100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Biol 1000 South African biomes Notes CA$20.87   Add to cart

Class notes

Biol 1000 South African biomes Notes

 10 views  0 purchase
  • Course
  • Institution

This is a comprehensive and detailed note on South African biomes,also gives a precise outline of the types of biomes in South Africa and their flagship species. Essential!!

Preview 4 out of 34  pages

  • August 12, 2024
  • 34
  • 2022/2023
  • Class notes
  • Prof. alexander
  • All classes
avatar-seller
BIOMES OF SOUTH AFRICA


Polokwane
#




#
Johannesburg

Biomes
Upington
# Forest
Bloemfontein Fynbos
#
# Durban Grassland
Nama Karoo
Savanna
Succulent Karoo
Thicket

N
Cape Town #
#
Port Elizabeth
W E
0 900 Kilometers
S




Dominant life forms in SA biomes:
Savanna:
• Herbaceous perennial
• Woody perennial
Grassland:
• Herbaceous perennial, biennial
Forest:
• Woody perennial
Fynbos:
• Woody perennial,
• Herbaceous perennial,
• Shrubs
Succulent Karoo
• Shrubs
• Succulents
Nama Karoo
• Herbaceous perennial
• Shrubs
Desert (see the first map of SA biomes a few pages back)
• Annuals
• Below ground

1

,More in detail when we look at each biome separately – this is just to give you an idea of the
different life forms in the different biomes.
The other thing I want you to understand is that dominant forms occur in particular regions
because of the advantage they have in that particular environment.


Remember how we said that climate does influence the distribution of biomes? Well that
does not only apply globally but to South Africa’s biomes as well. Look at the following
maps:




Mean annual precipitation: for example you note how savanna is localised to areas that are
dry but not too dry; too little rain and it becomes karoo, too much and woody vegetation
begins to dominate.




2

,Variation in precipitation: high variation  karoo; low variation grassland, thicket and
forest; savanna  intermediate.




3

, You can see from previous figure how we can distinguish between areas with summer
rainfall encompassing mainly savanna, grassland, forest ; very late summer rainfall in the
Nama Karoo and winter rainfall in the succulent Karoo and fynbos


Let’s now look in more detail at each of the South African biomes with the focus being on
their vegetation characteristics and plant adaptations to the prevailing environmental
conditions, plant and animal diversity, some charismatic species (both plants and animals)
and the impact humans have in each.



FYNBOS




The two major vegetation types in the region are fynbos and renosterveld.
• The fynbos, above all the mountain area part, is quite well conserved, with several
conservation areas having been established.
• Renosterveld is limited to low lying fertile areas. It once hosted herds of herbivores
and their predators. Most large animals (including the bluebuck, cape lion, quagga
and Cape warthog) where shot to extinction by 1800. Less than 5% of coastal
Renosterveld remains today: the rest has been transformed to produce wheat and
wine.



4

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller anyiamgeorge19. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for CA$20.87. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

73918 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling
CA$20.87
  • (0)
  Add to cart