life throughout the savanna is very depending on the weather.She lost in the brightness of each drought, turning the sea sultry gloom and dead grass.At the same time several days of rain nature becomes totally unrecognizable.This article will address the most common plant savanna Africa.
Description
Savannah found in places where the dry season lasts up to 8 months of the year.Powerful crust is very thick, low tree trunks can sometimes reach up to 30 millimeters or more.It prevents the rapid loss of moisture and protects plants from fire.With frequent savanna fires plant does not suffer, just outside the charred crust.Aerial authorities bushes burn fires and dormant buds, which are close to the soil surface, forming new shoots, so revolting from the ashes.The second feature of the trees - they flattened umbellate or discoid crown.
savanna plants and animals survive drought and other means - collecting water.For trees that have learned to do it on their own, different interesting look: very thick branches and trunks, as well as fleshy leaves.These bodies are tanks in which plants store up moisture as they need in such harsh conditions.
Cereals
considering cereals savannas of Africa is to provide elephant grass.It got its name due to the fact that elephants like to eat it shoots.In those places where the rainy season longer, grass height reaches three meters.Ground part of the shoot in a drought dries up and very often completely destroyed by fire, and the underground part is preserved, after the rains giving them new life.
acacia savanna
in Africa also often found acacia savannah.Basically it is whitish, Senegalese acacia giraffe.Due to its crown, having a flattened shape, the tree was called umbel.Adhesives contained in the bark, is widely used in industry, and the wood goes to the creation of expensive high-quality furniture.
Baobab
Continuing to talk about plant savanna, I must say that it is a hallmark of the baobab.The tree reaches a height of 25 meters, has a thick trunk (diameter 10 meters), as well as spreading a huge crown.Not so long ago was discovered in Africa, a giant baobab tree with a trunk diameter of 44 meters, in addition, the height of 189 meters.Such plants savanna - long-lived, some reaching the age of 5000 years.Baobab bloom a few months, each flower lives only one night.They are pollinated by bats.
Oil palm plants savannah are quite diverse.Among them are oil palm.This plant life expectancy reaches 120 years.It is worth to mention that in the pulp of its fruit contains about 70% of oil used in soap making.When incision inflorescences get juice, used to make wine.
Features wildlife
savanna plants and animals are always interrelated.The items listed above plant diversity - is the main food for the number of herbivores.The main part of them - it antelope:
- Oryx;
- blue wildebeest;
- kongoni.
About wildebeest can always see herds of gazelles Grant and Thompson and zebras.All are excellent grazers prey for various predators.Cheetahs, lions, hyenas and leopards maintain balance, once on the top of the food chain.
on different continents savannas differ in their floristic composition, but combined similarity of some features: the presence of the main grass layer with an abundance of xerophilous cereals, as well as a rare top-tier of trees and shrubs that grow singly or in small groups.
