Loue Jay A. Paquibot Output

1. TROPICAL
GRASSLANDS
(SAVANNAS)

3. it is a land covered
with grasses and other
soft plants but not bushes
and trees.

4. Location
Tropical grasslands are located
near the equator, between the Tropic
of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn. They cover much of
Africa as well as large areas of
Australia, South America, and India.

5. Plants
Tropical grasslands are
dominated by grasses, often 3 to 6
feet tall at maturity. They may have
some drought-resistant, fire-
resistant or browse-resistant trees,
or they may have an open shrub
layer.

6. They develop in regions
where the climax community
should be forest, but drought
and fire prevent the
establishment of many trees.

7. Tropical grassland animals
include giraffes, zebras,
buffaloes, kangaroos, mice, moles,
gophers, ground squirrels, snakes,
worms, termites, beetles,
lions, leopards, hyenas,
and elephants.
Animal

8. Buffalo, wildebeest, plains
zebra, rhinos, giraffes, elephants and
warthogs are among other herbivores
of the African savanna. Carnivores
include lions, leopards, cheetahs,
jackals, wild dogs and hyenas.
Termites are especially abundant in
the tropical grasslands of the world.

9. Climate
Tropical grasslands are found in
tropical wet and dry climates. These
areas are hot year-round, usually
never dropping under 64 degrees
Farenheit. Although these areas are
overall very dry, they do have a
season of heavy rain. Annual rainfall
is from 20-50 inches per year.

10. It is crucial that the rainfall is
concentrated in six or eight months
of the year, followed by a long period
of drought when fires can occur. If
the rain were well distributed
throughout the year, many such areas
would become tropical forest.

11. Soil
The soil of tropical grasslands is
porous, with rapid drainage of water.
It has only a thin layer of humus (the
organic portion of the soil created by
partial decomposition of plant or
animal matter), which provides
vegetation with nutrients.

12. Threats
Poaching, overgrazing and
clearing of the land for crops are the
main threats. About 16 percent of
tropical grasslands have been
converted for agriculture or urban
development. Desertification is also a
significant threat.
BACK

13. Poaching happens when
grassland is subjected to
mechanical damage from either
hooves or wheels, when the soil
is too wet to cope with it,
resulting in conditions where air
and water cannot penetrate the
soil, where the grass roots are
exposed to the elements to dry
out and the grass leaves are
buried and are unable to
photosynthesize.
BACK

14. Overgrazing occurs when
plants are exposed to intensive
grazing for extended periods of
time, or without sufficient
recovery periods. It can be
caused by either livestock in
poorly managed agricultural
applications, or by
overpopulations of native or
non-native wild animals.
BACK

15. IV. Evaluation
Direction:
Write YES if the statement is correct and
NO if its not.
1. Tropical grasslands are located near equator.
2. Tropical grasslands are dominated by shrubs
and trees.
3. The soil in the tropical grasslands is porous.
4. The climate of the tropical grasslands are wet
year round

16. 5. Deforestation is the main threat of the
grassland biome.