What are the names of plants in the savannah? Flora of the savannah
Savannah(otherwise campos or llanos) are steppe-like places characteristic of more elevated tropical countries with a dry continental climate. Unlike true steppes (as well as North American prairies), savannas, in addition to grasses, also contain shrubs and trees, sometimes growing as a whole forest, as, for example, in the so-called “campos cerrados” of Brazil. The herbaceous vegetation of savannas consists mainly of tall (up to ⅓-1 meter) dry and hard-skinned grasses, usually growing in turf; mixed with the cereals are turfs of other perennial grasses and subshrubs, and in damp places flooded in the spring, also various representatives of the sedge family. Shrubs grow in savannas, sometimes in large thickets, occupying an area of many square meters. Savannah trees are usually short-growing; the tallest of them are no taller than our fruit trees, which they are very similar to with their crooked stems and branches. Trees and shrubs are sometimes entwined with vines and overgrown with epiphytes. There are few bulbous, tuberous and fleshy plants in savannas, especially in the burning continent. Lichens, mosses and algae are found extremely rarely in savannas, only on stones and trees.
General characteristics of savannas
The general appearance of savannas is different, which depends, on the one hand, on the height of the vegetation cover, and on the other hand, on the relative amount of grasses, other perennial grasses, subshrubs, shrubs and trees; for example, the Brazilian savanas (“campos cerrados”) represent actually light, sparse forests, where you can freely walk and drive in any direction; the soil in such forests is covered with herbaceous (and semi-shrub) plant cover ½ and even 1 meter high. In savannas of other countries, trees do not grow at all or are extremely rare and are very stunted. The grass cover is also sometimes very low, even pressed to the ground. A special form of savannah is made up of the so-called llanos of the Republic of Venezuela, where trees are either completely absent or found in limited numbers, with the exception of damp places where palm trees (Mauritia flexuosa, Corypha inermis) and other plants form entire forests (however, these forests do not belong to to savannas); in the llanos there are sometimes single specimens of Rhopala (trees from the family Proteaceae) and other trees; sometimes the grains in them form a cover as tall as a person; among the cereals grow Asteraceae, legumes, Lamiaceae, etc. Many lianos in rainy time years are flooded by floods of the Orinoco River.
Savannah vegetation is generally adapted to dry conditions. continental climate and to periodic droughts that occur in many savannas for entire months. Cereals and other herbs rarely form creeping shoots, but usually grow in turfs. The leaves of cereals are narrow, dry, hard, hairy or covered with a waxy coating. In cereals and sedges, young leaves remain rolled into a tube. Tree leaves are small, hairy, shiny (“varnished”) or covered with a waxy coating. The vegetation of savannas generally has a pronounced xerophytic character. Many species contain large amounts essential oils, especially the species of the families Verbenaceae, Lamiaceae and Myrtaceae of the flaming continent. The growth of some perennial herbs, semi-shrubs (and shrubs) is especially peculiar, namely in that the main part of them, located in the ground (probably the stem and roots), grows strongly into an irregular tuberous woody body, from which then numerous, mostly unbranched or weakly branched, offspring. During the dry season, savannah vegetation freezes; savannas turn yellow, and dried out plants are often exposed to fires, as a result of which the bark of trees is usually scorched. With the onset of rains, the savannas come to life, becoming covered with fresh greenery and speckled with numerous different flowers.
Savannas are characteristic of the burning continent itself, but in other countries one can point out many places that are very similar in the nature of their vegetation to savannas. Such, for example, are the so-called Campine in the Congo (in Africa); in South Africa, some places are covered with vegetation consisting mainly of grasses (Danthonia, Panicum, Eragrostis), other perennial grasses, shrubs and trees (Acacia horrida), so that such places resemble both the prairies of North America and the savannas of the burning continent; similar places are found in Angola.
The eucalyptus forests of Australia are quite similar to the "campos cerratos" of the Brazilians; they are also light and so sparse (the trees are far apart from one another and do not meet with crowns) that it is easy to walk in them and even drive in any direction; the soil in such forests in the rainy season is covered with green thickets, consisting mainly of cereals; During the dry season, the soil is exposed.
