In areas with a winter rainfall where the rain develops out of cyclones that come from over the seas, we find
Mediterranean forests. These regions experience long, dry summers. The vegetation consists of small knotty trees with leathery leaves. Shrubs cover most of the landscape. The plants have adapted in various ways to the summer drought conditions.
Some have tough, leathery or waxy leaves to protect them against the summer heat, and to minimize evaporation (protea).
Some have fine hairs on their leaves to reflect the sunlight (silver tree).
A thick bark layer around the trunk also reduces evaporation.
Activity 2:
To depict a forest biome by means of collage
[lo 1.5]
Choose any one of the afore-mentioned forest biomes and make a collage to depict it.
THE SAVANNAH BIOME (tropical grasslands)
- This is a transitional region between the wet tropical rainforests and the dry desert and semi-desert regions. It occurs over large areas of Africa and South America, and is also found in Australia, Central America and South-East Asia.
- The savannah grasslands have an annual rainfall of 750 to 1 500 mm, which falls during the summer months. This means that evaporation is high. The rainfall is not as dependable as it is in the tropical rainforests, and droughts occur regularly. The winters are dry and cloudless, with warm days and cold nights.
- The landscape has a park-like appearance with characteristic trees and tall-growing grasses. More trees grow where there is more water and along the rivers, and grass predominates in the drier parts. During winter the grass dries up and trees shed their leaves, but the landscape turns into a paradise again as soon as the first rains begin to fall in spring. The baobab, mopani, acacia and umbrella-shaped camel thorn trees of Africa are well-known trees of this biome. In Australia, eucalyptus trees are the dominant trees of the biome.
- Fires often rage in savannah regions and prevent trees from gaining the upper hand. The heat of the fires does not affect the grass roots, only the weaker trees. The eradication of the weaker trees ensures that the veld remains clear for grasses to revive again after rain.
- Large herds of grazing animals like zebras, various antelopes, giraffes, wildebeest, etc. occur here.
Activity 3:
To design a poster of a savannah landscape
[lo 1.5]
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The class divides into two groups.Group 1: Collect photographs, pictures and newspaper or magazine clippings that show the landscape and the various animals of the savannah and use these to make a large poster for the classroom.Group 2: Collect information on the various well-known nature reserves that have been established in the savannah regions and use it to make a poster. |
THE GRASSLANDS BIOME (temperate grasslands)
- The temperate grasslands are found in the regions that form a transition between the warm and cold areas of the earth. They are normally found in the interiors of continents and the climate is referred to as a continental climate. This means that it is cool and temperate, with cool to cold winters and warm summers. The precipitation varies between 300 and 500 mm per year.
- Temperate grasslands cover large areas of the earth and have been given different names in different parts of the world:
