Fauna in the equatorial belt of africa. Equatorial forests of africa

Equatorial forests are located on either side of the equator in the Congo Basin and along the Gulf of Guinea north of the equator. Equatorial forests are located on either side of the equator in the Congo Basin and along the Gulf of Guinea north of the equator. The formation of the zone is due to the large amount of heat and moisture throughout the year. The formation of the zone is due to the large amount of heat and moisture throughout the year. The equatorial forests of Africa are diverse in composition, there are about 1000 species of trees alone. The equatorial forests of Africa are diverse in composition, there are about 1000 species of trees alone. VEGETATION OF WET EQUATORIAL FORESTS IN AFRICA

Vines are a variety of climbing plants, both woody, with evergreen or falling leaves, and herbaceous, with relatively weak thin stems. a variety of climbing plants, both woody, with evergreen or falling leaves, and herbaceous, with relatively weak thin stems.

Disconia. Disconia. These tree ferns are among the most ancient inhabitants of our planet, real living fossils and have a unique exotic appearance. The leaves are rosette at the top of the trunk. Young leaves are rolled into a snail. These tree ferns are among the most ancient inhabitants of our planet, real living fossils and have a unique exotic appearance. The leaves are rosette at the top of the trunk. Young leaves are rolled into a snail.

Fauna Numerous monkeys, chimpanzees, etc. live in the trees. The terrestrial inhabitants include brush-eared pigs, pygmy hippos, leopards, gorillas, which are not found anywhere else. The loose soil contains snakes and lizards. The tsetse fly is also common there. She is a carrier of pathogens.

The pygmy hippopotamus inhabits the slow-flowing water bodies of Central Africa. He leads a secretive and solitary life. A baby hippopotamus born on land weighs about 5 kg. The pygmy hippopotamus is rare, listed in the International Red Book. The pygmy hippopotamus inhabits the slowly flowing water bodies of Central Africa. He leads a secretive and solitary life. A baby hippopotamus born on land weighs about 5 kg. The pygmy hippopotamus is rare, listed in the International Red Book.

The Mamba snake reaches a length of 2 to 3 meters. Mamba poison can kill a person in 4 hours, if he is bitten on the heel or toe, a bite in the face can lead to death from paralysis in 20 minutes. Mamba reaches a length of 2 to 3 meters. Mamba poison can kill a person in 4 hours, if he is bitten on the heel or toe, a bite in the face can lead to death from paralysis in 20 minutes.

Africa is an amazing continent where a large number of geographic zones are combined. There is no other place where these distinctions are so noticeable.

Natural areas of Africa are very clearly visible on the map. They are distributed symmetrically around the equator and are subject to uneven rainfall.

Characteristics of the natural zones of Africa

Africa belongs to the second largest continent on Earth. It is surrounded by two seas and two oceans. But the most important feature is its symmetry in position in relation to the equator, which divides Africa into two parts along the horizon.

In the north and south of the mainland, there are stiff-leaved evergreen moist forests and shrubs. Then there are deserts and semi-deserts, then savannahs.

In the very center of the continent there are zones of variable wet and constantly wet forests. Each zone is characterized by its own climate, flora and fauna.

Zone of variable humid and humid evergreen equatorial forests of Africa

The evergreen forest zone is located in the Congo Basin and runs along the Gulf of Guinea. More than 1000 plants can be found here. In these zones, mainly red-yellow soils. Many species of palms grow here, including oilseeds, tree ferns, bananas, and lianas.

Animals are housed in tiers. In these places, the fauna is very diverse. The soil is home to a huge number of shrews, lizards and snakes.

A huge number of monkeys live in the wet forest zone. In addition to monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees, more than 10 species of individuals can be found here.

Dog-headed baboons are of great concern to local residents. They are ravaging plantations. This species is quick-witted. They can only be frightened with a weapon; they are not afraid of a man with a stick.

African gorillas in these places grow up to two meters and weigh up to 250 kilograms. The forests are inhabited by elephants, leopards, small ungulates, forest pigs.

Good to know: the tsetse fly lives in the eucalyptus zones of Africa. It is very dangerous to humans. Her bite infects a deadly sleeping sickness. The person begins to experience severe pain and fever.

Savannah zone

About 40% of the entire territory of Africa is occupied by savannas. The vegetation is represented by tall grasses and umbrella trees towering above them. The main one is the baobab.

This tree of life is of great importance to the people of Africa. , leaves, seeds - everything is eaten. The ash of the burnt fruit is used to make soap.

