Vegetation of Africa Flashcards
Where?
On both sides of the equator (eg: Guineo-Congolian Lowland, concentrated in the Congo Basin) and eastern Madagascar.
Rain & Climate:
Very high rainfall (1000–2000+ mm per year)
-Short and dry season in summer
- Warm temperature all year.
Plants:
Tall trees forming a canopy (>30m) and with emergent’s up to 50-60m forming several strata, abundant growth of Epiphytes.
Tropical Rainforest
Where? Found in North Africa and South Africa, with Mediterranean climates.
Climate:
o Long dry summer season: 3–6 months in summer
o Annual rainfall: 400–1000 mm, mostly in winter.
Subtropical Dry Forest
Where?
Around the Guineo-Congolian basin and C.Madagascar.
Rain & Climate:
One rainy season with noticeable dry months (up to 6 months)
Rainfall is 800–1500 mm (locally up to 2000mm)
Plants: Deciduous
Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest
Where?
Sahel, Kalahari, S.W. Madagascar and parts of Somalia.
Rain & Climate:
Very little rain (less than 1000 mm, sometimes as low as 200 mm)
Hot temperatures (mean temp. of coldest month: >20C/except Kalahari=10C/)
+Somalia
* Arid or semi arid
* Dry, high temp. due to low lat.
* Rnfl: b/n 400 & 750 mm
Plants: deciduous shrub land and thicket with Acacia
Tropical Shrubland
Subtropical Mountain Systems
Where?
o Northern Africa: Atlas Mountains (stretching over 3000 km from Morocco to Tunisia).
o Southern Africa: Highveld Region and Ukhahlamba (Drakensberg).
Altitude:
o Atlas Mountains: 1500 m in Tunisia, 2500 m in Algeria, 4165 m in Morocco.
o Highveld: Over 1000 m, with Drakensberg exceeding 3000 m.
Vegetation:
o Northern Atlas: Lower slopes have mixed forests with deciduous oaks.
o Southern Africa: Highveld is grassland, while the Drakensberg slopes have evergreen montane forests, including Podocarpus.
Subtropical Steppe
Where?
Transitional zone in northern Africa, separating subtropical dry forests from the Sahara Desert.
Climate:
o Rainfall: 200–500 mm annually.
o Dry season: Long and hot, lasting 6–11 months.
o Coldest month temperature: Always above 7°C.
Vegetation: Dominated by acacia trees and drought-resistant plants.
Where?
Sahara, Karoo-Namib, and Somalia coasts.
Rain & Climate:
Extremely dry (less than 200 mm of rain).
Plants:
Xerophytes and some woody plants along the Wadis in Sahara
Tropical Desert
Subtropical Humid Forest
Where?
Along the eastern coast of South Africa
Rain & Climate:
o Annual rainfall: 800–1200 mm, well-distributed throughout the year.
o Mean temperature: Coldest month: 7–15°C;
* Annual: 22°C in the north, 17°C in the south.
o Inland: Rapid climate changes over short distances.
Vegetation:
Coastal areas: Evergreen or semi-evergreen forests.
Drier regions: Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket.
Where?
* Above 800–1200 meters above sea level.
* Tropical African mountains
-Cameroon Highlands, Mountains of Kenya, Kivu Ridge, and Ethiopian Highlands
* Smaller, isolated hills include
-Fouta Djalon, Jos Plateau, Mandara Plateau (West Africa), Hoggar (Sahara), and Windhoek Mountains (Southern Africa)
Classified into three types:
1. Submontane Vegetation (lower elevations)
2. Montane Vegetation (mid-elevations)
3. High-Elevation Vegetation
Climate and Vegetation
= Climate: as alt. increase temp. decrease and rnfl increase
=Vegetation is highly diverse and changes with altitude:
o Lowland Forests grow at the base.
o A submontane transition zone exists between lowland and montane forests, though this zone is often damaged by farming and fires.
o Montane Forests (above 1500–2000 meters) are shorter than lowland forests.
o At higher altitudes, forests give way to an Ericaceous belt (shrub-like vegetation).
o Above 3000 meters, vegetation transitions to Afro-alpine shrublands and grasslands.
Tropical Mountain Forest
Where?
Further from the equator and from the wet S.E.coast
Rain & Climate:
* Less rain (500–1000 mm)
* Long dry season (6–7 months)
* Mean temp. of the coldest month: 20*C
Plants: Woodland
Tropical Dry Forest
Subtropical Dry Forest
Where? Found in North Africa and South Africa, with Mediterranean climates.
