ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES AND
DIVERSITY
Grade 10
Compiled by the All Things Biology team. Copyright ©.
, BIOSPHERE TO ECOSYSTEMS
The Biosphere is composed of three primary components that support life which
are:
• Atmosphere: The gaseous layer surrounding the Earth
• Lithosphere: The Earth’s solid outer crust, including rocks and soil layers
• Hydrosphere: All liquid, solid, and gaseous water bodies (e.g. oceans,
rivers, lakes, ice)
SOUTH AFRICAN BIOMES
Table 1: The South African terrestrial biomes.
Biome Location Climate Vegetation and
animals
• Eastern and • Wet winters • Consists of
Western and dry woody
Cape. summers. plants and
herbaceous
species
• Birds,
reptiles,
mammals.
Fynbos
• Northern and • Dry winter and • Acacia and
Eastern wet summer. baobab
regions of the • Large
country herbivores,
(except the swift
Western predators.
Cape).
Savanna (largest in
SA)
• Mostly in • strongly • Consists of
Free State & seasonal different
Gauteng but weather, grasses
also found in defined by • Zebras and
Mpumalanga, hot, wet wildebeests.
KZN & the summers and
Eastern dry, bitterly
Cape. cold winters
with frequent
Grassland (second overnight
largest) frost.
• Northern • Extreme • Dwarf
Cape and summers and succulent
Compiled by the All Things Biology team. Copyright ©.
STUDIES AND
DIVERSITY
Grade 10
Compiled by the All Things Biology team. Copyright ©.
, BIOSPHERE TO ECOSYSTEMS
The Biosphere is composed of three primary components that support life which
are:
• Atmosphere: The gaseous layer surrounding the Earth
• Lithosphere: The Earth’s solid outer crust, including rocks and soil layers
• Hydrosphere: All liquid, solid, and gaseous water bodies (e.g. oceans,
rivers, lakes, ice)
SOUTH AFRICAN BIOMES
Table 1: The South African terrestrial biomes.
Biome Location Climate Vegetation and
animals
• Eastern and • Wet winters • Consists of
Western and dry woody
Cape. summers. plants and
herbaceous
species
• Birds,
reptiles,
mammals.
Fynbos
• Northern and • Dry winter and • Acacia and
Eastern wet summer. baobab
regions of the • Large
country herbivores,
(except the swift
Western predators.
Cape).
Savanna (largest in
SA)
• Mostly in • strongly • Consists of
Free State & seasonal different
Gauteng but weather, grasses
also found in defined by • Zebras and
Mpumalanga, hot, wet wildebeests.
KZN & the summers and
Eastern dry, bitterly
Cape. cold winters
with frequent
Grassland (second overnight
largest) frost.
• Northern • Extreme • Dwarf
Cape and summers and succulent
Compiled by the All Things Biology team. Copyright ©.
