Tropical Grassland: African Savanna Natalie Banol Stephanie Barreto Period 2

Tropical Grassland Locations

Biotic Factors Sweeping grass Tall and sparse trees Extreme biodiversity of large herbivores Large carnivorous cat species Few scavengers Decomposers

Abiotic Factors A wet and a dry season Generally warm climate year round Soil that varies in fertility Flat land Varying precipitation

Climate characteristics Average annual temperature of 25ºC (≈77ºF) Temperatures ranging from 20ºC to 30ºC, making a constantly warm climate Heavy precipitation and higher temperatures in the wet season Light to no precipitation and lower temperatures in the dry season

Climate Graph (Climatogram) The temp. barely changes, while the precipitation experiences a major drop during our summer months

Net Primary Productivity Net Primary Productivity (Kilocalories / square meter / year) = 3000

Gersmehl’s Nutrient cycle The most amount of resource is found in the litter that stays around most the year due to decomposition being slow in a hot and dry climate

Succession Succession in the African Savanna follows secondary succession

Habitats and niches The Grassland habitat is an expansive area where there are scattered trees and tall grass; animals are all in a constant search for food and water The African Bush Elephant is a large herbivorous mammal that roams the African savanna

Habitats and Niches The Kopjes are ancient rocks that combined through the more recent soils and surface rocks, also known as “mountain islands”. Near Kopjes you can find klipspringers and hyraxes, rare animals  Rhodes grass is a dominate grass that gives herbivores food and carnivores a perfect place to hunt

Food Web

Food Chain

Trophic Levels Pyramid of Numbers

Energy Pyramid As animals consume other organisms in the trophic levels below them, only 10% of the energy in the prey is used by the animal

Animal Adaptations The African savanna is home to the biggest variety of large herbivores on Earth Giraffes can go weeks without water, getting most of its source of water by plants Zebras adapt by running really fast from predators, they stay near to water and travel in big groups to avoid predators.

Animal Adaptations The wildebeest have dull teeth that crush or grind the grass they eat. Their dark straight stripes help them hide at night. Cheetahs has a distinctive spotted coat that helps them hide in tall grasses. They can go from 0 to 60 mph in a few seconds to catch their prey. Emu’s have light brown feathers to help them blend in with tall grasses and rocks. Their feathers are light which mimics the movement of grass.

Plant Adaptations  Senegal gum trees are small to medium that can survive harsh climates. They are common in sandy places where there isn’t much water; They can go up to 11 months with no rain The baobab only produces leaves during the wet season, it produces small leaves to limit water loss Acacia trees can survive hot conditions since it has roots that reach deep, ground water sources. They are fire resistant as well

Case study – Human Activity Negatives Positives Large amount of grassland that was home to many animals was converted to farmland by locals Poaching has killed a lot of animals native to grasslands making them endangered or extinct. When fires created by humans lose control they can significantly damage the landscape Many organizations have stepped up and defended the helpless animals and stop hunters from poaching to conserve the wild life in the savannas. The government has started a trophy hunting business which they use funds from to further restore the animal populations