Monsoon forests: description, climate, fauna and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Monsoon forests are huge green areas with lush vegetation and rich wildlife. During the rainy season, they resemble equatorial evergreen forests. Found in subequatorial and tropical climates. They attract tourists and photographers with a variety of picturesque landscapes.

Description

Moist monsoon forests are most common in the tropics. Most often they are located at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level. They are also called deciduous due to the fact that the trees lose their foliage during the drought period. Heavy rains return them to their former juiciness and color. The trees here reach a height of twenty meters, the leaves on the crowns are small. Evergreen species, many lianas and epiphytes are common in the undergrowth. Orchids grow in the monsoon zone. They are found in the Brazilian coastal mountain ranges, the Himalayas, Malaysia, Mexico, Indochina.

Features

Monsoon forests in the Far East are famous for their variety of plants and animals. Warm and humid summers, an abundance of plant foods create favorable conditions for livinginsects, birds, mammals. Coniferous and broad-leaved trees are found here. Among the inhabitants of the forests, sable, squirrel, chipmunk, hazel grouse, as well as animals rare for the climatic zone of Russia were noticed. Characteristic inhabitants of the monsoon forests are the Ussuri tiger, black bear, Far Eastern cat, spotted deer, wolf, raccoon dog. There are many wild boars, hares, moles, pheasants on the territory. Reservoirs of subequatorial climate are rich in fish. Some species are protected.

Rare orchids grow in the humid forests of Brazil, Mexico, Indochina. About sixty percent are sympodial species, well known among flower growers. The red-yellow soils of the monsoon territories are favorable for ficuses, palms, valuable tree species. The most famous include teak, satin, sal, iron. For example, a banyan tree is able to form a dark grove from its trunks. A huge banyan tree grows in the Indian Botanical Garden, which has almost two thousand (!) Trunks. The crown of the tree covers an area of twelve thousand square meters. Variably humid forests become habitat for bamboo bears (pandas), Japanese macaques, salamanders, tigers, leopards, poisonous insects and snakes.

Climate

What is the prevailing climate in the monsoon forests? Winter here is mostly dry, summer is not hot, but warm. The dry season lasts three to four months. The average air temperature is lower than in the humid tropics: the absolute minimum is -25 degrees, the maximum is 35 with a "+" signThe temperature difference is from eight to twelve degrees. A characteristic feature of the climate is prolonged heavy rains in summer and their absence in winter. The difference between the two opposite seasons is huge.

Monsoon forests are known for their morning mist and low clouds. That is why the air is so saturated with moisture. Already by noon, the bright sun completely evaporates moisture from the vegetation. In the afternoon, foggy haze forms again in the forests. High humidity and cloudiness persist for a long period of time. In winter, precipitation also falls, but rarely.

Geography

In the subequatorial zone, due to the large amount of precipitation and their uneven distribution, high temperature contrast, monsoon forests develop. On the territory of Russia, they grow in the Far East, have a complex terrain, rich flora and fauna. There are humid forests in Indochina, Hindustan, the Philippine Islands, Asia, North and South America, and Africa. Despite the long rainy seasons and prolonged drought, the fauna in the monsoon forest zones is poorer than in the humid equatorial ones.

The monsoon phenomenon is most pronounced on the Indian continent, where a period of drought is replaced by heavy downpours that can last up to seven months. Such a change in weather is typical for Indochina, Burma, Indonesia, Africa, Madagascar, northern and eastern Australia, and Oceania. For example, in Indo-China and the Hindustan Peninsula, the dry period in the forests lasts seven months.(from April to October). Trees with large crowns and an irregularly shaped vault grow in vast monsoon territories. Sometimes forests grow in tiers, which is especially noticeable from a height.

Soil

Monsoon wet soils are characterized by a red tint, granular structure, low humus content. The soil is rich in useful trace elements such as iron and silicon. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium in moist soil is very small. On the territory of Southeast Asia, zheltozems and red soils predominate. Central Africa and South Asia are characterized by dry black soil. Interestingly, with the cessation of rain, the concentration of humus in monsoon forests increases. The reserve is one of the forms of wildlife protection on the territory rich in valuable plants and animals. It is in humid forests that many species of orchids are found.

Plants and Animals

Monsoon forests in the subequatorial climate of Hindustan, China, Indochina, Australia, America, Africa, the Far East (Russia) are characterized by a variety of fauna. For example, teak trees, as well as Indochinese laurel and ebony are common in Southeast Asia in variable humid zones. There are also bamboo, creepers, butea, cereals. Many trees in the forests are highly valued for their he althy and durable wood. For example, teak bark is dense and resistant to destruction by termites and fungi. Sal forests grow at the southern foot of the Himalayas. In the monsoon regions of Central America there are many thorny bushes. growsin humid climates and valuable Jat.

In the subequatorial climate, fast-growing trees are common. Palms, acacias, baobabs, euphorbias, cecrops, entandropragma, ferns predominate, there are many other types of plants and flowers. The humid climate zone is characterized by a wide variety of birds and insects. In the forests there are woodpeckers, parrots, toucans, termites, ants, butterflies. Among terrestrial animals, marsupials, elephants, various representatives of the cat family, freshwater, amphibians, frogs, snakes are found in monsoon woodlands. This world is truly bright and rich.