Savanna Time

What is a biome?Let’s first start out with

discussing what a biome is! A biome is an area that is

characterized by a different or unique climate, soil type,

and living community. Many different species live

or learn to adapt in a biome. A specie is a group of

individuals that can live or breed together due to

common characteristics. But they can’t do the same

with other species of another class. This leads up

to ecology, which is the study of organisms interaction in there

atmosphere. Kind of like a zoo keeper!Lets walk into the Savanna Planet!

Where is it located?

Mostly in Africa, but in South America,

east-central Mexico, South-east Asia, and

northern Australia too. What does it look

like?Another name for the Savanna, in which its known for is, tropical grasslands. It has tall

length grasses, and scattered trees and bushes all over the land. The weather mostly stays in

the warm temperature. In the winter it’s very cool and dry, and in the summer it stays very hot and

lots of rain. Then in the dry seasons it has periodic and irregular fires.

Creating it! The Climate

• Us humans also have an impact on creating this particular biome. By burning and cutting down grasslands and trees to plant crops.

• If we can do it, you know the animals can too. Large ones knock trees down by stripping the bark from the trees, and tramping on tree seedlings.

• The temperatures range from 68° to 86°F. Savannas need a 6 - 8 month wet summer season, and a 4 - 6 month dry winter season. The rainfall can go up to 10-35 inches per year, and the lightings can damage the grass.

What type of organisms inhabit this biome?

AnimalsSome animals:

Lions, Giraffes, Zebras, Elephants, and Ungulates (which are animals with

hooves).

Herbivores can survive here because they have a wide

variety of land and grass to run around and eat.

Carnivores eat them in return.

Plants Plants are able to grow during long periods of drought. The grasses have too sharp or bitter tasting that causes

animals from feeding on it. Many plants also have storage tools like

bulbs and corms for making it though the dry season.

The Savanna has a big percent of animals and plants. They all depend on the each other to

keep the biome alive.

What percentage?

The Savanna is on each side of the border. It covers

more than 40 percent of the Earth’s land!

PopulationThe rough population spread is:

ranging from two to over 100 people per square mile and roughly 45% live in cities, otherwise population figures are

difficult to discover in the savanna.

Vocabulary!

Before we get to the next sections, lets define some words that might help us

understand the savanna world!

Word DefinitionNiche A position or function an animal has in its

own community.

Decomposer A fungus or bacterium that breaks down the cell of an animal or plant.

Heterotroph Eats the food.

Autotroph Make food from photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Producer Organisms that can build up foods from inorganic materials.

Keystone Species When a predator leaves, it allows a prey population to explode and often decrease overall diversity.

Predator An animal that preys on another one. Attacks an animal to feed on it.

Prey A hunted animal that is seized for food.

Primary Consumer An animal that eats plants.

Secondary Consumer A carnivore that eats a herbivore.

Plant SpeciesThe Savanna has many grasses.

Unfortunately there are not that many trees due to a low percent of rainfall. The only trees you’ll see will be the ones near streams or ponds. But there are quite a lot of beautiful plants. The next five pages are some examples of plant species that live in the biome! All plants are autotrophs.

BaobabFACTS!

Kingdom: PlantaeGenus: AdansoniaSpecies: digitataParts used: all parts of the tree are

used Common name: BaobabFamily: BombacaceaeAngiosperm or Gymnosperm?

Angiosperm

Senegal Gum Acacia

FACTS!Kingdom: PlantaeGenus: AcaciaSpecies: SenegalParts used: AllCommon names: Gum Arabic,

Senegal Gum, Kher, KumtaFamily: FabaceaeAngiosperm or Gymnosperm?

Angiosperm

Bermuda Grass

FACTS!Kingdom: PlantaeGenus: CynodonSpecies: Cynodon dactylonParts used: the stems and the

leaves Common names: Bahama Grass,

Devil's Grass, Couch Grass, Wire Grass, Indian Doab

Family: PoaceaeAngiosperm or Gymnosperm?

Angiosperm*This is often used as a producer for some animals in the biome.*

Elephant Grass

FACTS!Kingdom: AnimaliaGenus: PennistumSpecies: purpureumParts used: leaves for animal fodder Common names: Napier grass,

Uganda grassFamily: MacroscelididaeAngiosperm or Gymnosperm?

Gymnosperm

Candelabra TreeFACTS!

Kingdom: PlantaeGenus: EuphorbiaSpecies: ingens Parts used: sharp spines on its

branches as a fenceCommon names: DahliaFamily: AsteraceaeAngiosperm or Gymnosperm?

Angiosperm

Animals!When you go to the zoo what do you see?

What animals automatically catch your attention? What comes to mind? Most of the animals you see in a zoo are Savanna

animals! They come from all over the world. Here are ten main animals and

their facts! All the animals are heterotrophs.

Lions FACTS!Class: Mammalia: Mammals Predator: Humans and HyenasPrey: Large mammals, also smaller

mammals, birds Consumer: SecondaryFun Fact: Lions are the only cats

that live in groups called prides. Their niche is often to be the King of the Savanna.

