RAS question
Which type of vegetation is found in the Thar Desert?
Correct answer: (A) Thorny Bushes and Scrub.
The Thar Desert has thorny bushes and scrub, a drought-resistant xerophytic vegetation type classified in Rajasthan as Northern Desert Thorn Forest and northwestern thorn scrub.
Explanation
Thorny bushes and scrub are the correct answer because the Thar is an arid desert where plants must survive low moisture and long dry spells. This is xerophytic vegetation: sparse, drought-resistant growth such as thorny bushes, cacti, babool, kikar and khejri. The Rajasthan State Biodiversity Board classifies Rajasthan's natural vegetation as Northern Desert Thorn Forest and records northwestern thorn scrub around the Thar Desert. These vegetation patches are open and scattered, and their density increases from west to east as rainfall rises. The Thar therefore supports sparse thorn scrub rather than a closed, high-rainfall forest.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Tropical deciduous vegetation is associated with 70-200 cm rainfall, whereas the Thar has sparse, drought-resistant thorn vegetation.
- (C) Alpine meadows occur at high altitudes, whereas the Thar is a desert with dry thorn vegetation.
- (D) Tropical evergreen vegetation typically requires over 200 cm rainfall, whereas the Thar has dry, drought-resistant thorn vegetation.
Concept
This tests natural vegetation and ecological adaptation in Indian geography, especially how rainfall and physiography shape plant types. It recurs in RAS because Rajasthan's arid west, the Thar, the Aravalli and the relation between rainfall and desert-thorn vegetation are core themes in the state's geography.