Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Extent of 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.
Contents
1 Description
2 Occurrence
3 Ecoregions
4 See also
5 References
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 dry season to conserve moisture, while the baobab stores water in its trunk for the dry season.
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 only in East Africa and the central Zambezian region. Much of the extraordinary abundance of Guinean and Sahelian savannas has been eliminated, although the savannas in the Sudd region are one of the last places where large-scale migrations of Ugandan Kob still occur.[1]
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 woodlands | Angola |
Angolan Mopane woodlands | Angola, Namibia |
Ascension scrub and grasslands | Ascension Island |
Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands | Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia |
East Sudanian savanna | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda |
Eastern Miombo woodlands | Mozambique, Tanzania |
Guinean forest-savanna mosaic | Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo |
Itigi-Sumbu thicket | Tanzania, Zambia |
Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands | Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe |
Mandara Plateau mosaic | Cameroon, Nigeria |
Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets | Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda |
Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Uganda |
Sahelian Acacia savanna | Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan |
Serengeti | Kenya, Tanzania |
Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets | Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia |
Southern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets | Kenya, Tanzania |
Southern Africa bushveld | Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe |
Southern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic | Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Southern Miombo woodlands | Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Saint Helena scrub and woodlands | Saint Helena |
Victoria Basin forest-savanna mosaic | Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda |
West Sudanian savanna | Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal |
Western Congolian forest-savanna mosaic | Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo |
Western Zambezian grasslands | Angola, Zambia |
Zambezian and Mopane woodlands | Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands | Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Australasia Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands | |
|---|---|
Arnhem Land tropical savanna | Australia |
Brigalow tropical savanna | Australia |
Cape York tropical savanna | Australia |
Carpentaria tropical savanna | Australia |
Einasleigh upland savanna | Australia |
Kimberley tropical savanna | Australia |
Mitchell grass downs | Australia |
Trans Fly savanna and grasslands | Indonesia, Papua New Guinea |
Victoria Plains tropical savanna | Australia |
Indomalaya Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands | |
|---|---|
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands | Bhutan, India, Nepal |
Nearctic Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands | |
|---|---|
Western Gulf coastal grasslands | Mexico, United States |
Neotropic Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands | |
|---|---|
Aripo Savannas | Trinidad |
Beni savanna | Bolivia |
Campos rupestres | Brazil |
Cerrado | Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay |
Clipperton Island shrub and grasslands | Clipperton Island is an overseas territory of France |
Córdoba montane savanna | Argentina |
Guianan savanna | Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela |
Gran Chaco | Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay |
Los Llanos | Venezuela, Colombia |
Uruguayan savanna | Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay |
Oceania Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands | |
|---|---|
Hawaiian tropical high shrublands | Hawaiʻi |
Hawaiian tropical low shrublands | Hawaiʻi |
Northwestern Hawaii scrub | Hawaiʻi |
See also
- Tropical vegetation
References
^ abcd
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..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ McClanahan, TR; Young, TP, eds. (1996). East African ecosystems and their conservation. New York: Oxford University Press.
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..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}Biogeographic regionalisations | |||||||||||||||||
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