Here are some examples of animals found in different biomes and how they are adapted:
Savanna biome:
- Lions, zebras, elephants, giraffes. They are adapted to the hot climate - lions have large ears to dissipate heat, zebras have stripes that help camouflage and cool them, elephants have large ears to dissipate heat.
Forest biome:
- Monkeys, snakes, birds. Monkeys live in the trees and are excellent climbers adapted for life in the forest canopy. Snakes are camouflaged to hunt prey on the forest floor. Birds have wings adapted for flight between the trees.
Grasslands biome:
- Antelopes, gaz
Here are some examples of animals found in different biomes and how they are adapted:
Savanna biome:
- Lions, zebras, elephants, giraffes. They are adapted to the hot climate - lions have large ears to dissipate heat, zebras have stripes that help camouflage and cool them, elephants have large ears to dissipate heat.
Forest biome:
- Monkeys, snakes, birds. Monkeys live in the trees and are excellent climbers adapted for life in the forest canopy. Snakes are camouflaged to hunt prey on the forest floor. Birds have wings adapted for flight between the trees.
Grasslands biome:
- Antelopes, gaz
Here are some examples of animals found in different biomes and how they are adapted:
Savanna biome:
- Lions, zebras, elephants, giraffes. They are adapted to the hot climate - lions have large ears to dissipate heat, zebras have stripes that help camouflage and cool them, elephants have large ears to dissipate heat.
Forest biome:
- Monkeys, snakes, birds. Monkeys live in the trees and are excellent climbers adapted for life in the forest canopy. Snakes are camouflaged to hunt prey on the forest floor. Birds have wings adapted for flight between the trees.
Grasslands biome:
- Antelopes, gaz
Here are some examples of animals found in different biomes and how they are adapted:
Savanna biome:
- Lions, zebras, elephants, giraffes. They are adapted to the hot climate - lions have large ears to dissipate heat, zebras have stripes that help camouflage and cool them, elephants have large ears to dissipate heat.
Forest biome:
- Monkeys, snakes, birds. Monkeys live in the trees and are excellent climbers adapted for life in the forest canopy. Snakes are camouflaged to hunt prey on the forest floor. Birds have wings adapted for flight between the trees.
Grasslands biome:
- Antelopes, gaz
Ruminants are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that can acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. The digestion process in Ruminants begins by chewing and swallowing its food. Ruminants do not completely chew the food they eat, but just consume or gulp as much they can and then swallow the food. This is an adaptation by which these animals have evolved to spend as little time as possible feeding so that they are not hunted down by any predators while they are eating.
The process of digestion begins with the first two chambers of the stomach, the rumen and reticulum by softening the ingested matter. Later the microbes present in the rumen produces the cellulase enzymes required to digest the cellulose. Once the plant fibres have been broken down to provide vitamins, proteins, and other organic acids, the nutrients are absorbed into the animal’s bloodstream.
Coarse plants are sent further into the next chamber for further digestion. Here is where the further bacterial action takes place, and the food is formed into soft chunks called the cud. This cud is regurgitated back into the animal’s mouth where they can be chewed again. The saliva of the cow greatly aids in digesting the cud. After chewing, the food bypasses the two chambers of the stomach and directly enters the third chamber. The walls of the third chamber mash and compact the food molecules further, and then pass it to the fourth chamber – the abomasum (true stomach). The final digestion in the stomach is carried by the abomasum and then passed to the intestine. Non ruminant Animals
Non-ruminant animals are animals with a single-compartment stomach, such as swine, poultry, dogs, cats, and humans. Non-ruminant nutrition looks at the diet of these animals as it relates to their digestion, growth, performance, and overall health. These a mostly have a diet of Carnivores or Omnivores.
Ruminant Animals Non-Ruminant Animals
Animals that chew and regurgitate their food Animals that chew once and digest their food in more than once and digest it in different one stomach stomachs.
Herbivores Omnivores Have a complex stomach with 4 compartments Have a simple stomach with a single compartent Long Short Do not produce enzymes for protein digestion Produce enzymes for protein digestion Have 2 blunt canines Have 4 sharp canines Produce more saliva Produce less saliva Undergo regurgitation Do not undergo regurgitation BIOSPHERE is any region of the surface and atmosphere of the earth, or any other planet occupied by living organisms. The regions are then identified according to what is known as BIOMES.
BIOMES:
Are a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. It is also called major life zone, the largest geographic biotic unit, a major community of plants and animals with similar life forms and environmental conditions. South Africa has seven biomes that consist of, Savanna, Thicket, Grassland, Forest, Fynbos, Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo and Desert.
Savanna Biome
Is the largest Biome in southern Africa, occupying
46% of its area, and over one-third the area of South Africa. It is well developed over the lowveld and Kalahari region of South Africa and is also the dominant vegetation in neighbouring Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. It is characterized by a grassy ground layer and a distinct upper layer of woody plants.
Thicket Biome
Is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs,
often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large numbers of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in the shelter of the maternal plants. Thickets do not have the required height to be classified as forests.
Grassland Biome Is found chiefly on the high central plateau of South Africa, and the inland area of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. are dominated by a single layer of grasses. The amount of cover depends on rainfall at the degree of grazing. Trees are absent, except in a few localized habitats.
forest biome
Includes terrestrial habitats that are dominated by
trees and other woody plants. Forest biomes are characterized by having high biodiversity, large populations of plant species, and a variety of animals that inhabit the ecosystems.
Fynbos
(Fynbos is Afrikaans for “fine bush”) is the common
name for the fine-leafed thick shrub-like vegetation, characterised by very small, leathery leaves often protected with hairs, which grows in the winter rainfall area of the south- ern and south- western parts of the Western Cape. Dominant plant group include the Proteas, Erica, and Geophytes.
Nama Karoo Biome
Occurs on the central plateau of the western half of South Africa, at altitudes between 500 and 2000m, with most of the biome falling between 1000 and 1400m. It is the second largest biome in the region. The dominant vegetation is a grassy, dwarf shrubland. Grasses tend to be more common in depressions and on sandy soils, and less abundant on clayey soils.
Succulent Karoo Biome
Covers a flat to gently undulating plain, with some
hilly and "broken" veld, mostly situated to the west and south of the escarpment, and north of the Cape Fold Belt. The Succulent Karoo Biome is primarily determined by the presence of low winter rainfall and extreme summer aridity. Rainfall varies between 20 and 290 mm per year. Because the rains are cyclonic, and not due to thunderstorms, the erosive power is far less than of the summer rainfall biomes. During summer, temperatures more than 40°C are common. The area has little agricultural potential due to the lack of water.
Desert
Is found under very harsh environmental conditions
which are more extreme than those found in the Succulent Karoo Biome and Nama-Karoo Biome. The climate is characterised by occasional summer rainfall, but high levels of summer aridity.
1. GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF ANIMALS YOU WOULD FIND IN EACH BIOME
