The Water & Nitrogen Cycle

Water Cycle

The Savanna spends roughly 4-8 months out of the year in a drought. Also overgrazing and farmers have ruined a lot of the Savanna. The water cycle is very important to tis biome, yet it barely rains there. The water cycle is very key to this biome because they need all of the rain they can get during the summer. 

Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen plays a big role in the Savanna because plants need a lot of it and so do the animals. The plants really need to harness the nitrogen because they don't get much rain and they need some source of food. 

Human Impact

The main problem that has occurred in the Savanna due to humans is deforestation. Much of the forest were cleared by humans for a reason that we don't know. Another cause of the deforestation is due to wild fires that are "natural" but probably could have been prevented by humans. The best thing that we as humans can do now to help the Savanna is too leave it alone. We have already done enough, and it hasn't helps one bit. Most plants and animals have already adapted to living with little water, so if we leave them alone they will be fine.

Citations

1. https://serengetinationalpark.wikispaces.com/Limiting+Factors

2. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_climate_page.htm

3. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_climate_page.htm

4. http://study.com/academy/lesson/symbiotic-relationship-definition-examples-quiz.html

5. https://sites.google.com/a/chs.coppellisd.com/grassland-savanna/home/human-impact

Plant & Animal Adaptations

Plant Adaptations 

One tree, the Candelabra, grows up to 40 feet tall. It is very poisonous and if its sap touches you it can burn and cause blisters.
The Umbrella thorn Acacia is a tree that is super durable, it can survive super high temperatures, very little water, and sand storms.
Elephant grass is a grass that usually grows very tall and in clumps near ponds or streams. It gives birds a great place to hide from other large predators, the grass is very sharp and is very hard to tear.

Animal Adaptations

The Puff Adder snake, it is about one meter long, some males getting even longer than that. It has very venemous and it can live off of a very small amount of water.

Lions, they are the only animals that hunt in prides, which gives them a huge advantage in killing their prey.

Steenbok, they are a type of Antelope that can live off of very little water due to the ability to retain enough water from plants they eat. 

Energy Pyramid

Limiting Factors & Food Web 

Limiting Factors

Density Independent - All of the rainfall occurs in the span of six months. For six months it almost never stops raining, and for the other six months it is almost always dry. Another factor is how little water there is during the dry season, it can sometimes lead to fires, and many plants have had to adapt to having little water and sometimes that is still not enough. 

Density Dependent - The small amount of water can be a density dependent factor also. If there is only one small pond to drink out of. What happens if that watering hole becomes dried up and there is no water in 100 miles. Some animals are going to die due to that. Therefore it does effect the population.

Food Web

Competition and Relationships

Competition

There is a lot more competition than we think there is in every single biome. Some of the things that animals compete for in the Savanna are air, water, food, and space. Some more specific examples of competition are competing for space. Many different big cats want the same spot, the same tree, or the same pond to drink out of.

Symbiotic Relationships

Mutualism - Oxpeckers and the Rhinoceros, the Oxpeckers eat the ticks of of the Rhinoceros' back and the Rhino warns the Oxpeckers of any danger that may be near.

Commensalism - Birds that follow any type of grazing animal. There is really no benefit to the grazing animals, but the birds get fed well due to eating all of the bugs.

Parasitism - A tick taking blood from an Elephant. 

Predator/Prey - A lion and a gazelle, the lion serves as the predator and the gazelle serves as the prey. The lion catches and kills the gazelle and feeds on it. 

Savanna Climate

        The climate in the Savanna is considered a wet/dry climate. They have a few months that are considered to be dry, the winter, and a few months that are very wet, the summer. In the summer the Savanna sees a lot of lush plants due to all of the rain, the animals migrate back to graze. It is usually cooler in the dry months, but still pretty warm outside. The Savanna has a temperature range of 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.