The Influence of Soils, Geomorphology and Geology on the Distribution of Plant Communities in Savanna Ecosystems

Abstract

Within subtropical latitudes the savannas comprise five major categories of vegetation, namely woodlands, parklands, grasslands, low tree and shrub communities and scrub (Cole 1963b). In some areas, notably in Brazil, gradations between those categories occur and in all areas variation in the form and composition of the vegetation occurs within each one. These variations have promoted diverse and complex classifications of the vegetation which, in most cases, have been elaborated for particular continents or regions (Aubreville 1949; Gillman 1949). The additional units recognized in these classifications, however, represent variants induced by local environmental conditions and can be accommodated within the simple classification outlined above.