Question

For Tropical Savanna define all the thing that list below

Function: characteristic productivity, biomass levels, trophic level

Please provide detail and explanation.

Answer 1

Tropical savannas are distributed largely in Africa, Australia and South America occurring between tropical forests and deserts. It has higher biodiversity, greater productivity, and larger impact on global carbon cycles.

Characteristic productivity- Savannas have relatively high levels of net primary productivity compared with the actual biomass of the vegetation at any one time.Tropical savannas can be remarkably productive, with a net primary productivity that ranges from 1 to 12 t Carbon ha−1 year−1.  Primary productivity is less easily evaluated, but rates of 3.6 metric tons of dry matter per hectare per year have been recorded in Senegal, a dry part of West Africa, and values of 21.5 to 35.8 metric tons per hectare per year in humid areas farther south. In India a range of values has been obtained for different savannas, from as low as 1.6 metric tons per hectare per year in drier areas to as high as 45.5 metric tons in wetter areas.

Biomass- The aboveground biomass value at its seasonal maximum range from 0.5 to 11.5 metric tons per hectare in drier regions (the higher values being recorded in years of sufficient rainfall) to 5.5 to 20.8 metric tons per hectare in more humid regions. Belowground biomass val ue are typically as large as or larger than the aboveground values.

Trophic level- Savannas are dominated by tall grasses, which are the primary producers that convert energy from the sun and minerals and nutrients from the soil into the biomass that forms the basis of the food web. In the savanna, the lowest trophic level includes shrubs and sparse trees, including palms, pines and acacias.

Primary consumers in the savannas, consists more than a dozen species that may coexist in their own niche.e.g.giraffes; antelopes; rhinos; elephants; rodents; birds; tortoises; and, in Australia, kangaroos. Herbivores consume plant material and convert the plant energy into a food source for higher trophic levels.

Secondary consumers in the savannas are carnivorous species such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, snakes, lizards and birds of prey. Tertiary consumers are those carnivores, such as lions, which prey upon other carnivores as well as herbivores.

Scavengers and decomposers also play important roles in the trophic system of the savanna biome. Scavengers such as vultures, buzzards, hyenas and termites are abundant and form an integral part of the nutrient cycling system. Decomposers follow the scavengers, as insects, mushrooms and bacteria break down plant and animal remains and return the nutrients and minerals to the soil.