Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

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Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are a grassland biome located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes. Grasslands are dominated by grass and other herbaceous plants. Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees. Shrublands are dominated by woody or herbaceous shrubs.

Rainfall in tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is between 50 and 150 centimetres (20 to 60 inches) a year, and can be highly seasonal, with the entire year's rainfall sometimes occurring within a couple of weeks. Much of the plant life on savannas is adapted to seasonal aridity. Adaptations to the dry climate include herbaceous annuals, which die in the dry season and re-grow from seed each year, and perennial plants which grow long tap roots to reach groundwater, or bulbs to store water.

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands occur on all continents but Antarctica. They are widespread on Africa, and are also found in India, the northern parts of South America and Australia, and the southern United States.

African Savannas occur between forest or woodland regions and grassland regions. The climate varies, with an average temperature of 27°C with peaks of 30°C in April and October, and between 50 and 150 centimetres of rain per year. Flora includes:

Acacia (Tree)
*Loses leaves in dry season to conserve moisture
*Leafy canopy in rainy season (flattened by winds)
Baobab (Tree)
*Stores water in trunk
*Thick bark to protect it from fires in dry season
*Long Tap roots to reach underground moisture
*Few leaves to reduce water loss through transpiration
Grass
*Grow Quickly to 3 or 4 meters in clumps
*Shoots die in dry season leaving only roots
Low Shrubs
*Drought resistant
*Small
*Thorns not leaves

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregions

Afrotropic Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands [ edit ]
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, Sudan, Uganda
Eastern Miombo woodlands	Mozambique, Tanzania
Guinean forest-savanna mosaic	Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, 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, Sudan, Uganda
Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic	Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Uganda
Sahelian Acacia savanna	Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan
Serengeti volcanic grasslands	Tanzania
Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets	Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan
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, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
West Sudanian savanna	Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, 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, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands	Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

External link

[(World Wildlife Fund)]

Terrestrial biomes
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests · Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests · Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests · Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests · Temperate coniferous forests · Boreal forests/taiga ·Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands · Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands · Flooded grasslands and savannas · Montane grasslands and shrublands · Tundra ·Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub · Deserts and xeric shrublands · Mangrove

Ecozones
Afrotropic · Antarctic · Australasia · Indomalaya · Nearctic · Neotropic · Oceania · Palearctic

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