In areas located a few degrees north and south of the equator, the climate is usually very dry. However, during certain months it gets very hot and rainy. Such places, located throughout the world, are called savannah zones. This name comes from African savannah, which represents the largest region with this type of climate. When the rain comes The savannah zones are located between the two tropics - lines where twice a year the sun at noon is exactly at its zenith. At such a time it becomes much hotter there and this causes much more evaporation. sea water, which leads to heavy rains. In the areas of savannas located closest to the equator, the sun is exactly at its zenith at intermediate points of the year (March and September), so that one rainy season is separated by several months. In the savannah areas furthest from the equator, both rainy seasons are so close in time to each other that they practically merge into one. The duration of the rainy period is from eight to nine months, and at the equatorial borders - from two to three. What grows in the savanna? Living conditions in the savannah are very harsh. The soil contains little nutrients, during dry seasons it dries out, and during wet seasons it becomes swampy. In addition, fires often occur there at the end of dry seasons. Plants that have adapted to savannah conditions are very cruel.
Thousands of different herbs grow there. But trees, in order to survive, need some specific qualities to protect them from drought and fire. For example, the baobab tree is distinguished by a thick, fire-protected trunk that, like a sponge, can store water reserves. Its long roots absorb moisture deep underground. Acacia has a wide, flat crown that creates shade for the leaves growing below, thereby protecting them from drying out.
Savannah Wild Life Many areas of the savannah are now used for ranching and wild life there has completely disappeared. However, in the African savannah there are huge national parks where wild animals still live. Savannah animals were forced to adapt to survive in drought conditions. Large herbivores, such as giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, elephants and rhinoceroses, are capable of traveling great distances and, if a place became too dry, they went to where it rained and where there was a lot of vegetation. Predators such as lions, cheetahs and hyenas hunted the wandering herds of animals. It is difficult for small animals to go in search of water, so they prefer to hibernate throughout the dry season. This is called summer hibernation.
These are flat or slightly rolling plains, where open, grassy areas alternate with groups of trees or dense thickets of thorny bushes. During the rainy season, the savanna is covered with tall grass, which turns yellow and burns out with the onset of the dry season. Agriculture in the savanna area is almost undeveloped, and the main occupation of the local population is cattle breeding.
Soils and vegetation cover
In savannas, soils are developed, collectively called red-brown; when distinguishing them into a special type, they use geographical characteristics, i.e. they include open areas with grass cover. They are characterized by a greater or lesser content of humus from the decomposition of herbaceous vegetation, as a result of which such soils are rich in nutrients. In soils of periodic moisture, in savannas, the processes of enrichment with sesquioxides occur more vigorously than in the red soils of tropical rainforests, and often lead to the formation of a shell, that is, a hard crust on the surface, or the fertile granular structure of the soil mentioned above.
In savannas, the sharp seasonality of precipitation is reflected in the processes of soil formation: during the rainy season, rapid and vigorous leaching of soil occurs, while in the dry period, due to the strong heating of the surface layers, the reverse process occurs - the rise of soil solutions. Therefore, humus accumulates to a greater extent in dry savannas and steppes with a long rainless period. Savannah soils, depending on the amount of precipitation and the duration of the dry period, are very diverse, forming transitions from lateritic and red-brown soils of cereal savannas to black and chernozem soils of dry savannas. Depending on the combination of climatic and soil conditions, as well as from the topography, savannas are distinguished by a wide variety of plant communities and general character aspects.
Basic processes of soil formation
Soils develop on ancient continental leveling surfaces in two-season climate zones with annual precipitation of 400-500 mm. In terms of humidity, the climate is arid, with an average annual temperature of + 19°, +22°, an average January temperature of +24°, +27°, and of July + 14°, +17°.
