Question

Sundari trees are found in ______ forests.
A.Deserts
B.Equatorial
C.Mountain
D.Mangrove

Answer 1

Hint:The Sundarbans is a group of low-lying islands in the Bay of Bengal region which is distributed across both India and Bangladesh. This active delta region is one of the largest land masses in the world, measuring about 40000 sq. km.it also houses more than 100 exotic and endangered species including The Bengal Tiger.

Complete answer:
The Sundari trees are the dominant varieties of mangrove trees present in the Indian subcontinent. They are found abundantly in the Sundarbans delta situated near West Bengal Scientific name of this species is Heritiera fomes, categorised in the family Malvaceae. The Sundari tree is found in the shrub form with trees ranging from 60 feet in height and six feet girth.

Sundarbans delta is the biggest of its kind in the Indian subcontinent. They are situated near the banks of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers situated within the region near the Bay of Bengal. This area is also known as the Tidal Forest. The tree is abundantly used for timber by the locals. Sundari tree is a hard wood tree and the colour is red. This is suitable for making wooden boats and furniture and the wood also yields good quality charcoal. Underground tissue of Mangrove plants absorbs an enormous amount of oxygen and stores it. Hence, the roots are known as breathing roots or pneumatophores. In some species, these roots are shaped like pencil and in other species, they look like a knee. These roots consist of multiple pores through which oxygen enters into the underground tissues. In some plants, roots function as breathing roots and also provide mechanical support to the tree.

The trees are faced with many diseases including ‘top- dying disease’. The symptoms include branches becoming colourless and a reduced amount of new leaf formation. About 20% of the trees in the Sundarbans are apparently affected by this disease. Considering the financial benefits, this is a huge loss. On the other hand, exploitation of these trees is causing a rapid extinction rate. This is much more serious than the previous one.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note:
Mangrove reforestation is also underway in some regions. Red mangroves, used in particular in marine aquariums in sumps to reduce nitrates and other nutrients in the water, are the most common cultivation option. In May 2019 , ORNL DAAC News announced that NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) had created a new dataset to characterise the "distribution, biomass, and canopy height of mangrove-forested wetlands" using new satellite-based maps of global mangrove forests across 116 countries.