TROPICAL GRASSLANDS (SAVANNAS)

it is a land covered with grasses and other soft plants but not bushes and trees.

LocationTropical grasslands are located near the equator, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. They cover much of Africa as well as large areas of Australia, South America, and India.

PlantsTropical grasslands are

dominated by grasses, often 3 to 6 feet tall at maturity. They may have some drought-resistant, fire-resistant or browse-resistant trees, or they may have an open shrub layer.

They develop in regions where the climax community should be forest, but drought and fire prevent the establishment of many trees.

Tropical grassland animals include giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, kangaroos, mice, moles, gophers, ground squirrels, snakes, worms, termites, beetles, lions, leopards, hyenas, and elephants.

Animal

Buffalo, wildebeest, plains zebra, rhinos, giraffes, elephants and warthogs are among other herbivores of the African savanna. Carnivores include lions, leopards, cheetahs, jackals, wild dogs and hyenas. Termites are especially abundant in the tropical grasslands of the world.

Climate

Tropical grasslands are found in tropical wet and dry climates. These areas are hot year-round, usually never dropping under 64 degrees Farenheit. Although these areas are overall very dry, they do have a season of heavy rain. Annual rainfall is from 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.

Soil

The soil of tropical grasslands 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.

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.

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Poaching happens when grassland is subjected to mechanical damage from either hooves or wheels, when the soil is too wet to cope with it, resulting in conditions where air and water cannot penetrate the soil, where the grass roots are exposed to the elements to dry out and the grass leaves are buried and are unable to photosynthesize.

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Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, or by overpopulations of native or non-native wild animals.

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IV. EvaluationDirection:

Write YES if the statement is correct and NO if its not.

1. Tropical grasslands are located near equator.2. Tropical grasslands are dominated by shrubs

and trees.3. The soil in the tropical grasslands is porous.4. The climate of the tropical grasslands are wet

year round

5. Deforestation is the main threat of the grassland biome.