Give two reasons why vegetation differs …

Factors that affect natural vegetation of a place are:

Land: Land affects the growth of natural vegetation as different kinds of vegetation grow on mountains, plateaus, plains and in deserts. For example, a variety of grasslands and woodlands develop on mountains and uneven terrains.

Soil: Soil determines the growth of different types of vegetation. While mangrove forests grow on wet and marshy deltaic soils, cactus and thorny bushes grow on sandy soils.

Temperature: Temperature affects the growth of natural vegetation. Temperature affects humidity, precipitation and the type of soil. We find the growth of conical-shaped trees at higher altitudes. At much higher altitudes, the vegetation becomes scarce because of extremely cold conditions.

Photoperiod: Photoperiod refers to the period of sunlight which an object or a tree receives. Sunlight varies at different places at different latitudes, different altitudes and in different seasons. Trees grow faster in summer because of the longer duration of sunlight.

Precipitation: Precipitation affects the growth of natural vegetation. Areas receiving high rainfall, such as the equatorial regions, experience rich growth of vegetation. Vegetation cover is sparse in regions such as hot and cold deserts which receive less than 25 cm of rainfall.