In dry savannas grow aloe with fleshy and thorny leaves. In the rainy season, the savannah has very abundant vegetation, but in the dry season it turns yellow, and fires often occur.

The red soils of the savanna are much more fertile than in the wet forest zone. This is due to the active accumulation of humus during the dry period.

Large herbivores live on the territory of the African savannah. Giraffes, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes live here. Savannah area is a place of residence of predators, cheetahs, lions, leopards.

Zones of tropical deserts and semi-deserts

Savannahs are replaced by zones of tropical deserts and semi-deserts. Rainfall in these places is very irregular. In certain areas, it may not rain for several years.

The climatic features of the zone are characterized by excessive dryness. Sandstorms often occur, during the day there are strong temperature differences.

The relief of the deserts is a placer of stones and salt marshes in the places where there used to be seas. There are practically no plants here. There are rare thorns. There are types of vegetation with a short life span. They only grow after rains.

Areas of evergreen hard-leaved forests and shrubs

The most extreme zone of the continent is the territory of evergreen hard-leaved leaves and shrubs. These places are characterized by wet winters and hot dry summers.

This climate has a beneficial effect on the condition of the soil. In these places, it is very fertile. Lebanese cedar, beech and oak grow here.

The highest points of the mainland are located in this zone. On the peaks of Kenya and Kilimanjaro, even in the hottest period, snow constantly lies.

Africa natural zones table

The presentation and description of all natural areas of Africa can be clearly presented in the table.

The position of the climatic zones of the mainland is very clearly delineated. This applies not only to the territory itself, but also to the definition of fauna, flora and climate types.

Africa is the hottest continent of the Earth, to which it owes its geographical location. The continent is located in four climatic zones: equatorial, subequatorial, tropical and subtropical. Africa is located between 37 ° north and 34 ° south latitude - that is, in equatorial and tropical latitudes.

The equatorial belt of Africa is located on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea and stretches inland to Lake Victoria. The equatorial air mass dominates here all year round, therefore there are no seasons of the year, it is constantly hot here, and very often there are heavy rains. Due to abundant moisture (2-3 mm per year) and a very warm climate (above + 20 ° - + 30 ° C throughout the year), a natural zone of humid equatorial forests has formed here. An unimaginable number of animal and plant species are concentrated in the forests of Africa, many of which are still unknown to science. The inner regions of the equatorial belt remain unpopulated.

Wet Evergreen Equatorial Forests occupy the Congo Basin and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea north of the equator. These forests are distinguished by a huge species diversity (more than 1000 plant species), height (up to 50 m) and multi-tiered (tree crowns fill almost the entire space).

The first upper tier is made up of giants of woody vegetation, raising their crowns to a height of 40-50 m and more. Below are the crowns of trees of the second tier, then the third and so on up to the fourth, fifth and even sixth tiers. With such a multi-tiered structure, very little light enters the soil, nevertheless, here there are spore plants that are not demanding on light: ferns, selaginella, and lyre.

The following calculations indicate the density of settlement of African gilis with trees: there are from 400 to 700 large trees per hectare, usually belonging to about 100 different species. These figures show how closely the trees grow in gilea and how diverse the species composition of such a forest is. There are about 3000 species of woody plants in the African Gilea, of which about a thousand are in the upper tier trees, with a height of at least 30 m.

The green giley ocean looks especially powerful when viewed from some high ground. Before your eyes, a boundless green ocean is really spread, on the surface of which waves roll. Different types of plants that make up the upper tier differ from each other in height, crown shape, and foliage color. All this creates the impression of a green, undulating ocean.

And inside the forest, greenery is spilled everywhere. Even the bark of trees - and that in humid forests is often green. And if it does not have a green color, then it is made green by the epiphytes located on the trunks and branches of trees. Variously colored flowers and fruits are not striking here. There is nothing that resembles the diversity of our flowering meadows. It is possible that in the midst of the rains, when we were in the African gilea, there are few flowering plants, but we really were in the element of greenery. It is especially good when the peeping sun revives the most diverse shades of foliage still wet from the rain.

