RAS question
Alpine vegetation in India is found at elevations above:
Correct answer: (B) 3600 metres.
In India, alpine vegetation in the Himalayas is found above about 3600 metres.
Explanation
Alpine vegetation belongs to the highest Himalayan vegetation belt. It occurs above 3600 metres and includes alpine meadows, locally called bugyals, along with mosses, lichens and stunted shrubs; above 5000 metres, permanent snow takes over. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India describes subalpine and alpine vegetation in the 3500-5000 metre zone, with tree species generally absent and lower parts marked by shrubby plants. The alpine zone above 4000 metres remains snow-covered for much of the year and has scarce vegetation. That is why 3600 metres is the best answer among the options: it marks the transition into the alpine Himalayan belt rather than a lower tropical, subtropical or temperate forest zone.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 500 metres is far too low because this height falls in the tropical belt, not in the Himalayan alpine belt.
- (C) 2000 metres does not fit because that level corresponds to temperate forests rather than alpine vegetation.
- (D) 1000 metres is below the alpine zone because it falls in the subtropical forest belt.
Concept
This tests altitude-based vegetation zonation in Indian geography. RAS repeats this idea because Himalayan relief links height with climate, forest type and ecological distribution.