Climate:
o Long dry summer season: 3–6 months in summer
o Annual rainfall: 400–1000 mm, mostly in winter.
Tropical Rainforest
Where?
On both sides of the equator (eg: Guineo-Congolian Lowland, concentrated in the Congo Basin) and eastern Madagascar.
Rain & Climate:
Very high rainfall (1000–2000+ mm per year)
-Short and dry season in summer
- Warm temperature all year.
Plants:
Tall trees forming a canopy (>30m) and with emergent’s up to 50-60m forming several strata, abundant growth of Epiphytes.
Where?
Transitional zone in northern Africa, separating subtropical dry forests from the Sahara Desert.
Climate:
o Rainfall: 200–500 mm annually.
o Dry season: Long and hot, lasting 6–11 months.
o Coldest month temperature: Always above 7°C.
Vegetation: Dominated by acacia trees and drought-resistant plants.
Subtropical Steppe
Tropical Mountain Forest
Where?
* Above 800–1200 meters above sea level.
* Tropical African mountains
-Cameroon Highlands, Mountains of Kenya, Kivu Ridge, and Ethiopian Highlands
* Smaller, isolated hills include
-Fouta Djalon, Jos Plateau, Mandara Plateau (West Africa), Hoggar (Sahara), and Windhoek Mountains (Southern Africa)
Classified into three types:
1. Submontane Vegetation (lower elevations)
2. Montane Vegetation (mid-elevations)
3. High-Elevation Vegetation
Climate and Vegetation
= Climate: as alt. increase temp. decrease and rnfl increase
=Vegetation is highly diverse and changes with altitude:
o Lowland Forests grow at the base.
o A submontane transition zone exists between lowland and montane forests, though this zone is often damaged by farming and fires.
o Montane Forests (above 1500–2000 meters) are shorter than lowland forests.
o At higher altitudes, forests give way to an Ericaceous belt (shrub-like vegetation).
o Above 3000 meters, vegetation transitions to Afro-alpine shrublands and grasslands.
Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest
Where?
Around the Guineo-Congolian basin and C.Madagascar.
Rain & Climate:
One rainy season with noticeable dry months (up to 6 months)
Rainfall is 800–1500 mm (locally up to 2000mm)
Plants: Deciduous
Tropical Desert
Where?
Sahara, Karoo-Namib, and Somalia coasts.
Rain & Climate:
Extremely dry (less than 200 mm of rain).
Plants:
Xerophytes and some woody plants along the Wadis in Sahara
Where?
Along the eastern coast of South Africa
Rain & Climate:
o Annual rainfall: 800–1200 mm, well-distributed throughout the year.
o Mean temperature: Coldest month: 7–15°C;
* Annual: 22°C in the north, 17°C in the south.
o Inland: Rapid climate changes over short distances.
Vegetation:
Coastal areas: Evergreen or semi-evergreen forests.
Drier regions: Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket.
Subtropical Humid Forest
Where?
o Northern Africa: Atlas Mountains (stretching over 3000 km from Morocco to Tunisia).
o Southern Africa: Highveld Region and Ukhahlamba (Drakensberg).
Altitude:
o Atlas Mountains: 1500 m in Tunisia, 2500 m in Algeria, 4165 m in Morocco.
o Highveld: Over 1000 m, with Drakensberg exceeding 3000 m.
Vegetation:
o Northern Atlas: Lower slopes have mixed forests with deciduous oaks.
o Southern Africa: Highveld is grassland, while the Drakensberg slopes have evergreen montane forests, including Podocarpus.
Subtropical Mountain Systems
Tropical Dry Forest
Where?
Further from the equator and from the wet S.E.coast
Rain & Climate:
* Less rain (500–1000 mm)
* Long dry season (6–7 months)
* Mean temp. of the coldest month: 20*C
Plants: Woodland
Tropical Shrubland
Where?
Sahel, Kalahari, S.W. Madagascar and parts of Somalia.
Rain & Climate:
Very little rain (less than 1000 mm, sometimes as low as 200 mm)
Hot temperatures (mean temp. of coldest month: >20C/except Kalahari=10C/)
+Somalia
* Arid or semi arid
* Dry, high temp. due to low lat.
* Rnfl: b/n 400 & 750 mm
Plants: deciduous shrub land and thicket with Acacia