The soils are red-brown subarid with carbonate nodules on ancient crusts and brown tropical subarid. They are distributed mainly on the East African plateau, the Ethiopian highlands, in the Kalahari depression, as well as in the Sahel zone (on the border with the Sahara). The soils develop in arid tropical conditions with a dry season of 4-6 months, with annual precipitation from 200 to 500 mm, and in the Guinean part - up to 700 mm. The average annual temperature reaches + 26°, +28°. Absolute altitudes within the plateau 300-500 m, and on the plateaus 1000-1500 m.
Brown tropical subarid soils were most vividly and genetically described by R. Magnin. He established the specificity of brown subarid soils, which are formed in a two-season climate, when short-term but massive rains fall within three months. In dry and hot season the temperature reaches +45° C. The average annual temperature in this zone is +27°, +28°, the amount of precipitation is 200-350 mm.
Black tropical soils are formed at an average annual temperature of + 25°, + 28° and the sum annual precipitation from 200 to 1000 mm. Characterized by a sharp alternation of wet and dry seasons.
Savannas and woodlands are specific natural areas that are located only in certain climatic zones. What features do they have?
Location
The natural zone of savannas and woodlands is located in subequatorial belts Northern and Southern hemispheres. They occupy almost 40% of the territory of Africa, northeast Asia, and there are separate areas in Australia. The plan for describing the savannah natural zone includes climate, soil, and features of flora and fauna.
Rice. 1. There are savannas on almost all continents
Climate
Climatic features determine the development of flora and fauna natural areas. The climate of the savannah and woodland zone is seasonally humid. There is a clear alternation between periods of rain and drought. This is due to the trade wind-monsoon air circulation.
Closer to the equator, the rainy season lasts up to 9 months. As you move away from the equator, the rainy period shortens to 3 months.
Slight seasonal temperature fluctuations are also typical for these areas. In summer the rainy season begins here - the most favorable time for the steppe. The grass cover is growing rapidly, and animals are returning from their migration sites. In winter, the savannah is very dry, and the air temperature is approximately 21 degrees Celsius. In the depths of winter, savannas are prone to frequent fires.
Soil
The characteristics of the soil of savannas and woodlands are related to the rainfall regime. In the immediate vicinity of the equator there are red ferrallitic soils. As you move away from it, red-brown soils typical of savannas appear. Closer to the deserts, the soil becomes very poor, with a small amount of humus.
TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this
Flora
Savannas and woodlands, despite not very favorable climate, populated different types animals and birds. Among them you can find:
- elephants;
- Lviv;
- zebras;
- giraffes;
- armadillos;
- antelope;
- rhinoceroses;
- ostriches;
- marabou.
All these animals and birds have adapted to arid climate. But even they have to migrate to other areas when there is no water left in the savannah.
For many years, humanity exterminated these animals. Now there are fewer and fewer of them; reserves have been created for most species to preserve them in nature.
Rice. 2. Animal world savannah
Fauna
The vegetation of savannas and woodlands is mainly herbaceous. She is presented cereal plants, perennial herbs, shrubs. They grow rapidly in the savannah, occupying large areas of the territory.
Trees are rare and have small sizes. Often covered with vines and lichen.
The most characteristic tree of the savanna is the baobab. This is a tree with a thick trunk and a wide spreading crown that provides shade to animals. In Africa there is a gigantic baobab tree almost 200 meters high, its trunk thickness is 44 meters.
Savannah – unusual world who lives by his own unique rules and laws. Everything about it is amazing: winter here is not called the cold season, but the dry period, when there is a sharp shortage of water, and in summer it can rain non-stop for weeks. Such sudden changes in weather affect nature, subjecting it to their own rules. During such periods, the landscape picture is completely different, and even animals behave differently.
Sometimes here you can see landscapes of amazing beauty, and at other times they become dull and despairing. These contrasts have always attracted people and forced them to return to the unknown world of the savannah in order to again see amazing animals and plants that can only be met in this natural area.
Amazing animals
In conditions of lack of moisture and food, animals need to show great endurance and be able to overcome huge territories to get food for themselves. Savannah – perfect place for predators, since short grass makes it possible to look around and see where prey is hiding. However, there is also interesting representatives fauna that feed on plant foods.