Animals are also divided into tiers. In the loose soil and forest litter, hordes of microfauna representatives, various invertebrates, as well as shrews, lizards and snakes swarm. The ground layer is inhabited by small ungulates, forest pigs, forest elephants, and gorillas. The crowns of trees were chosen not only by birds, but also by monkeys, colobus, chimpanzees and even rodents and insects, often reaching very large sizes. There, a leopard rests on large branches and lies in wait for prey. Ants, termites and amphibians are widespread in almost all tiers, near water bodies - pygmy hippos, okapi (relatives of giraffes). Geochemical processes with the participation of microorganisms and soil fauna are actively taking place here, accompanied by the formation of iron and aluminum oxides. Rocks acquire a special structure and color, the so-called weathering crusts are formed, on which red-yellow ferralite soils are formed (ferrum - iron, aluminum - aluminum). Many of the plants of the equatorial forests are used in the economy and introduced into cultivation: banana, coffee tree, oil palm, etc.

From the south and north, the zone of humid equatorial forests is bordered by zone of variable moist deciduous forests, and then - a zone of light forests and savannas, which is associated with the appearance of a dry period, which lengthens with distance from the equator.

Equatorial vegetation

Adequate heat and moisture allow for the development of lush vegetation. The African humid equatorial forest amazes with the richness of species and plant density. There are about 3 thousand species of trees alone. In the struggle for light, they grow in 4-5 tiers. The upper tier is formed by tall ficuses and palms, reaching 70 m. Many mighty trees have additional support-like roots - strong growth, providing stability. Giant trees have hard and dense leaves, often with a shiny surface. So they protect themselves from the scorching rays of the sun and the blows of rain streams during heavy rains.

The leaves are large and small, narrow and wide, light and bottle-colored, it covers all cracks and gaps in the forest dome. It does not fall off all at once, but in turn, leaf by leaf. Therefore, the forest is constantly green. Plants in it grow, bloom, bear fruit simultaneously and throughout the year. Sunlight barely breaks through the dense crown of trees, so twilight reigns in the forest even in the middle of the day. The thicket is shrouded in thick fog. It is difficult to breathe in the damp air. A man in the equatorial forest feels as if he is at the bottom of a green sea.

Fauna of the equatorial belt

Animals in the equatorial forest live mainly in trees. In addition to birds, rodents and insects, various monkeys find food and shelter there: monkeys, baboons, chimpanzees. Anthropoid gorillas live in hard-to-reach areas. Monkeys feed on the fruits of trees, young leaves and nest in the tops of broken branches. Vines help them to move, some of them are called "monkey stairs". The largest predator of the forest - the Leopard, trapping its prey, also hides in the crowns of trees.

Terrestrial inhabitants of the equatorial forest are smaller than in open areas, since it is difficult for large animals to move in dense thickets. There is almost no grass in the undergrowth, so there are no animals that feed on it. But there are many of those that eat the leaves of trees and bushes: African Deer, kititsevukhi pigs, okapi - a relative of the giraffe. Crocodiles live in the rivers, and on their banks there are pygmy hippos, which are one of the rarest animals on Earth.

All layers of the forest are inhabited by a variety of birds. There are many parrots among them. The hornbill has a large and thick beak for collecting fruits.

Snakes, most of which are venomous, also live in trees. The green color of the body makes them look like vines and allows them to skillfully disguise themselves among the leaves. One of the most dangerous snakes in the world is considered a tree cobra - mamba. She is aggressive and very poisonous. Its strong poison affects the nervous system and after a few minutes the person loses consciousness and dies.

A variety of insects are widespread in all layers of the forest. Many large bright butterflies. The most difficult insect on the planet - the goliath beetle - lives in the equatorial forests. It weighs 100 g, but despite this, it can fly. Some species of ants move in long columns, eating all living things in their path. The tsetse fly is very dangerous, which carries the pathogen, causing the death of domestic animals and sleeping sickness in humans.

Humid equatorial forests give way to variable-humid subequatorial forests, where deciduous trees grow next to evergreen trees, which shed their leaves in the dry season.

The importance of equatorial forests

Equatorial forests are of great economic importance. They grow trees with valuable (strong and beautiful) wood - black (ebony), red, sandalwood. Expensive furniture is made from it. The coffee tree became the ancestor of cultural coffee. The oil palm provides edible and technical palm oil. The wine palm is used to make wine. Medicines are made from the leaves, bark and fruits of many plants.

However, in nature, equatorial forests are of planetary importance. Plants of the humid forest absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the Earth's atmosphere. Therefore, they are called the main source of oxygen, the "lungs of the planet". Unfortunately, for decades, forests have been cut down for fields and plantations, for timber harvesting. Following the felled trees, animals also disappear.

Presentation on the topic: Africa. The humid evergreen forests of Equatorial Africa.

