Occurring on nutrient-deficient soils of tropical regions, these fire-prone shrublands and low forests are associated with dry tropical winters, often occurring in a matrix with savannas (T4.2) or tropical dry forests (T1.2). Dominated by small-leaved sclerophyll shrubs and grasses, plants have traits to capture and conserve nutrients, such as cluster roots and carnivorous forms. Birds, reptiles and seed-eating small mammals dominate the vertebrate fauna, with few vertebrate herbivores. Periodic fires are cues for life-history processes of plants and animals, and help maintain species composition and nutrient cycling.