BIOMES OF SOUTH AFRICA
Polokwane
#
#
Johannesburg
Biomes
Upington
# Forest
Bloemfontein Fynbos
#
# Durban Grassland
Nama Karoo
Savanna
Succulent Karoo
Thicket
N
Cape Town #
#
Port Elizabeth
W E
0 900 Kilometers
S
Dominant life forms in SA biomes:
Savanna:
• Herbaceous perennial
• Woody perennial
Grassland:
• Herbaceous perennial, biennial
Forest:
• Woody perennial
Fynbos:
• Woody perennial,
• Herbaceous perennial,
• Shrubs
Succulent Karoo
• Shrubs
• Succulents
Nama Karoo
• Herbaceous perennial
• Shrubs
Desert (see the first map of SA biomes a few pages back)
• Annuals
• Below ground
1
,More in detail when we look at each biome separately – this is just to give you an idea of the
different life forms in the different biomes.
The other thing I want you to understand is that dominant forms occur in particular regions
because of the advantage they have in that particular environment.
Remember how we said that climate does influence the distribution of biomes? Well that
does not only apply globally but to South Africa’s biomes as well. Look at the following
maps:
Mean annual precipitation: for example you note how savanna is localised to areas that are
dry but not too dry; too little rain and it becomes karoo, too much and woody vegetation
begins to dominate.
2
,Variation in precipitation: high variation karoo; low variation grassland, thicket and
forest; savanna intermediate.
3
, You can see from previous figure how we can distinguish between areas with summer
rainfall encompassing mainly savanna, grassland, forest ; very late summer rainfall in the
Nama Karoo and winter rainfall in the succulent Karoo and fynbos
Let’s now look in more detail at each of the South African biomes with the focus being on
their vegetation characteristics and plant adaptations to the prevailing environmental
conditions, plant and animal diversity, some charismatic species (both plants and animals)
and the impact humans have in each.
FYNBOS
The two major vegetation types in the region are fynbos and renosterveld.
• The fynbos, above all the mountain area part, is quite well conserved, with several
conservation areas having been established.
• Renosterveld is limited to low lying fertile areas. It once hosted herds of herbivores
and their predators. Most large animals (including the bluebuck, cape lion, quagga
and Cape warthog) where shot to extinction by 1800. Less than 5% of coastal
Renosterveld remains today: the rest has been transformed to produce wheat and
wine.
4
Polokwane
#
#
Johannesburg
Biomes
Upington
# Forest
Bloemfontein Fynbos
#
# Durban Grassland
Nama Karoo
Savanna
Succulent Karoo
Thicket
N
Cape Town #
#
Port Elizabeth
W E
0 900 Kilometers
S
Dominant life forms in SA biomes:
Savanna:
• Herbaceous perennial
• Woody perennial
Grassland:
• Herbaceous perennial, biennial
Forest:
• Woody perennial
Fynbos:
• Woody perennial,
• Herbaceous perennial,
• Shrubs
Succulent Karoo
• Shrubs
• Succulents
Nama Karoo
• Herbaceous perennial
• Shrubs
Desert (see the first map of SA biomes a few pages back)
• Annuals
• Below ground
1
,More in detail when we look at each biome separately – this is just to give you an idea of the
different life forms in the different biomes.
The other thing I want you to understand is that dominant forms occur in particular regions
because of the advantage they have in that particular environment.
Remember how we said that climate does influence the distribution of biomes? Well that
does not only apply globally but to South Africa’s biomes as well. Look at the following
maps:
Mean annual precipitation: for example you note how savanna is localised to areas that are
dry but not too dry; too little rain and it becomes karoo, too much and woody vegetation
begins to dominate.
2
,Variation in precipitation: high variation karoo; low variation grassland, thicket and
forest; savanna intermediate.
3
, You can see from previous figure how we can distinguish between areas with summer
rainfall encompassing mainly savanna, grassland, forest ; very late summer rainfall in the
Nama Karoo and winter rainfall in the succulent Karoo and fynbos
Let’s now look in more detail at each of the South African biomes with the focus being on
their vegetation characteristics and plant adaptations to the prevailing environmental
conditions, plant and animal diversity, some charismatic species (both plants and animals)
and the impact humans have in each.
FYNBOS
The two major vegetation types in the region are fynbos and renosterveld.
• The fynbos, above all the mountain area part, is quite well conserved, with several
conservation areas having been established.
• Renosterveld is limited to low lying fertile areas. It once hosted herds of herbivores
and their predators. Most large animals (including the bluebuck, cape lion, quagga
and Cape warthog) where shot to extinction by 1800. Less than 5% of coastal
Renosterveld remains today: the rest has been transformed to produce wheat and
wine.
4