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Presentation on the topic: Africa. The humid evergreen forests of Equatorial Africa.

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The humid evergreen forests of Equatorial Africa. Gilea. In the equatorial climate belt, constantly humid evergreen forests (or in other words Gilea, which means forest from Greek) cover about 8% of the mainland. They are distributed in the basin of the Congo River to the north - up to 4 ° N. NS. and south of the equator - up to 5 ° S. NS. In addition, these forests cover the Atlantic coast up to about 8 ° N. NS. And in river deltas and on the coasts flooded at high tide, especially on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea, mangroves dominate. Primary rainforests have survived only in the central basin of the Congo River. Elsewhere, especially to the north of the Gulf of Guinea, they were replaced by stunted secondary thickets.

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Fauna The humid equatorial forests of Africa have a peculiar fauna, but less rich than the fauna of the open spaces of this continent. In the equatorial African forest, there are few herbivores, and therefore, there are few predators. Of the ungulates, one can find forest antelopes, very cautious and shy, akin to a giraffe, animals - okapi. There are also wild boars, buffaloes, hippos. Among predatory animals, wild cats, leopards, jackals, and civets are found, while tassel-tailed porcupines and spiny-tailed flying squirrels are common among rodents. There are many monkeys here - monkeys, baboons, mandrills, most of which lead an arboreal lifestyle. Two genera of great apes also live in these places - chimpanzees and gorillas. Lemurs are also found here. Birds of the tropical rainforests of Africa are several species of parrots, banana eaters, beautifully feathered and brightly colored forest hoopoes, tiny sunbirds, African peacocks. There are many lizards and snakes, and a blunt crocodile is found in the rivers. Among amphibians, there are especially many different frogs. From large predators you can find tigers, lions, pumas, jaguars, panthers. The jungle abounds in various reptiles, among which there are many poisonous snakes. A wide variety of insects and arachnids, including poisonous ones.

In the very center of Africa, in the basin of the great African river Congo to the north and south of the equator and along the shores of the Gulf of Guinea are the humid equatorial forests of Africa. The forest zone is located in the equatorial climate zone. It is hot and humid here all year round. Usually in the morning the weather is hot and clear. The sun rises higher and higher and bakes stronger. Evaporation increases with increasing temperature. It becomes damp and stuffy, like in a greenhouse. In the afternoon, cumulus clouds appear in the sky and merge into heavy leaden clouds. The first drops fell, and a violent thunderstorm burst out. It rains for an hour or two, sometimes more. Rushing streams of rain water rush through the forest. Countless streams merge into wide rivers of abundance. In the evening the weather clears up again. And so almost every day from year to year.

There is an excess of water everywhere. The air is saturated with moisture, plants and soil are saturated with water. Large areas are swampy or flooded. The abundance of warmth and moisture favors the lush development of dense evergreen woody vegetation. Plant life in equatorial forests never stops. Trees bloom, bear fruit, shed old foliage and dress in new ones throughout the year.

Eternal twilight reigns under the multi-storey green vault of the forest. Only here and there a ray of sun breaks through the foliage. An oil palm grows in the clarified areas. A palm vulture loves to feast on its fruits. 100 or more tree species can be counted on 1 hectare of equatorial forest. There are many valuable species among them: ebony (ebony), red, rosewood. Their wood is used to make expensive furniture and is exported in large quantities.

The forests of Africa are home to the coffee tree. Bananas are also native Africans. And the cocoa tree was brought here from America. Large areas are occupied by plantations of cocoa, coffee, bananas, pineapples.

Most of the animals have adapted to life in trees. A variety of monkeys are characteristic of mammals. The lord of the African equatorial forest, the world's largest apes - the gorilla. The favorite food of gorillas is the core of banana stalks. There are very few gorillas left and hunting them is strictly prohibited. The forest antelope bongo, the African wild boar are found, in the depths of the forest you can find a very rare ungulate animal, the akapi. Of the predators, there is a leopard, which is excellent at climbing trees.

The world of birds is very rich: kalao - hornbill, parrot, Congolese peacock, tiny sunbirds feeding on flower nectar. Many snakes, incl. poisonous, chameleons that feed on insects.

The inhabitants of the equatorial forest zone are excellent hunters. The importance of hunting is all the more important because the spread of the tsetse fly hinders the development of livestock breeding. The bite of this fly is harmful to livestock and causes severe illness in humans. Abundant rivers abound in fish. And fishing is more important than hunting. But swimming is dangerous. There are many crocodiles here.