The largest animal
It is in the savanna that the largest land animal on Earth lives - the African savannah elephant. Its average weight is 5 tons, but in 1956 the largest was recorded major representative weighing 11 tons! The face has huge curved tusks that are formed from the front teeth. Their weight is on average 100 kg. Tusks have always been highly valued by humans, so the elephant population was mercilessly destroyed, and this process has not stopped even now.
Elephants are social animals. It is believed that their herds are the most united in the entire fauna kingdom. They take great care of sick or injured family members, help them eat and support them if their weak relatives find it difficult to stand.
There is an opinion that only elephants from the entire animal world have a burial ritual. Realizing that their brother is dead, they cover him from above with branches and earth. It is surprising that they “bury” in this way not only representatives of their own family, but also unfamiliar elephants from other families, and even people. Similar and others, no less interesting facts about the life and death of these animals are described in detail in the book “Among the Animals of Africa” by the famous zoologist and naturalist writer Bernard Grzimek.
Another trait that is similar to humans is the love of sex. These African inhabitants are having sex all year round, although they are only capable of fertilization for a few days during the rainy season. Males show courtship so that the female will be favorable to them. Pregnancy in elephants is the longest on earth and lasts almost 2 years - 22 months. Elephants sense the approach of labor and can speed it up by eating a special type of grass that causes contractions.
Cubs are born blind, so they funnyly hold on to their mother's tail so as not to get lost.
Creeping fear
The black mamba is colored brownish-gray, which makes you wonder about its name. In fact, the word “black” did not arise by chance: this color can be seen on inner surface maw when a snake lunges at a person to bite him. This amazing representative of reptiles reaches impressive size, growing up to 4 meters, and it can move at a speed exceeding the running speed of many people - 20 km/h.
Snakes with such strong poison, there is not much in the world: after the bite black mamba crawls some distance and waits for the poison to paralyze the victim. Previously, after being bitten by this snake, people could not escape and died in agony, but now a special antidote has been developed that can prevent death. The only difficulty is that the serum must be administered within the first minutes after the bite, otherwise it will not save the bitten person.
The hunting skills of these snakes are evident from birth: already half an hour after the babies hatch from the eggs, they are able to attack the prey and inject deadly poison into it.
Unlike other mamba species, this species does not live in trees. However, she found a less exotic home for herself in the form of empty termite mounds.
Master of the Savannah
The first picture that comes to mind when thinking about the savannah is the graceful king of animals - a lion, resting after a hunt. This predator is quite lazy: it will never make an extra movement if it is not already hungry.
During mating season the female and male leave the pride and spend a week indulging in love pleasures. During this entire period they do not hunt and starve, losing a lot of weight. At the same time, their copulation occurs every 15–20 minutes. Sometimes the number of matings reaches 100 times a day. After the love period ends, lions regain their weight for a long time.
These cats sleep a surprising amount: 20 hours a day, just like domestic cats. IN good mood They can purr and bask in the sun, but when the lion gets angry, he lets out a roar that can be heard for 10 km in the area. Only with the help of a roar can he scare away animals that pose a danger to females or cubs.
Most often, lions hunt at night. This is caused by very acute night vision, which is almost as good as daylight vision. Since most victims do not have universal vision, the chances of success are lion's night hunting increase many times over.
Tallest
Savannah has become home to many record holders. These include giraffes - the tallest animals on the planet. Their height ranges from 4.6 to 6 meters, most of which is at the neck.
Female giraffes often set up kindergartens, in which several adults look after the babies, while the rest go for food at this time. After the first ones have eaten, they replace the hungry “nannies”.
Giraffes sleep only 60 minutes a day, sometimes they can do this while standing. Despite this short duration sleep, the spotted inhabitants of the savannah never yawn: they are the only animals that cannot do this.
Proud bird
The ostrich is not able to fly due to its impressive weight, but it runs so fast that it is slightly inferior to the flight of some birds. At a speed of 70 km/h, he shows amazing mobility: if desired, he can suddenly change the direction of running, without slowing down or slowing down at all.
