Vegetation is the term used to refer to the vegetation cover of a geographic space. The native vegetation in a region is directly influenced by its climate.
In addition to climatic aspects, other factors participate in the development of vegetation. Examples are relief, hydrography, soil, atmospheric pressure, altitude, latitude and movement of air masses.
Vegetation is important, for example, to regulate biogeochemical cycles, such as the water and carbon cycle, soil maintenance, climate balance, habitat and energy source for other beings.
It is noteworthy that vegetation is not synonymous with flora. Vegetation represents the general characteristics of plant life, whereas flora is the grouping of all botanical species developed in one place.
Types of Vegetation in Brazil
The vegetation of Brazil can be basically divided into:
Forest or arboreal vegetationAttractions: dense vegetation formed by trees, such as the Amazon Forest, Atlantic Forest, Mata das Araucárias and Mata dos Cocais.
Herbaceous and shrub vegetation
: vegetation formed by low-lying plants, namely, herbs and shrubs, such as Cerrado, Caatinga and Pampas.complex vegetation: heterogeneous plant formations, such as the Pantanal and coastal vegetation.
Caatinga
THE Caatinga it develops in places that have a semi-arid tropical climate and gathers predominantly shrubby vegetation, with the presence of cacti and xerophilic plants, adapted to dry climates.
This type of vegetation is found in the northeast region, and to a lesser extent, in southeastern Brazil. It is also found in other countries in America, Europe, Asia and Africa, which is called the “steppe”.
thick
O thick it is compared to savannas in that it gathers low, sparse trees with twisted trunks, as well as grasses and shrubs.
This type of vegetation is found in the north, northeast, southeast and mid-west of the country, developed in the seasonal tropical climate.
Mangrove
O Mangrove it is the typical vegetation of marshy and muddy regions, called “transition vegetation”, which arises between the terrestrial and marine environment.
It presents a soil rich in nutrients, brackish water (resulting from the union of rivers and seas) and gathers halophilic plants, tolerant to salinity, with medium and large trees, which may have aerial roots, due to the lack of oxygen in the mangroves.
It is found off the coast of Brazil in tropical and subtropical zones. It is also possible to find mangroves in other parts of the American continent, in Africa, Asia and Oceania.
pampa
You Pampas they are similar to prairies, since they have a type of undergrowth such as grasses, although they have small shrubs and trees, which do not appear in the prairies.
They appear in subtropical climate zones, vegetation found in the south of the country, being also found in neighboring countries: Argentina and Uruguay.
wetland
O wetland is considered the largest floodplain in the world. The vegetation present in the wetland, called "transition vegetation" (between cerrado and fields) is very diversified, and if develops, for the most part, in the driest periods (drought), and most of the year the place remains flooded.
It is located in the center-west of the country (in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul) in regions with a tropical climate. In addition to Brazil, this biome covers the neighboring countries of Paraguay and Bolivia, which is called “Chaco”.
Atlantic forest
THE Atlantic forest also called Tropical Forest or Atlantic Forest, it gathers great vegetal diversity, with the presence of medium and large trees, which form dense forests.
With a predominance of humid tropical climate (hot and humid), it can also have microclimates (altitude tropical and humid subtropical), as it is formed by plateaus and mountains.
This type of vegetation is present in a large part of the Brazilian coast. This type of vegetation can also be found in other countries in South America, Central America, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Araucaria Forest
THE Araucaria Forest also called “Mata dos Pinhais” develops in places with subtropical climate (cold winters and hot summers) with the presence of large trees, of which the "parana pine" or "araucaria". Together they form a dense, closed forest.
This type of vegetation is found mainly in the south of the country. Although it is predominantly found in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, this plant formation is also found in Serra do Mar and Mantiqueira, in the state of São Paulo.
Cocais Forest
THE Cocais Forest it is considered a “transition forest”, since it appears between the Amazon, Caatinga and Cerrado biomes. For this reason, this vegetation appears in two types of climate: the humid equatorial and the semiarid.
It usually has high temperatures, consisting of dry winters and rainy summers. They have large trees that form a forest, among which carnauba, buriti, açaí and babaçu stand out.
This vegetation is located in the northeast of the country (Planalto do Maranhão-Piauí).
Amazon rainforest
THE Amazon forest It is very diverse, classified in: Várzea Forest, Igapó Forest, Igarapé Forest, Terra Firme Forest and Andean Mountain Forest.
