African Vegetation Patterns

Vegetation Zones

– The majority of Africa lies within the tropics

– Wet near the equator

– Drier moving north and south

Tropical Rain Forest

Tropical Rain Forest

Near the equator; 200+ inches of rain annually3000+ species per square mile (mostly in canopy).Soil problems (leaching) because of abundant

rainfall.Warm & wet climate = good for diseases.No dry season = grains can’t be grown.

Savanna

Savanna

Tropical grasslands; identified by type of grass (tall or short).

Seasonal rainfall (long & short rains).Widespread practice of burning; only fire resistant

trees survive (baobab, acacia etc.).Sustains most of Africa’s agriculture.Serengeti Plain with large mammals.

Sahel

Sahel

Sahel = shore (Arabic).Grass is no longer sod; bunch grasses.Unpredictable rainfall can lead to drought & famine.Erosion & desertification caused by:

– Overgrazing, stripping trees for firewood, & clearing too much land for farming.

Deserts

Deserts

Arid & semi-arid. Sahara = sea of sand (Arabic). Namib = place of nothingness

(Nama). Kalahari = the great thirst

(Tswana). Daily temperatures vary

greatly; 120ºF during the day, 50ºF at night.

Deserts are spreading faster due to human activities.

Biomass

The weight of living matter per unit of land.– Africa has the

densest biomass in the world.

– Very productive plants leads to large herbivores which leads to large carnivores.