It is this species that holds the record for egg size: a one and a half kilogram ostrich egg could easily fit 2.5 dozen chicken eggs. The male builds the nest, and all the females he has fertilized lay eggs there. During the day they sit on the nest, and at night a caring dad takes over the baton and warms the eggs with his body.
When the chicks are in danger, ostriches can be cunning and show amazing acting skills, portraying a wounded and weak creature, leading the predator away from the babies. At this time, children quickly run to one of the adults and hide their heads under a large wing. Then the ostrich leaves the amazed predator and returns to his herd.
Quirky set
Cape aardvark appearance causes bewilderment: it feels like body parts of different animals were combined in it. His body resembles an anteater, long ears- a rabbit, the snout was borrowed from piglets, and the tail came from a kangaroo.
This amazing animal has such an original shape of its nose in order to eat termites, which it hunts at night. He has an excellent sense of smell, thanks to which the aardvark accurately finds termite mounds and devastates them. During the night he can travel about 50 km in search of tasty insects. Termites are not scary for the aardvark, since its skin is so thick that insects are not able to bite through it. They stick to the sticky tongue and go straight to the stomach.
The body size of the aardvark is quite impressive: it can grow up to 2.3 m. If it is driven natural enemy, then manifests enormous power, with which it can slash an enemy with its claws, fights with its hind legs and very quickly tumbles forward.
Amazing plants
The main characteristic of savannas is long dry months followed by periods of rain. It is this parameter that determines the life of plants in this strip. Most of them are perfectly adapted to frequent fires and are able to recover in a short time.
Millennial Elders
One of the main symbols of the savanna are amazing trees - baobabs. Establishing the age of the oldest specimens is difficult because these trees do not have tree rings, so set their age in a standard way it won't work. By general assessments According to scientists, baobabs can live for about a thousand years, but radiocarbon dating gives different figures - 4500 years. During their lifetime, they manage to grow a huge spreading crown. In the winter they shed their leaves, but not from the cold, but from drought.
The baobab blossom is an amazing sight. The process continues for several months, but each flower lives only one night, so you won’t be able to see a blooming baobab during the day. Since most insects sleep at night, these flowers are not pollinated by them, but by bats, living here.
The baobab has another amazing property that is rarely found among trees: after cutting down the main trunk, the baobab is able to take new roots and take root again. Often, trees that have been knocked down by a storm survive in this way and remain in a lying position forever.
Bleeding Dragons
Previously, the aborigines believed dragon trees enchanted monsters. The reason for this was amazing property dracaena: when its bark was scratched or cut with a knife, red resinous juice began to ooze, reminiscent of blood. The name “dracaena” itself translates as “female dragon”.
Previously, the resinous liquid was used for embalming, but now this juice is used in industrial scale for the preparation of the production of red pigments, paints and varnishes. Dracaena has found application in medicine and cosmetology: it is used as a component for treatment stomach diseases and skin problems.
The dragon tree is characterized by very slow growth, but over decades some representatives reach huge size. The amazing “umbrella” shape of the crown is formed only after flowering, and before that the dracaena grows with a single trunk. The foliage is very densely located in the crown, so at the foot of the dracaenas, people and animals tired of the heat often find rest in complete shade. plant from natural environment habitat has spread throughout the world as indoor plant, because it is very low maintenance, but looks attractive and exotic.
Savannah is filled primarily with pampas grasses. But among them there are absolutely amazing representatives. This includes elephant grass. This plant can reach a height of 3 meters, creating barriers for large animals, and serving as a reliable shelter and at home.
Elephant grass grows near shallow bodies of water. When they dry out, it can die en masse from lack of moisture, thereby blocking the channels of streams or small rivers. It is also afraid of cool weather, so the ground part dies off immediately with the first cold snap. Root system This cereal penetrates very far into the soil, putting down roots to a depth of 4.5 meters, where it draws water. After droughts, with the arrival of the first rains, it quickly grows again and serves as food for many animals: zebras, antelopes, giraffes and other herbivores.
