TROPICAL GRASSLAND

(SAVANNA)

LOCATION

Covers large area of Africa and South America (located near the
equator)

What is savanna?
Grassland with scattered individual tree
Covers almost half surface of Africa
And large area of Australia, south America ,
and India.

TYPE OF SAVANNA
Savannas which result from climatic conditions are called
climatic savannas.
Savannas that are caused by soil conditions and that are
not entirely maintained by fire are called edaphic
savannas.
(hills or ridges where the soil is shallow, or in valleys
where clay soils become waterlogged in wet weather)
third type of savanna, known as derived savanna, is the
result of people clearing forest land for cultivation.

CLIMATE
Tropical wet and dry climate.
Hot all-year round
Temperature around 64 Fahrenheit (17.7 c)(usually
never drop)
Also have heavy rain season
Annual rainfall=20-50 inches per year (on 6th or 8th
month of the year)
Followed by long period of drought where fire can occur

CLIMATE GRAPH

Precipitation is the lowest in October, with an average of 36

mm. Most precipitation falls in March, with an average of 239
mm.

TEMPERATURE GRAPH

At an average temperature of 26.5 C, February is the hottest month

of the year. In August, the average temperature is 20.7 C. It is the
lowest average temperature of the whole year.

PLANTS

Dominated by grasses.
May have some drought-resistant, fire-resistant or
browse-resistant trees. EG: acacia
An open shrub layer. (the undergrowth of a forest
consisting usually of plants from 3 to about 15 feet in
height and including both shrubby vegetation and
seedling trees)

ANIMAL
The animal population is not in the same area.
Grazing animals(grass): buffaloes, zebras
Browsing animal(leaves and higher part of trees):
giraffe, kangaroo
The world's greatest diversity of ungulates (hoofed
mammals) is found on the savannas of Africa.

 Other animals: gophers, ground squirrels,

snakes, worms, termites, beetles, lions, leopards,
hyenas, and elephants.
Termites are especially abundant in the tropical
grasslands of the world.

SOIL
porous, with rapid drainage of water.
It has only a thin layer of humus (the organic portion of
the soil created by partial decomposition of plant or
animal matter), which provides vegetation with
nutrients.

THREATS
Poaching, overgrazing and clearing of the land for crops
are the main threats.
About 16 percent of tropical grasslands have been
converted for agriculture or urban development.
Desertification is also a significant threat.

REFERENCES
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/grasslan
ds.php
http://www.defenders.org/grasslands/tropical-grasslands