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Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.[1]. The biome is dominated by grass and/or shrubs located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes.

Description

Grassland is dominated by grass and other herbaceous plants. Savanna is grassland with scattered trees. Shrubland is dominated by woody or herbaceous shrubs.

Large expanses of land in the tropics do not receive enough rainfall to support extensive tree cover. The tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are characterized by rainfall levels between 90–150 centimetres (35–59 in) per year.[1] Rainfall can be highly seasonal, with the entire year's rainfall sometimes occurring within a couple of weeks.

African savannas occur between forest or woodland regions and grassland regions. Flora includes acacia and baobab trees, grass, and low shrubs. Acacia trees lose their leaves in the dry season to conserve moisture, while the baobab stores water in its trunk for the dry season. Many of these savannas are in Africa.

Large mammals that have evolved to take advantage of the ample forage typify the biodiversity associated with these habitats. These large mammal faunas are richest in African savannas and grasslands. The most intact assemblages currently occur in East African Acacia savannas and Zambezian savannas consisting of mosaics of miombo, mopane, and other habitats.[2] Large-scale migration of tropical savanna herbivores, such as wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and zebra (Equus quagga), are continuing to decline through habitat alteration and hunting.[1] They now only occur to any significant degree in East Africa and the central Zambezian region. Much of the extraordinary abundance of Guinean and Sahelian savannas has been eliminated, although the large-scale migrations of Ugandan Kob still occur in the savannas in the Sudd region.[1] The Sudan type of climate is characterized by an alternating hot and rainy season, and a cool and dry season. In the Northern Hemisphere, the hot rainy season normally begins in May and lasts until September. Rainfall varies from 25 cm to 150 cm and is usually unreliable. The rest of the year is cool and dry. Rainfall decreases as one goes either towards North in Northern Hemisphere or South in the Southern Hemisphere. Drought is very common.

Occurrence

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands occur on all continents but Antarctica. They are widespread in Africa, and are also found all throughout South Asia, the northern parts of South America and Australia, and the southern United States.

Ecoregions

Afrotropic Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Angolan Miombo woodlandsAngola
Angolan Mopane woodlandsAngola, Namibia
Ascension scrub and grasslandsAscension Island
Central Zambezian miombo woodlandsAngola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia
East Sudanian savannaCameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda
Eastern miombo woodlandsMozambique, Tanzania
Guinean forest-savanna mosaicBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo
Itigi-Sumbu thicketTanzania, Zambia
Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlandsBotswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Mandara Plateau mosaicCameroon, Nigeria
Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thicketsEthiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda
Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaicCameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Uganda
Sahelian Acacia savannaBurkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan
Serengeti volcanic grasslandsKenya, Tanzania
Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thicketsEritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia
Southern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thicketsKenya, Tanzania
Southern Africa bushveldBotswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Southern Congolian forest-savanna mosaicAngola, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Southern miombo woodlandsMalawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Saint Helena scrub and woodlandsSaint Helena
Victoria Basin forest-savanna mosaicBurundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
West Sudanian savannaBenin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal
Western Congolian forest-savanna mosaicAngola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo
Western Zambezian grasslandsAngola, Zambia
Zambezian and Mopane woodlandsBotswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Zambezian Baikiaea woodlandsAngola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Australasia Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Arnhem Land tropical savannaAustralia
Brigalow tropical savannaAustralia
Cape York tropical savannaAustralia
Carpentaria tropical savannaAustralia
Einasleigh upland savannaAustralia
Kimberley tropical savannaAustralia
Mitchell grass downsAustralia
Trans-Fly savanna and grasslandsIndonesia, Papua New Guinea
Victoria Plains tropical savannaAustralia
Indomalaya Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslandsBhutan, India, Nepal
Nearctic Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Western Gulf coastal grasslandsMexico, United States
Neotropic Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Aripo SavannasTrinidad
Beni savannaBolivia
Campos rupestresBrazil
CerradoBolivia, Brazil, Paraguay
Clipperton Island shrub and grasslandsClipperton Island is an overseas territory of France
Córdoba montane savannaArgentina
Guianan savannaBrazil, Guyana, Venezuela
Gran ChacoArgentina, Brazil, Paraguay
Los LlanosVenezuela, Colombia
Uruguayan savannaArgentina, Brazil, Uruguay
Oceania Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Hawaiian tropical high shrublandsHawaiʻi
Hawaiian tropical low shrublandsHawaiʻi
Northwestern Hawaii scrubHawaiʻi

See also

  • Tropical vegetation

References

[1]
Citation Linkweb.archive.org* This article incorporates text available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.* World Wide Fund for Nature. "Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrubland Ecoregions". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
Sep 27, 2019, 8:48 AM
[2]
Citation Linkopenlibrary.orgMcClanahan, TR; Young, TP, eds. (1996). East African ecosystems and their conservation. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sep 27, 2019, 8:48 AM
[3]
Citation Linkwwf.panda.org"Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrubland Ecoregions"
Sep 27, 2019, 8:48 AM
[4]
Citation Linkweb.archive.orgArchived
Sep 27, 2019, 8:48 AM
[5]
Citation Linken.wikipedia.orgThe original version of this page is from Wikipedia, you can edit the page right here on Everipedia.Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Additional terms may apply.See everipedia.org/everipedia-termsfor further details.Images/media credited individually (click the icon for details).
Sep 27, 2019, 8:48 AM