People do not ignore it either, using elephant grass to prepare some dishes, using it in construction and growing it as an ornamental plant.
The savannas of the world keep many secrets. A traveler who decides to visit these lands will find many amazing discoveries that will allow him to understand the romance of safari and appreciate this harsh but attractive world.
An abundance of tall grasses, gilded by the sun, rare trees and shrubs, found more or less often depending on the area - this is the savannah, which occupies most of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The savannah zones are quite extensive, so the vegetation on their southern and northern borders is somewhat different. Savannas, bordering the desert zone in the north of the zone in Africa, are rich in drought-resistant low grasses, milkweeds, aloe and acacia trees with highly branched roots. To the south they are replaced moisture-loving plants, and along the banks of rivers gallery forests with evergreen shrubs and vines similar to wet equatorial ones. IN rift valley East Africa the most large lakes mainland - Victoria, Nyasa, Lakes Rudolf and Albert, Tanganyika. Savannahs on their banks alternate with wetlands where papyrus and reeds grow.
African savannas contain many famous nature reserves and national parks. One of the most famous is the Serengeti, located in Tanzania. Part of its territory is occupied by the crater highlands - a famous plateau with ancient craters extinct volcanoes, one of which, Ngorongoro, has an area of about 800 thousand hectares.
Savannah vegetation corresponds to hot weather, with long dry periods climate that prevails in tropical places. That's why savannah is widespread in different parts light, including South America and Australia. But it occupies the most extensive territories, of course, in Africa, where it is represented in all its diversity.
The general appearance of savannas is different, which depends, on the one hand, on the height vegetation cover, and on the other hand - on the relative amount of cereals, other perennial grasses, subshrubs, shrubs and trees. The grass cover is sometimes very low, even pressed to the ground.
A special form of savannas is the so-called llanos, where trees are either completely absent or found in limited numbers, with the exception of damp places where palm trees (Mauritia flexuosa, Corypha inermis) and other plants form entire forests (however, these forests do not belong to savannas ); in the llanos there are sometimes single specimens of Rhopala (trees from the family Proteaceae) and other trees; sometimes the grains in them form a cover as tall as a person; Between the cereals grow Compositae, legumes, Lamiaceae, etc. During the rainy season, many llanos are flooded by floods of the Orinoco River.
Savannah vegetation is generally adapted to a dry continental climate and to periodic droughts, which occur in many savannas for months at a time. Cereals and other herbs rarely form creeping shoots, but usually grow in turfs. The leaves of cereals are narrow, dry, hard, hairy or covered with a waxy coating. In cereals and sedges, young leaves remain rolled into a tube. Tree leaves are small, hairy, shiny (“varnished”) or covered with a waxy coating. The vegetation of savannas generally has a pronounced xerophytic character. Many species contain large number essential oils, especially species from the Verbenaceae, Lamiaceae and Myrtle families of the flaming continent. The growth of some perennial herbs, semi-shrubs (and shrubs) is especially peculiar, namely in that the main part of them, located in the ground (probably the stem and roots), grows strongly into an irregular tuberous woody body, from which then numerous, mostly unbranched or weakly branched, offspring. During the dry season, savannah vegetation freezes; savannas turn yellow, and dried out plants are often exposed to fires, as a result of which the bark of trees is usually scorched. With the onset of rains, the savannas come to life, becoming covered with fresh greenery and speckled with numerous different flowers.
In the south, on the border with the equatorial tropical forests, begins transition zone- forest savanna. There are not very many grasses there; trees grow thickly, but they are small. Then comes the sparsely forested savanna - vast spaces overgrown with tall grasses, with groves or separately standing trees. The baobab tree predominates here, as well as palm, spurge and various types acacia Gradually, trees and shrubs become more and more rare, and grasses, especially giant grasses, become denser.
And finally, near deserts (Sahara, Kalahari), the savannah gives way to a parched steppe, where only tufts of dry grass and low-growing thorny bushes grow.
