. Animal Ecology. Animal ecology. FIG. 27-2 Tropical rain forest on slopes of Mt. Aoyo, Republic of the Congo (courtesy S. Glidden Baldwin). of the savanna in Africa probably represents a cli- matic climax, but in those areas with a high pre- cipitation, the savanna may be subclimax due to fire, biotic, or edaphic conditions. This latter is the com- mon situation in South America (Beard 1955). Savannas are communities having a dominant stra- tum oj more or less xeromorphic herbaceous plants, of which grasses and sedges are the principal com- ponents, and with scattered shrubs, trees or palms s
. Animal Ecology. Animal ecology. FIG. 27-2 Tropical rain forest on slopes of Mt. Aoyo, Republic of the Congo (courtesy S. Glidden Baldwin). of the savanna in Africa probably represents a cli- matic climax, but in those areas with a high pre- cipitation, the savanna may be subclimax due to fire, biotic, or edaphic conditions. This latter is the com- mon situation in South America (Beard 1955). Savannas are communities having a dominant stra- tum oj more or less xeromorphic herbaceous plants, of which grasses and sedges are the principal com- ponents, and with scattered shrubs, trees or palms sometimes present (Beard 1953). The grasses in the savanna may be tall, mid, or short and related taxonomically to those in temperate regions. The grasses and forbs die down in the dry season at the same time that the trees shed their leaves. Sedges are more common than grasses where there is more rainfall. The trees may form a dense narrow stand along rivers—the so-called gallery forest—or may be more or less uniformly scattered through the grass- land to give the appearance of a park or orchard (Burtt 1942). The trees are often thorny or xerophi- lous, crooked in growth, and seldom over 20 m high. There is very little shrubby undergrowth; lianas and epiphytes are scarce. Probably savanna is in- creasing in extent at the present time because of Human influence in destroying or opening up closed stands of the deciduous and evergreen forests. Tropical deciduous forest, including monsoon for- est, is more or less leafless during the dry season, is less lofty than the broad-leaved evergreen forest, but has a higher and more continuous canopy than sa- vanna forest. The forest is rich in woody lianas and iierbaceous epiphytes, but not in woody epiphytes. There are usually two tree strata; in the upper stra- tum the trees are scattered and strictly deciduous. A proportion of the trees in the lower stratum is ever- green, and the number of these broad-leaved ever- green trees incre
Size: 1379px × 1812px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionbiodive, booksubjectanimalecology
