Biomes

Question 1

Biomes

Answer 1

Climatically delineated assemblages of organisms that have characteristic appearances and that are distributed over a wide land area
Not at a microscale like a city.
Convergent evolution.
Latitude and longitude variants are mirrored.

Question 2

Biome of South Africa

Answer 2

Albany thicket
Coastal Belt
Desert
Fynbos
Grassland
Nama Karoo
Savanna
Succulent Karoo
Forest

Question 3

Rainfall is classified by

Answer 3

due to the time of year and biomes of south Africa

Question 4

Floral kingdoms

Answer 4

Neotropical
Boreal
Paleotropical
Australian
Antarctic
Cape Foral Region

Question 5

CFK

Answer 5

Cape floral kingdom
Consists of the Cape floral region - the only floristic region in the cfk-genral geographic are
Occurs entirely in its own country
Close to the richness of the neotropics.

Question 6

Fynbos biome

Answer 6

Altitudes of 2250m
Nutrient poor soil
Frequent fires
High endemism
Fynbos and renosterbos plants grow in own soil.

Question 7

Fynbos vegetation

Answer 7

Proteos = Large, leathery leaves (leucospermum, Mimetes, Aulax, Protea)
Erica = Bush with fin leaves (Ericaceae)
Restios = Reed-like plants (restionaceae)
Geophytes = bulbous, fire stimulated flower production.

Diversity covers 90 000km and 8200 plant species
Endemism 68% of species 20% genera
Endemic families.

Question 8

Renosterveld vegetation

Answer 8

Diasies, bulb , grasses and renosterbos.

Question 9

Fynbos soil types

Answer 9

Sandy:
Sandstone derived
Coarse grains
Nutrient poor
Poor water retention
Acidic
Shallow
Mountainous Habitats

Granite:
Granite derived
Fine-grained
INtermediate nutrietns
Clay-like
Good water retention

Question 10

FYnbos abiotic factors

Answer 10

cry summers
strong winds
winter rain
nutrient poor
shallow soils
fire dependant

Question 11

Fynbos animals

Answer 11

Small selective feeders
Seed eater
Bulb feeders

table Mountain Ghost frog - endemic to 4 continuous stream on table mountain.

Question 12

Explinations for small herbivores in fynbos

Answer 12

Plants have low C to N ratio
Plants are hardy and taste bad = low density of herbivores
Increase in Carbon biomass
Fire acts as a herbivore.

Question 13

Fire as a survival strategry

Answer 13

Resprouters survive fires as adults and produce new leaves and branches from protected buds
Reseeders depend on seeds to recolonise post-fire.
MOst fynbos are reseeders.

Question 14

What is serotiny?

Answer 14

Maintiang of seeds in cones that are released post fire and is spread by the wind.
Dominant shrubs utilize this strategy
Adults tend to be reseeders.

Question 15

What is myrmecochory?

Answer 15

Fynbos plants lants have elaiosomes, which is desirable by ants.
Allows seeds to escape rodents and avoid fires.
Plants have independently evolved this symbiotic relationship.
Ants : Anoplolepisand and Pheidole

Question 16

Renosterveld

Answer 16

Due to renosterbos.
High in nutrients
Large diversity
Fire has no role
Different seed dispersion to fynbos - mostly uses wind.

Question 17

Succullent Karoo Biome

Answer 17

West and South of escarpment
Norht of cape-belt fold
Low winter rain
Hot, dry summers
Biodiversity hotspot
4849 plant species in 100 000 km2
between 800-1500m altitude
Dominated by succulents and dwarf shrubs
Lots of geophytes
30% global succulent species
Large contingent of endemic reptiles - diverse reptile ecology 115 species, 36 endemic to region. 8 tortoise species, 3 endemic.
No fires

Question 18

Succulent ecology

Answer 18

Perennial desert flora, short lifetimes with high turnovers
Cannot withstand long periods of frost
Needs a lot of reliable rainfall
Rain - opens flower to disperse seeds
Annual mass flowering displays

Question 19

Nama Karoo BIome

Answer 19

Western half of RSA
Summer rain
500-2000m altitude
Second largest biome
Varying rainfall with 18year cycles associated with springbok migration
Long living drought resistant shrubs with grasses
Low number of succulents and geophytes.
Acacia karoo trees in riverbeds.

Question 20

Savannah Biome

Answer 20

Well developed over the low-veld, bushveld and kalahari
Complex enviromnetal factors
Summer rian
Sea level to 2000m altitude
Grassy ground and distinct woody plants layer
Largest biome in RSA covers 46% of land.

Troppical and sub-tropical plant growth forms
Combination of woody plants and grasses.
Tress don’t form a continuous canopy
Hot wet season
Average dry season
Strong seasonality that leads to the accumulation of fine, dry and flammable grass
Fires yearly and decadely

Question 21

Grassland Biome

Answer 21

High-laying parts of the central plataeu Kwazulu-natal and Eastern cape
Summer rain
Sea level to 2850m altitude
Similar conditions to savannah but no trees
Plants dominated by grasses and geophytes
Frost, fire and grazingin NB
Prevents tree establishment
Threats: expansion of crop-farming overgrazing and urbanisation
high diversity of small shrubs and geophytes.

Question 22

Fire in grasslands and savanna?

Answer 22

Acts as a herbivore
Co2 and C3 photosynthesis
Tress are C3 and grasses are C4

Question 23

What limits the density of trees in the savannah and grasslands?

Answer 23

The effects of fires on grass and tree dynamics.

Question 24

How did trees overcome fires in the savannah?

Answer 24

Meristematic tissues in the form of tubers protect from fires
Fire destroys underground but not the meristem
Increasing the fire frequency lead to grasses reproducing and tree tubers stop growing.
More fires = less trees
Longer periods between fires leads to leaves being protected, anything taller than 1.8m will be protected the rest will burn.

Question 25

Forest Biome

Answer 25

Highly fragmented Frost free areas More rain in summer than winter sea level to 2100m altitude decrease in oxygen levels led to a change in savanna biome and therefore the forests become more dispersed. Fires stop at forest boundary = high moisture prevents fires, distinct boundaries btwn forest and other biomes. Forests are adjacent to fynbos and savannahs Continous tree canopy Absent ground layer due to shade Smallest biome Covers less than 0.25% of RSA Threat: Fragmentation

Question 26

Forest ecology

Answer 26

Light is the limiting resource. When a tree fall sit creates a gap and opportunity for a seedling No fires Localised to protected valleys and mountainous outcrops where fires cannot reach Evergreen trees.

Question 27

Thicket Biome

Answer 27

Not always classified as a true biome. Transition biome btwn forest and savannah Low rainfall compared to forest = less productivity Low trees and shrubs with lots of brush Few herbaceous plants Elephants act as bulldozers.