POWER POINT

Life Science 10
Biomes Revision
Biomes are defined by their own specific
climate, vegetation and animal life.
Grassland
• Climate: Summer rainfall (400 – 2000 mm)
High temperatures in summer, Frost common in winter
• Soil: Fertile, mostly loam with good drainage
• Vegetation: Dominated by grasses, a few scattered trees.
High diversity of small flowering plants
• Animals: Wide variety of Antelopes (Blesbok, Eland),
Birds (Blue Crane, guinea fowl)
 • Climate: Summer &winter rainfall (> 750 mm)
Forest warm & mild temperatures all
through the year
• Soil: Loam soil, rich in plant matter
• Vegetation: evergreen trees and shrubs, mosses &
ferns.
• Animals: Many mammals (small antelope, Bushpig,
Duiker), wide variety of birds (Knysna Woodpecker,
Forest Weaver, Crowned Eagle)
Fynbos
• Climate: winter rainfall (210-3000 mm)
Hot, dry summers. Cool, wet winters
• Soil: Sandy and rocky, well drained
• Vegetation: dwarf shrubs with small, hard leaves.
(NB: Protea)
• Animals: Mammals (rabbits, dassies, baboons) &
birds (Cape Sun Bird)
• Fire plays an important ecological role
 Savanna
• Climate: Summer rainfall (> 235mm)
Mild temperatures during winter but very hot
during summer
• Soil: Sandy and often clay-like.
• Vegetation: Mostly grass, with scattered trees
• Animals: big tourist attraction as it is host to the
Big 5, other mammals (Giraffe, Zebra,
Antelope), wide variety of bird life
(Hornbills, Starlings)
 Nama-Karoo
• Climate: little rain, usually Summer
rainfall (100-520 mm)
Hot summers. Cool winters with Frost
• Soil: Sandy, freely drained
• Vegetation: small, woody shrubs and
grass
• Animals: Plays host large herds of
springbok and other antelope, ostrich,
rabbit and sheep.
Succulent Karoo
• Climate: Winter rainfall (20 – 290 mm)
Hot, dry summers. Cool, wet winters
• Soil: Mostly sand and well drained
• Vegetation: succulent plants (cactus), hardy plants which survive very dry conditions.
Produces a mass flower display.
• Animals: Small mammals (Rats, Dassies) and small reptiles (lizards)
 Desert
• Summer rainfall: 13 – 70 mm
• Vegetation: Small succulents
• Namibia desert & Richtersveld
• Animals: abundant insect & reptile species
Thicket
• Rainfall: 200–950 mm (all year in the
southwest & summer in the northeast)
• Vegetation: Almost impenetrable
succulent shrubs
• Animals: elephants, monkeys, many
species of birds
Biomes (revised)
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