Savanna
A tropical or subtropical ecosystem of grasses with scattered trees, maintained by seasonal rainfall, fire, and grazing.
Tropical seasonal climate: A climate with warm temperatures year-round and pronounced wet and dry seasons. Its alternating rainfall and drought shape savanna growth and fire seasons.
Grassland: An ecosystem dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants, with few or no trees. Savanna is a grassland type distinguished by scattered woody vegetation.
Pastoralism: Livestock-based livelihood systems that rely chiefly on grazing animals. Seasonal savanna forage supports mobile and settled livestock herding.
Serengeti: An East African ecosystem spanning grasslands, savannas, and woodlands across Tanzania and Kenya. Its seasonal migrations and fire dynamics illustrate large-scale savanna processes.
Alternative stable states: Distinct ecosystem configurations that persist under similar environmental conditions because of reinforcing feedbacks. This framework helps explain whether tree cover shifts smoothly or abruptly between savanna and forest.
Fire ecology: The study of how fire interacts with organisms, communities, and ecosystems. Recurring fires suppress woody growth and favor many savanna grasses.
Canopy cover: The proportion of ground covered by the vertical projection of plant crowns. Tree cover helps distinguish savanna from open grassland and closed forest.
Wildlife conservation: The protection and management of wild species and their habitats. Savanna conservation must account for wildlife, fire, grazing, and habitat connectivity.
Cerrado: A vast tropical savanna region of central Brazil with diverse grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands. Its distinctive biodiversity and rapid agricultural conversion make it a major conservation case.
Savannization: The expansion of savanna-like vegetation into areas formerly dominated by forest. It describes one possible outcome of drying, fire, and land-use change at forest margins.