Zambezian region

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The Zambezian region is a large biogeographical region in Africa. The Zambezian region includes woodlands, savannas, grasslands, and thickets, extending from east to west in a broad belt across the continent. The Zambezian region lies south of the rainforests of the Guineo-Congolian region. The Zambezian region is bounded by deserts and xeric shrublands on the southwest, the Highveld grasslands of South Africa to the south, and the subtropical Maputaland forests on the southeast. [1]

Contents

Vegetation types

The dominant vegetation types in the Zambezian region include: [2]

Biodiversity

Botanist Frank White estimated that the region has 8,500 species of plants, of which 4,590, or 54%, are endemic. [3] Trees from subfamily Detarioideae of the legume family (Fabaceae) are predominant in the region's woodland plant communities, including species of Brachystegia , Julbernardia , and Isoberlinia in miombo woodlands, Baikiaea in Baikiaea woodlands, and mopane ( Colophospermum mopane ) in mopane woodlands. [4]

The region is a centre of diversity for tree species in the genera Brachystegia (21 species) and Monotes (11 species). [2] [4] The Zambezian Region is a centre of diversity for "underground trees" (geoxylic suffrutices) which grow most of their stems and branches underground. 86 of 98 African species of underground trees identified by Frank White are native to the Zambezian Region. [4]

Ecoregions

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Zambezian region includes over a dozen ecoregions. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland</span> Land covered in trees

A woodland is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood, a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Some savannas may also be woodlands, such as savanna woodland, where trees and shrubs form a light canopy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miombo</span> Central African biome

Miombo woodland is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome located in central and southern tropical Africa. It includes three woodland savanna ecoregions characterized by the dominant presence of Brachystegia and Julbernardia species of trees, and has a range of climates ranging from humid to semi-arid, and tropical to subtropical or even temperate. The trees characteristically shed their leaves for a short period in the dry season to reduce water loss and produce a flush of new leaves just before the onset of the wet season with rich gold and red colours masking the underlying chlorophyll, reminiscent of autumn colours in the temperate zone.

<i>Brachystegia</i> Genus of legumes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern miombo woodlands</span>

The Eastern miombo woodlands (AT0706) are an ecoregion of grassland and woodland in northern Mozambique, southern Tanzania, and southeastern Malawi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-bellied yellow bat</span> Species of bat

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<i>Baikiaea</i> Genus of legumes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rattling cisticola</span> Species of bird

The rattling cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae which is native to Africa south of the equator, and parts of East Africa. It is a common to abundant species in open savanna and scrubland habitats, whether in arid, moist or upland regions. Especially during summer, it is highly conspicuous due to its strident and repetitive call-notes from prominent perches.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambezian flooded grasslands</span> Flooded grassland ecoregion in Africa

The Zambezian flooded grasslands is an ecoregion of southern and eastern Africa that is rich in wildlife.

The biomes and ecoregions in the ecology of Zambia are described, listed and mapped here, following the World Wildlife Fund's classification scheme for terrestrial ecoregions, and the WWF freshwater ecoregion classification for rivers, lakes and wetlands. Zambia is in the Zambezian region of the Afrotropical biogeographic realm. Three terrestrial biomes are well represented in the country . The distribution of the biomes and ecoregions is governed mainly by the physical environment, especially climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angolan mopane woodlands</span>

Angolan mopane woodlands are situated in southwestern Angola, extending into northern Namibia. This ecosystem surrounds Etosha Pan, which is considered a separate ecoregion. The mopane trees are the main type of vegetation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalahari acacia–baikiaea woodlands</span> Ecoregion in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe

The Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands are an ecoregion located in Botswana, northern Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambezian evergreen dry forests</span>

The Zambezian evergreen dry forests, also known as the Zambezian Cryptosepalum dry forest, is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of Southern Africa. It consists of several areas of thick forest in western Zambia and adjacent Angola. It is one of the largest areas of tropical evergreen forest outside the equatorial zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambezian and mopane woodlands</span> Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of southeastern Africa.

The Zambezian and mopane woodlands is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of southeastern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern miombo woodlands</span>

The Southern miombo woodlands is a tropical grasslands and woodlands ecoregion extending across portions of Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

References

  1. Linder, H. Peter, Helen M. de Klerk, Julia Born et al. (2012). "The partitioning of Africa: statistically defined biogeographical regions in sub‐Saharan Africa". Journal of Biogeography, Volume 39, Issue 7, May 2012.
  2. 1 2 Emmanuel N. Chidumayo and Davison J. Gumbo, eds. (2010). The dry forests and woodlands of Africa: managing for products and services. Earthscan, 2010.
  3. Linder, H.P., Lovett, J., Mutke, J.M., Barthlott, W., Jürgens, N., Rebelo, T. & Küper, W. 2005. "A numerical re-evaluation of the sub-Saharan phytochoria of mainland Africa." Biologiske Skrifter 55: 229-252. ISSN 0366-3612. ISBN   87-7304-304-4.
  4. 1 2 3 Ribeiro, N.S., Silva de Miranda, P., Timberlake, J. (2020). Biogeography and Ecology of Miombo Woodlands. In: Ribeiro, N.S., Katerere, Y., Chirwa, P.W., Grundy, I.M. (eds) Miombo Woodlands in a Changing Environment: Securing the Resilience and Sustainability of People and Woodlands. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50104-4_2
  5. Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D'Amico Hales, Emma Underwood, et al. (2004). Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. World Wildlife Fund. Island Press, 2004