The Serengeti volcanic grasslands is a

tropical grassland The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

. The Serengeti volcanic grasslands are distinctive grasslands growing on deposits of volcanic ash in northern Tanzania. It includes the eastern portion of

Serengeti National Park The Serengeti National Park is a large national park in northern Tanzania that stretches over . It is located entirely in eastern Mara Region and north east portion of Simiyu Region and contains over of virgin savanna. The park was established in ...

and areas south and east of the

Ngorongoro Highlands The Crater Highlands (Ngorongoro Highlands) are a geological region along the East African Rift in the Arusha Region Arusha City is a Tanzanian city and the regional capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 ...

Topography

The Serengeti volcanic grasslands are an

edaphic Edaphology (from Greek , ''edaphos'', "ground",, '' -logia'') is concerned with the influence of soils on living beings, particularly plants. It is one of two main divisions of soil science, the other being pedology. Edaphology includes the stu ...

plant community that grows on soils derived from volcanic ash. The eruption of the now-extinct Kerimasi volcano 150,000 years ago deposited huge amounts of fine whitish-grey ash. More recent eruptions of the

Ol Doinyo Lengai Ol Doinyo Lengai (Oldoinyo Lengai), "Mountain of God" in the Maasai language, is an active volcano located in the Gregory Rift, south of Lake Natron within the Arusha Region of Tanzania, Africa. Part of the volcanic system of the East African Ri ...

volcano deepened the ash deposits. These ash deposits hardened with time, creating layers of calcareous tuff and calcitic hard-pan soil. The flat or slightly undulating plains are interrupted here and there by rocky

kopje An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...

s, outcrops of the underlying Precambrian rocks. The terrain lies at a mean altitude of , rising to a maximum of .

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is '' Oceanic climate, subtropical highland variety'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

(Cwb)). This climate has cool summers and cool, but not cold, winters. It is usually associated with coastal areas in mid-latitudes, but is also experienced at higher altitudes inland. Temperatures and precipitation are relatively even throughout the year, with no month averaging below , and no month averaging above .

Flora and fauna

The terrain is 52% herbaceous vegetation including grasses, 26% low shrubs, 11% cultivated agricultural land, and the remainder is open woodland and wetlands. Characteristic grass species include '' Andropogon greenwayi'', ''

Chloris gayana ''Chloris gayana'' is a species of grass known by the common name Rhodes grass. It is native to Africa but it can be found throughout the tropical and subtropical world as a naturalized species. It can grow in many types of habitat. It is also ...

'' (Rhodes grass), ''

Cynodon dactylon ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasiv ...

'' (Bermuda grass), '' Digitaria macroblephara'', '' Eragrostis tenuifolia'' (Elastic grass), '' Eustachys paspaloides'' (Fan grass), '' Microchloa kunthii'' (Kunth's smallgrass), '' Panicum coloratum'' (Coloured Guinea grass), '' Pennisetum mezianum'', '' Pennisetum stramineum'', '' Sporobolus ioclados'' (Pan dropseed), and ''

Themeda triandra } ''Themeda triandra'' is a species of perennial tussock-forming grass widespread in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Pacific. In Australia it is commonly known as kangaroo grass and in East Africa and South Africa it is known as red grass and re ...

'' (Red grass).Kindt, R., Lillesø, J.-P. B., van Breugel, P., Bingham, M., Sebsebe Demissew, Dudley, C., Friis, I., Gachathi, F., Kalema, J., Mbago, F., Minani, V., Moshi, H. N., Mulumba, J., Namaganda, M., Ndangalasi, H.J., Ruffo, C.K., Jamnadass, R. and Graudal, L. 2011. ''Potential natural vegetation of eastern Africa.'' Volume 5: Description and tree species composition for other potential natural vegetation types. Forest & Landscape Working Paper 65-2011

Protected areas

Approximately 86% of the ecoregion is under some form of protected area status, including: *

Lake Manyara National Park Lake Manyara National Park is a protected area in Tanzania's Arusha and Manyara Regions, situated between Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley. It is administered by the Tanzania National Parks Authority, and covers an area of including about ...

Ngorongoro Conservation Area The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (, ) is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ngorongoro District, west of Arusha City in Arusha Region, within the Crater Highlands geological area of northern Tanzania. The area is na ...

References

{{reflist Afrotropical ecoregions Ecoregions of Tanzania Grasslands of Tanzania Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands