Savanna Biome

¨The Savanna Biome is the largest Biome in southern Africa, occupying 46% of its area, and over one-third the area of South Africa.¨


1) Characteristics of the Savanna/Grasslands

The savanna is characterized by grasses and small or dispersed trees, along with a diverse community of organisms that interact to form a complex food web. Carnivores (lions, hyenas, leopards) feed on herbivores (impalas, warthogs, cattle) that consume producers (grasses, plant matter)  Savannas are comprised mostly of grasses and a few scattered trees. They cover half the surface of Africa, large areas of Australia, South America, and India. That is a lot of the earth's surface! Savannas can result from climate changes, soil conditions, animal behavior, or agricultural practices.

Zebras, wildebeests, elephants, giraffes, ostriches, gazelles and buffalo are all grazing animals. It is common to see groups, or herds, of grazing animals in the African savanna. Hoofed animals, known as ungulates, are common


¨Around 2 million large plant-eating mammals live in the savanna. There are 45 species of mammals, almost 500 species of birds, and 55 species of acacia in the Serengeti Plains.¨


2) A description of the typical land cover in your biome

The vegetation grows under hot, seasonally dry climatic conditions and is characterized by an open tree canopy (scattered trees) above a continuous tall grass, the vegetation layer between the forest canopy and the ground. Some characteristics include :

  • The plants have deep and widespread roots that allow them to absorb water from large areas and survive the dry season.
  • The plants have long, narrow leaves to decrease the amount of water loss through transpiration.
  • In few trees, the trunk is modified to act as a water-storage organ.

: Map of the Savanna/Tropical Grassland area across the World.


3) A description of the climate in you biome

Savannas can be considered geographic and environmental transition zones between the rain forests of equatorial regions and the Savannas can be considered geographic zones between the rain forests of equatorial regions and the deserts of the higher Northern regions.

In general, savannas grow in tropical regions 8 to 20 from the Equator. Conditions are warm to hot in all seasons, but significant rainfall occurs for only a few months each year about October to March in the Southern. The dry season is usually longer than the wet season, but it varies considerably, from 2 to 11 months. Mean monthly temperatures are about 10 to 20 °C (50 to 68 °F) in the dry season and 20 to 30 degree Celsius in the wet season. The hemisphere is April to September in the Northern Hemisphere. Which means the annual precipitation is about 80 to 150 cm.


4) A description of how your biome is expected to change as climate change continues.

Global warming and climate change threaten savannas by increasing the likelihood of desertification through droughts and erosion; and also, through the increased amount and strength of tropical storms. Forests and savannas are expected to be strongly affected in the coming decades by changing rainfall patterns, including increased dry periods and decreasing annual rainfall. These changes are already being felt.

"A 75 percent reduction in extent of African Savannah is stunning and grim. It emphasizes the urgency for conservation of these great habitats and their magnificent species like lions," said conservation scientist Thomas E. About 75 percent of Africa's Savannah´s and more than two-thirds of the lion population once estimated to live there have disappeared in the last 50 years, according to a new study.


5) References