Savanna: South America

Tropical Savanna: South America

Temperatures in a Savanna

What is a Savanna?

Hum Rain

% mm

Temp

C

How often does it rain in a savanna?

Plants in a savanna

Precipitation

A savanna is a flat grassy plain with a few tress and is found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome. Savannas are also known as tropical grasslands because not enough rain falls on it for it to be known as a rainforest.

During the summer there is a lot of rain and 15 to 25 inches of rain fall during this time. During the rainy season it gets very hot and humid which causes the air to rise from the ground and conflict with the cool air above which causes the rain.

Temperatures in a savanna are characterized by two seasons, wet (winter) and dry (summer). From May to October it is dry and it last up to 5 or 6 months. The other 5 to six months last from December to March which is the wet season.

In a savanna the main plant is grass and this plant grows 6 to 9 feet tall. Trees also a big part of the savanna biome and without them the savanna would be considered a prairie. Grasses have developed an adaptation that allows it to grow quickly when there is adequate water in order for it to survive during the dry season. The grasses have adaptations that keep animals away from eating it. For some animals the grass may be sharp or bitter tasting but there are still animals who eat it. The benefit for the animal population is that they all have something to eat because they all eat different parts of the grass. Many grasses grow from the bottom up, so that the growth tissue doesn't get damaged by grazers.

Food Web in the Savanna

Relationships between plants & animals

Animals

Feeding levels

Energy Pyramid

An energy pyramid has many topic levels and 10 % of energy is lost. Trees and grass provide energy for the whole biome. Then there are the primary consumers and the the secondary consumers, and the teriary consumers, Multiple food webs keep the savanna's ecosystem healthy and balanced.

rhinos

lions

Depending on the location of a savanna the animal of species varies. In the tropical savanna there is a wide variety of animals. Some of these animals are elephants, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, rhinos, hyenas, lions, cheetahs, ostriches, leopards, wildebeest, and mouse birds.

Producer:organism on the food chain that can produce its own energy and nutrients.

Primary consumer(herbivore): organism that mainly eats plants.

Secondary Producer(carnivore):organism that only eats meat.

Decomposer(detritivores):organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material and waste and release its energy and nutrients in the ecosystem.

ostriches

giraffes

The relationship between animals and plants are mutualism and commensalism.

One good example of commensalism in a savanna is the hyena and the lion. When the lions hunts for preys he leaves leftovers which hyenas always eat from meaning that they don't have to hunt for their own food or get harmed by the lion. A good example of mutualism the oxpeckers and rhinos. Oxpeckers live on rhinos and they remove their ticks; the relationship is mutual because the rhino get its ticks removed and the ox-pecker gets a meal.

In a community a food web shows the feeding relationship between the consumer and producer. In a In a Savanna, there are many animals and plants. The main producers are the trees, shrubs and grass.

The Primary Consumers : the zebras and elephants.

The Secondary Consumers : the cheetah and hyena.

The Decomposes: mushrooms, insects and microorganisms

The Scavengers: the termites, vultures and hyena.

wildebeest

cheetahs

hyenas

gazelles

zebras

elephants

Adaptation: Plants

Monuments : Savanna South America

Savanna Locations

Adaptation: Animals

Many of the great grasslands parks of the world have well-developed visitor facilities, and their plentiful wildlife is often easily observed. When people come and explore these open spaces they have in mind the weather, In the summer time grasslands can be ferocious and also the temperature year-round

During the rainy season, the birds , insects, and the bigger and smaller animals thrive in the Savanna. During the dry season, a lot of the mammals and birds migrate because it is a huge competition for water. Some animals migrate to another biome and they come back when the rainy season begins. During the fire season, many animals adapt to living with the fires

About 60 % of a Savanna is made up of grassland. The grass can grow up to 130 cm during the dry season. The trees and plants have long roots, which they use to store water in. During the dry season, the plants and trees have fewer leaves so less moisture is lost through the evaporation process All the tress in the Savanna can survive the hot Savanna temperatures, they can protect themselves from harmful dangers, for example brush fries and predators.

Solutions

Disaster Threats

Solutions

Continue education efforts on how to protect the soil and prevent soil erosion.Protect and restore wetlands, which are an important part of grassland ecology.

Rotate agricultural crops to prevent the sapping of nutrients.

Plant trees as windbreaks.

Conduct dry season burning to obtain fresh growth and to restore calcium to the soil that builds up in the dry grasses.

In different savannas there are many insects that swarm around. In south America they have pampas.

There are many threats that occur in a savanna grasslands: Continued global warming could turn current marginal grasslands into deserts as rainfall patterns change. There is land once incompatible with row-crop agriculture, but which provided a living to ranching families and habitat for prairie wildlife, is being converted to row crops.

Development of urban areas is increasingly cutting into grassland habitat.

Drought-hardy, cold-resistant, and herbicide-tolerant varieties of soybeans, wheat, and corn allow crops to expand into native grassland.

Where only one crop is grown, pests and disease can spread easily, creating the need for potentially toxic pesticides.