Giraffes

FACTS!Class: Mammalia:

Mammals Predator: Humans, lions,

and leopards Prey: Leaves, buds, fruits Consumer: PrimaryFun Fact: The giraffe is

the tallest living animal

Zebras (Grevy's)

FACTS!Class:

Mammalia: Mammals

Predator: Lions, cheetahs, hyenas, hunting dogs, leopards; habitat destruction and poaching

Prey: grasses and some foliage

Consumer: Primary

Fun Fact: Zebra foals are born with a coat that is stripped reddish-brown.

Cheetahs

FACTS!Class: Mammalia: Mammals Predator: Changing habitat, eagles, humans, hyenas,

lionsPrey: A variety of small animals i.e. antelopesConsumer: SecondaryFun Fact: The cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal.

African Elephants

FACTS!Class: Mammalia:

Mammals Predator: Humans,

tigers, and lionsPrey: Leaves, lots

of water, grass, twigs, bark, fruit, and seed pods

Consumer: PrimaryFun Fact: Their

trunks serves as a nose, hand, extra foot, signaling device and tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting, and digging

Brown Hyenas FACTS!

Class: Mammalia: Mammals

Predator: Lions, hunting dogs, and humans

Prey: Carrion, cubs Consumer: SecondaryFun Fact: Hyenas make

a variety of sounds, including wailing calls, howling screams and the well-known "laughter" used to alert other hyenas up to three miles away of a food source.

Nile Crocodile

FACTS!Class: ReptiliaPredator: humansPrey: insects and aquatic

invertebrates. As they grow larger they will include Amphibians, reptiles and birds. warthogs, waterbucks, antelopes, zebras, young hippopotamuses, goats, sheep and cattle

Consumer: SecondaryFun Fact: The Nile crocodile will

normally dive for no more than a couple of minutes, but it can hold its breath for up to two hours

Egyptian Mongoose

FACTS!Class: Mammalia:

Mammals Predator: Birds of prey,

snakesPrey: small rodents,

reptiles and young, fruit, insects like termites, locusts, beetles, grubs, larvae, and spiders

Consumer: PrimaryFun Fact: they make a

high-pitched noise, which is termed as "giggling" as a sign of mating.

Chacma Baboon

FACTS!Class: Mammalia: Mammals Predator: Humans,

leopards, cheetahs Prey: Grass, berries, seeds,

pods, blossoms, leaves, roots, bark, sap, insects, fish, shellfish, hares, birds, vervet monkeys, and small antelopes

Consumer: PrimaryFun Fact: After coming

down from the cliffs or trees, adults sit in small groups grooming each other while their babies play

African Wild Dog

FACTS!Class: Mammalia

(Mammals) Predator: HumansPrey: gazelles and other

antelopes, warthogs, wildebeest calves, rats and birds

Consumer: SecondaryFun Fact: They rarely

stay in one place more than a day or two

Kingdom Fungi

There are quite a few fungus found in the Savanna. Many are decomposer that feed on animals or plants. Did you

know that fungus are similar to animals then plants? Some fungi are good, but the majority are just bad! Here is one

example found in the Savanna.

Truffles

FACTS!Features: Truffles are

round, warty, and irregular in shape and vary from different sizes.

Seasons: falls between September and May

Used for: delicacies, aphrodisiacs, and medicines

Found: branches, beech, oak, hazel, pine, and more.

Food WebA food web is a relationship between organisms, nutrients, and the atmosphere to survive. Animals feed on animals that feed

on another animal that feeds on a plant which uses photosynthesis. This is how they survive! If a keystone specie

died then this might decrease/increase a certain organism.

Problems in the Savanna

• People use the land for cattle grazing, which kills the grass and turns the savanna into a desert, they cause many fires that destroy the land. The use of wood for fuel also causes problems in environment. There is a thing called poaching (hunt the animals illegally) that is used very often and cause some animals to go instinct.

• Wildfires can kill animals and plants. The increasing of population leads to new towns and cities, destroying the surrounding area. When the tourists come the minibuses get to close to the animals. Not only do they scare the animals, they are unlikely to mate or kill while being observed. This results in their number decreasing.

To sum it all up, the Savanna is a very beautiful place to visit. There are a lot of problems that happen there! It is the humans job to help this community. The animals and the plants need as much help as

possible. If we stop the killing and the pollution maybe, just maybe

this beautiful surface can survive!

If you are interested in helping visit

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/endangered_animals/howtohelp.htm

and give charity, write a letter, etc.

Research this website and you can

be a life savor

By: Yesenia Lizardi

• Help the World, Help the Savanna Biome!

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• Ashworth, William, and Charles E. Little. "grassland biome." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Dec. 2011. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE40&SID=5&iPin=envrnstud1436&SingleRecord=True>.

• Bailey, Jill. "food web." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Dec. 2011. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE40&SID=5&iPin=FDEE0772&SingleRecord=True>.

• Bailey, Jill. "producer." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Dec. 2011. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE40&SID=5&iPin=ffdbot1795&SingleRecord=True>.

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Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Dec. 2011. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE40&SID=5&iPin=DEST0581&SingleRecord=True>.