View source for 1. What caused the change from jungle to grasslands to occur in Africa?

The formation of the Himalayas greatly impacted the jungles of Africa.  When a mountain forms, the wind always blows towards it, and the rain always rains on the windward side leaving the other side, the leeward side, dry.  The once green jungle, turned into dry and scorching hot grasslands.  Another theory is that the Earth's orbit changed, affecting the angle of the Earth facing the Sun.  When this change occurs, the temperature changes, and in this case gets hotter and drys up the jungle.  Great climate change calls for flora and fauna adaptation, movement, or extinction.  This jungle to grassland transition requires the plants and animals to follow Darwin's theory of move, adapt, or die.  The early human adapted from swinging in trees, to bipedalism.  The great transformation from the humid jungles, to the hot and dry grasslands exemplifies climate change and Darwin's theory of Survival of the Fittest.  

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/tertiary/zebras.jpg

Kate Ainbinder

for extra information go to: http://www.messagetoeagle.com/greensahara.ph

Sources: Manual pg. 24 and In-Class Notes

picture: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/tertiary/pliocene.php