Donna Mariel Calimpong

Milcah Ethiel Corona

Jean Tolentino
Savanna is grassland with scattered individual trees.
Savannas of one sort or another cover almost half the surface
of Africa (about five million square miles, generally central
Africa) and large areas of Australia, South America, and India.

Climate is the most important factor in creating a savanna.

Savannas are always found in warm or hot climates where the
annual rainfall is from about 50.8 to 127 cm (20-50 inches) per
year. It is crucial that the rainfall is concentrated in six or eight
months of the year, followed by a long period of drought when
fires can occur. If the rain were well distributed throughout the
year, many such areas would become tropical forest.
climatic savannas - Savannas which result from climatic
conditions edaphic savannas - Savannas that are caused by
soil conditions and that are not entirely maintained by
fire. These can occur on hills or ridges where
the soil is shallow, or in valleys where clay soils
become waterlogged in wet weather.
derived savanna - is the result of people clearing forest land
for cultivation.

The soil of the savanna is 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.

Savannas receive an average annual rainfall of 76.2-101.6

cm (30-40 inches). However, certain savannas can receive
as little as 15.24 cm (6 inches) or as much as 25.4 cm (10
inches) of rain a year.
 Grasses and deciduous trees dominate the savannah
landscape

 The rate at which vegetation grows is known as Net

Primary Production

 The NPP for arable land is 650g/m2/yr., and the

tropical grasslands are estimated to have a mean NPP
of 900g/m2/yr.
Vegetation Sub Zones;

Savannah parkland -
twisting, branching deciduous trees

e.g. baobobs, acacia, and eucalyptus,

Grasses grow beneath trees, adapted to seed

and die back at the start of the dry season.
Savannah grassland

less dense, and often draw water from an underlying aquifer

through a long root system.

Grasses tend to be tall and coarse in areas of higher

precipitation, more sparse in areas with less
precipitation.
 Savannah scrub

vegetation tends to be a discontinuous layer of bushes,

e.g. sagebrush and thorns and sparse, dried up tussocks
of grass. This zone has experienced the worst effects of
advancing desertification.

sagebrush tussocks of grass

Characteristics of Savannah Vegetation;
Trees;

• Deciduous

• Xerophytic

• Sclerophyllous

Roots are long and extended to reach deep underground.

· Tend to grow to 6-12m in height and contain “Y” shaped
branches.
· Trunks are gnarled, and bark is thick to retain moisture.
 ·       Example;

The baobob tree has a

trunk of up to 10m in
diameter. Its root like
branches hold only a
minimum number of tiny
leaves in order to restrict
transpiration. Some are
estimated to be
thousands of years old.
Their trunks are resistant
to the local fires.
 Shrubs/Grasses;
·       Grasses grow in tufts and tend to have
inward curving blades and silvery spikes.
 ·       After the onset of the summer rains,
they grow very quickly to over 3m in height.
Elephant grass grows to 5m.
 They become yellow by sun drying.

 By early winter, the straw like grass has

died down, leaving seeds dormant on the
surface until next year’s rains.
 There are many different types of
animals that can be found in Tropical
Grasslands.
Herbivores
Ostrich

 
Even – toed ungulates

Ox
Carnivores

Lion
Mammals
Cow
Invertebrates

Beetle
 The animals that live in tropical
grasslands have adapted to a great deal of
variability in the food supply throughout the
year; there are times of plenty (during and
after the wet season) and times of almost no
food or water (during the dry season). Many
savanna animals migrate to deal with this
problem.
During the rainy season, birds, insects, and
mammals thrive in the savannah. During the
dry season, surface water from the rain is
quickly absorbed into the ground because the
soil is extremely porous. Competition for water
during the dry season is intense. Consequently,
most birds and many of the large mammals
migrate during the dry season in search of
water.
 During the dry season, lightning
frequently ignites the brown, dry grasses
that cover the savannah. Many of the
animals have adapted to living with the
fires. The ability to fly or to run fast
enables most birds and large mammals to
escape the flames.
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