The plant is the set of all plant species living in an ecosystem. The characteristics of the plants in a region will depend on the environment where they develop , be it a dry soil, a moist soil or the bed of a body of water. The flora of a temperate forest is different from that of the savannah, for example, and will have very varied interactions with the biotic ( fauna : animals) and abiotic (wind, water, soil) factors of its ecosystem.
An important distinction must be made between the words “flora” and “vegetation”, which cannot be used synonymously. Flora refers to the variety of species found in a region, and vegetation is the density in which plants are grouped there, that is, the number of these plants per square meter of surface. Both flora and vegetation will depend on the climatic conditions and the geographic location of the region.
That is why it is said that an area has abundant vegetation , because it is all covered by plants, but a very reduced flora , because all these plants are of the same species, without varying. Now, when certain species are exclusive to a region and there are no them anywhere else on the planet, it is said that this flora is endemic there.
It is worth highlighting a couple of examples: the desert flora is made up of cacti , succulents and more species of plants. The temperatures are extremely hot in the day and there is very little water that they could drink to nourish themselves. For this reason, they are characterized by storing sufficient amounts of water within them and being supplied little by little. They are compact and full of thorns, and they resist very well night temperature changes, which can drop close to 0 ° C.
On the other hand, the flora of the jungle is very different. The climate is hot and humid, and temperatures are high most of the year. Its trees are tall and full of foliage that filters out such intense sunlight. There are rivers that flow through these huge populations and wet a very abundant grass. There are species with very showy colored flowers and large green leaves . There are also fruit trees that feed the local fauna.
10 examples of Flora
- The flora of the Amazon comprises 20% of the world’s species. Among them are: the Amazonian Victoriaand trees such as itahuba, caricari, tajibos, cedar, barcina route, mandrilo.
- The desert flora includes cacti, succulents, and xerophytes, which are adapted to extreme conditions.
- The flora of the Mexican desert contains cacti, thorn bushes, agaves, grasses.
- The flora of the tropical forests is made up of evergreen plant species, that is, they last forever. Among them are also lianas and epiphytic plants.
- The flora of the taiga consists mainly of conifers, such as firs, larches, spruces and pines. On the ground there are many lichens.
- The flora of the tundra is made up of dwarf shrubs, jaws, lichens, mosses, perennial grasses, willows, and birch trees.
- The flora of the savanna is made up of grasses, grasses and grasses.
- The prairie flora contains grasses, reed beds, and grasses or turf.
- The flora of the Bank of the Nile River is made up of bamboos, banana trees, ebony.
- The flora of the Riviera Maya includes palm, mahogany, cedar, red mangrove, black mangrove, white mangrove and countless other plants.