Savannah ( African steppe) is a vast territory covered with rare forms of trees and shrubs and herbaceous vegetation, which belongs to the subequatorial zone, which is marked by a pronounced division into dry and rainy seasons.
Description
African steppe savanna is typical example area, the image of which appears in most people’s minds when they mention this continent. The territory is dominated by rain evergreen forests and deserts, between which lies the beautiful, variable and wild savanna - a huge area overgrown with single trees and grass. Scientists have determined the approximate age of this natural phenomenon- about 5 million years. Consequently, it is considered the youngest zonal type of Africa.
Geographical location
The African steppe occupies almost 40% of the continent's area. It is located around equatorial evergreen forests.
The Guinea-Sudanese savannah in the north borders equatorial forests, stretching over 5000 km from east coast Indian Ocean to west coast Atlantic Ocean. From r. Tana savanna extends to the river valley. Zambezi, then, turning 2500 km to the west, passes to the Atlantic coast.
Weather dependent
The African steppe savanna is directly dependent on the weather, whose vagaries here are felt very strongly by representatives of the flora and fauna. The dry seasons here are unlike any other. Nature must adapt every year to the changes that come with the climate. Only one thing is inevitable - the savannah loses vitality, brightness, juices, turning into a sea of sultry despondency and withered grass. With the arrival of the rainy season, changes in the landscape begin so rapidly that in just a couple of days nature becomes completely unrecognizable. If you compare images of the savannah before the rainy season and after a week of heavy rainfall, it will not be easy to find their similarities.
Flora of the savannah
On the black continent, typical savannah plants are all kinds of acacias, oilseeds, baobabs, lophyra lanceolata, grass, anisophylls, and various cereal grasses. By the way, the latter have adapted better than others to the conditions of regular changes in humidity and temperature conditions. After all, if during a period of drought, xerophytic trees can simply shed their leaves and stand like that, waiting for a new wet season, then it is much more difficult for grasses to survive. Although nature was able to take care of preserving the viability of the savannah grass cover. The leaves of cereal representatives of the African flora are hairy, narrow, very hard and have a waxy, persistent coating that retains moisture in the cells.
Wildlife of the savannah
Many people are surprised and interested in the African steppe savannah. Animals in its vastness live in a huge number. They got here due to natural migration phenomena that are associated with changes in temperature on Earth. At some point, millions of years ago, the continent was completely covered with rain forests, only the climate gradually became drier, due to which huge parts of the forest disappeared, and in their place were fields that were overgrown with grassy vegetation and open woodlands. This, in turn, led to the emergence of various new species of animals that searched for good conditions for food.
Thus, the African steppe developed. Giraffes from the jungle were the first to come here, followed by elephants, all kinds of antelopes and other herbivores. Following them, according to the law of nature, predators began to populate the savanna: servals, lions, jackals, cheetahs and others. And since an incredible number of worms and insects live in the soil and grass of the savanna, the fauna was replenished with all kinds of representatives of birds that flew to Africa from different corners peace. In this place, among the birds you can see red-billed quilli, storks, vultures, marabou, horned crows, vultures, etc. There are also many lizards, crocodiles and snakes.
Life in times of drought
During drought, large animals try to stay near a watering hole, but due to strong competition during this period, the struggle for survival becomes more fierce, which is different from the African steppe (savanna), photos of which are presented in this article. Small ones that are not capable of long movements in search of food and water hibernate throughout the summer.
The African steppe is a place unique ecosystems and diametrically opposed landscapes. Here the serious struggle for survival is in absolute harmony with amazing beauty nature, with a wealth of flora and fauna - with a real African flavor, as well as a surprisingly attractive exoticism.
- Biography Ferdinand Foch short biography
- Isaev I.F., Mishchenko A.I., Shiyanov E.N. Pedagogy - file n1.doc. Slastenin V.A. Methods of educational work - file n1.doc Slastenin in pedagogy m academy
- Tax accounting of government institutions The procedure for calculating tax and advance payments
- Reinstatement at work by order of the labor inspectorate