. 
5.	Subtropical moist forest – These are a type of evergreen forest commonly having long glossy leaves known as lauroid.

The others are, the Mediterranean, monsoon forests, desert vegetation, xeric shrubland, dry steppe, semi-desert, grass savanna, tropical dry forest, sub-tropical dry forest, tropical rainforest and montane forest.

The geographical beauty of the planet earth is strictly due to the vast and vivid vegetation pattern. Even the kitchen backyard garden is an example of vegetation, but in a very small scale.
In the learning curriculum in India, The topic vegetation covers the major portion of geography from class 6th onwards, imparting knowledge about the lush green biotic environment which supports life on this planet.
 Learning more and more about vegetation and conserving forests is quintessential, and is left for another blog.