This vegetation develops in regions with an equatorial climate (hot and humid) and presents a dense and closed forest, formed by large, medium and small trees.
With a total area of 4,196,943 km², the Amazon is located in the northern region of Brazil, in addition to encompassing other countries in South America: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru and Suriname.
Learn more about Vegetation of Brazil.
Types of Vegetation in the World
The various vegetable coverings can be classified into:
- Tundra
- taiga
- Steppe
- savanna
- Desert
- Prairie
- Tropical florests
- temperate forests
- altitude vegetation
- mediterranean vegetation
Tundra
Features: undergrowth and sparse vegetation such as herbs, grasses and mosses. Strong winds in the regions where they are located prevent larger plants from developing. Like taiga, it develops in very cold and inhospitable places.
Location: found in the coldest places on the planet, in the Arctic Circle region, in countries like Russia, Greenland and Finland.
Learn more about Tundra.
taiga
Features: also called Coniferous Forest or Boreal Forest, taiga develops in very cold places on the planet. Unlike tundra, which has low vegetation resulting from excessive ice and very strong winds, taiga gathers some trees (especially conifers).
Location: subpolar climate environments in northern regions of North America, Europe and Asia.
Learn more about taiga.
Steppe
Features: occur in regions with arid, temperate and subtropical climate, being indicated as an extensive "carpet plant”, since they have, predominantly, low-lying herbaceous vegetation (grasses, herbs, etc.).
Location: steppes are found in Europe, America, Central Asia and Africa, in transitional places between savannas and deserts. In Brazil, this type of vegetation can be observed in the Caatinga biome, typical of the Brazilian semiarid region.
Learn more about steppes.
savanna
Features: gathers a predominantly low-lying vegetative cover (grasses, herbs, shrubs), although there are also some sparse trees. This type of vegetation is common in regions with a tropical climate and flat topography.
Location: savannas are found on the African, American and Oceania continents. Examples of this type of vegetation are the African savannah and the Brazilian cerrado.
Learn more about savannas.
Desert
Features: vegetation, such as grasses and shrubs, adapted to large temperature ranges, high evaporation and low air humidity. It is common to find xerophytic plants in the region.
Location: Hot deserts, such as the Sahara Desert, can be found in Asia, Africa, North America and Oceania. Cold deserts, such as the Gobi Desert, exist in North America and Asia.
Learn more about deserts.
Prairie
Features: undergrowth with absence of shrubs and trees. Grasslands, inserted in wetter climates (temperate and tropical), are different from steppes, which develop in drier climates.
Location: vegetation found in Europe, Asia, South America and North America, being in Brazil related to the Pampas.
Learn more about prairies.
Tropical florests
Features: dense vegetation with a variety of plant species, ranging from large trees to epiphytes and lichens, developed in regions with a hot climate and high rainfall.
Location: Tropical rainforests can be found in the Americas (South and Central), Africa, Asia and Oceania. One example is the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world.
Learn more about tropical florests.
temperate forests
Features: vegetation, formed by trees, shrubs, herbaceous and creeping, also called temperate deciduous forest or deciduous forest. The main characteristic is the loss of leaves during autumn and their appearance in spring due to seasonal variation.
Location: Easily found in Europe, Asia and North America, where the seasons are well defined.
know more about temperate forests.
altitude vegetation
Features: also called mountain vegetation, it gathers undergrowth vegetation, such as mosses, lichens and grasses, adapted to low temperatures in areas above 1200 meters.
Location: can be found in South American countries, such as Peru, Bolivia and Chile, and on the European continent, mainly in Germany.
mediterranean vegetation
Features: it is very diverse, with arboreal, shrub and herbaceous vegetation. They appear in temperate zones of the planet that have a Mediterranean climate, that is, hot, dry summers and cold, humid winters.
Location: present in several places on the planet (Africa, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania).
Learn more about mediterranean vegetation.
Vegetation exploration
Human actions are causing strong impacts on the planet's vegetation, from the extinction of animal and plant species, the increase in the greenhouse effect and global warming.
These factors, determined by actions devoid of environmental awareness, have been one of the most important topics today. The planet's vegetation cover has shown significant changes in recent decades and many of them may suffer from the extinction process.
Note that vegetation is essential to balance the ecosystem and therefore, if affected, could result in irreversible changes to planet earth.
Also read about:
- Types of weather
- Biomes of the world
