Savanna
This article is about grasslands. For other possible meanings, see savannah.A
savanna or
savannah is a
grassland dotted with trees, and occurs in several types of
biomes. In savannas,
grasses form the predominant vegetation type, usually mixed with
herbs and
shrubs, with trees scattered individually or in small clumps. Savannas are sometimes a transitional zone, occurring between
forest or
woodland regions and
grassland regions.
Although the term
savanna is believed to have originally come from an Amerindian word describing "land which is without trees but with much grass either tall or short" (
Oviedo y Valdes,
1535), by the late 1800s it was used to mean "land with both grass and trees". It now refers to land with grass and either scattered trees, or an open canopy of trees.
Savannah,
Georgia is named after such an area.
Savanna
ecoregions are of several different types:
Tropical and subtropical savannas are classified with tropical and subtropical savannas and shrublands as the
tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. The savannas of Africa, including the
Serengeti, famous for its wildlife, are typical of this type.
Temperate savannas are mid-latitude savannas with wetter summers and drier winters. They are classified with temperate savannas and shrublands as the
temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome.
Mediterranean savannas are mid-latitude savannas in
Mediterranean climate regions, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, part of the
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub biome. The
oak tree savannas of
California, part of the
California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, fall into this category.
Flooded savannas are savannas that are flooded seasonally or year-round. They are classified with flooded savannas as the
flooded grasslands and savannas biome, which occurs mostly in the tropics and subtropics.
Montane savannas are high-altitude savannas, located in a few spots around the world's high mountain regions, part of the
montane grasslands and shrublands biome. The highland savannas of the
Angolan scarp savanna and woodlands ecoregion are an example.
Native Americans created subtropical savannas by periodic burning in some areas of the US southeastern coast where fire-resistant
Longleaf Pine was the dominant species.
[ http://www.learnpress.org/editions/cede_longleaf/1 URL accessed August 5, 2006. ] Temperature ranges from 68F to 86F.
