Climate of grassland biome in south africa

It is projected that South Africa and more specifically its biodiversity will be severely affected by climate change in the medium to long-term. Reyers et al 2001 and it is the biome in South Africa most urgently requiring conservation attention Rebelo 1997.

Altitude varies from near sea level to 2850 m above sea level.

Climate of grassland biome in south africa. Grassland is the second largest biome in South Africa covering 284 of the country or more than 360 000 km 2. Grassland is found in summer rainfall areas from sea level to above 2000 m. Most of South Africas grasslands are found in highveld areas that experience frost in winter.

The biodiversity of the Grassland Biome is extremely rich and is second only to the Fynbos Biome. Grasslands typically have summer rainfall of 400 mm to 2000 mm. Winters are cold and frost can occur.

Grassland is generally dominated by a single layer of grasses of which there are two main categories. Coastal High rainfall 1000 mm with hot humid summers Low altitudes 20 to 600 masl Mesic grassland occurring as patches forming a mosaic with other grassland sub- biomes. Highly threatened due to habitat loss sub-tropical along the north coast and temperate in the south coast areas.

The Grassland Biome is the mainstay of dairy beef and wool production in South Africa. Pastures may be augmented in wetter areas by the addition of legumes and sweet grasses. The Grassland Biome is the cornerstone of the maize crop and many grassland types have been converted to this crop.

Sorghum wheat and sunflowers are also farmed on a smaller scale. The grassland biome is situated mainly in the central high lying regions of South Africa Figure 36 OConnor and Bredenkamp 1997. The biome spans a precipitation gradient from ca.

400 to 1 200 mmyr a temperature gradient from frost-free to snow-bound in winter ranges in altitude from sea level to 3 300 metres and occurs on a spectrum of soil types from humic clays to poorly structured sands. The Grassland Biome is found ch. Iefly on the high central plateau of South Africa and the inland area of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

The topography is mainly flat and rolling but includes the escarpment itself. Altitude varies from near sea level to 2850 m above sea level. Grassland vegetatio types can.

Growth dry season temperature. Based on these threeindices the grassland biome in South Africa call be distinguished from neighbouring biomes. The fynbos and succulent karoo biomes have rainfall in winter.

The grassland nama-karoo and savanna biomes have rainfall in summer. The forest biome experiences rainfall throughout the year. Of the summer rainfall biomes the quantity of water available.

It is the second largest biome in South Africa with topography that varies from expansive rocky or sandy plains to flat topped mesas. This region is generally hot and windy in the summers and very cold in the winters with a fairly low rainfall of below 500 mm per year. A large variety of life forms exist here with the dominant vegetation being dwarf shrub land.

Plant eating animals in the Karoo are usually. Most of South Africas grasslands are found amongst Highveld areas that experience frost in the winter. Grasslands also occur on high mountains and in patches along the coast from Eastern Cape to KwaZulu Natal.

Grasslands burn regularly often every year but the plants are adapted to survive fires. The grassland biome has nearly 3800 plant species recorded. Because fires are frequent there are.

In South Africa the extent of the Grassland Biome can be rea- son ably w ell d efine d on the b asi s of veg etat ion s tru cture in combination with environmental factors primarily the amount. It is centred on the plateau of the Cape Province. The climate is harsh with frequent droughts and fluctuations in both seasonal and daily temperatures.

The mean maximum temperature exceeds 30C in the summer. Annual rainfall ranges between 100-500mm. South Africa has a wide range of climatic conditions and variations in topography and geology that give rise to broad vegetation zones that have been classified in terms of the biome concept.

It is projected that South Africa and more specifically its biodiversity will be severely affected by climate change in the medium to long-term. Yet grasslands are arguably are most threatened biome in South Africa. By Heather Dugmore Grasslands are critical water storage biodiversity and food production areas for South Africa yet 65 of South Africas grasslands have been irreversibly transformed and only 28 are formally conserved mostly in the Drakensberg.

Mining and development are two of the main causes of grassland destruction with most of South Africa. Recent and future projected changes in the climate imply long-term changes in the fire regime which may pose challenges to fire managers and exceed the current suppression capacity. The aim of this study was thus to assess historical and future fire danger across the central grassland biome of South Africa.

Both actual observed fires ie. Although highly fragmented the Highveld contains the greatest expanse of remaining grassland in southern Africa. Analyses of pollen spores from the Winterberg escarpment suggest that grasses have dominated the floral community since at least the early Holocene Meadows and Meadows 1988.

Meadows and Linder 1993. At times Highveld grassland types have expanded or contracted in response to climate change. During the Quaternary grassland.

The Grassland Biome is found on the high central plateau of South Africa including large parts of Gauteng Mpumalanga Free State parts of North West the inland regions of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. This biome is dominated by a single layer of grass and absence of trees except in a few localised areas. There are many unique spiders found having adaptations in body form colour and web and.

The Grassland Biome of South Africa is critically endangered Olsen. Reyers et al 2001 and it is the biome in South Africa most urgently requiring conservation attention Rebelo 1997. Human land use activities have had a high impact upon the available natural resource base resulting in widespread land-cover transformation Neke du Plessis 2004.