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How do grasses survive the long dry season in savannas?
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Savanna
A savanna marked with acacia trees in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Africa's Serengeti Plain is commonly used as an example of the savanna biome—a hot, seasonally dry ecological region characterized by an open tree canopy (i.e., scattered trees) above an understory of continuous grasses.
In savanna ecosystems, grasses have evolved specific strategies to survive the long dry season when moisture is insufficient for continued growth:
- Dormancy: Many grasses survive by entering a state of dormancy, remaining as buds located close to the soil surface until conditions improve.1
- Annual Life Cycles: Some grasses are annuals that complete their life cycle by producing seeds quickly during the wet season before dying off during the dry period.1
- Subterranean Biomass: Grasses often maintain a significant portion of their total biomass belowground in the form of roots and other storage organs, which are less affected by the seasonal lack of moisture than aboveground parts.1
While the aboveground portions of these shallow-rooted plants typically dry out and die, these adaptations allow them to grow rapidly once moisture becomes available again.1