Expert: Naomi - 11/8/2007

Question
What is the climate of a Savanna Biome?

Answer
The Savanna biome is characterized by an extensive cover of grasses with scattered trees. It is a transitional biome between those dominated by forests and those dominated by grasses. The Savanna biome is associated with climates having seasonal precipitation accompanied with a seasonal drought. A midlatitude variant, the parkland, is located in the drier portions of the humid continental climate.

Tropical Savanna
The tropical savanna is generally found in regions dominated by the Wet-Dry Tropical climate. An extensive cover of tall grasses, sometimes reaching a height of 3 meters, is found in the tropical savanna. Most savanna grass is coarse and grows in tufts with intervening patches of bare ground. Scattered, individual trees or small groves of trees are common. The umbrella shaped Acacia tree is a notable species of the Savanna biome. Trees do not dominate the biome because the small amount of high sun rainfall is not enough to sustain such vegetation. In eastern Africa where precipitation is higher, savanna vegetation is maintained by periodic fires. Fires burn back the forest and stimulates the growth of grasses like that which occurs in the prairie grasslands. Savannas, like those found in Venezuela and Brazil, develop on soils that have a hard crust and are subject to cracking. Tree flourish where their roots can follow the cracks down to water held deep beneath the surface. Grasses grow in the crust above.