Natural grass fires are evidently more important for the ecology of savannahs than has previously been assumed, according to the findings of a study carried out in Etosha National Park in the north of Namibia.
Writing in the Journal of Ecology, researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the University of Frankfurt am Main and the University of Cologne say that fire plays an important role in regeneration.
It is the first study to have investigated the complex interplay of the factors fire, competition, moisture and seed availability in relation to a grass species. Periodic fires in semi-arid regions can lead to older tufts of grass disappearing, thereby making room for younger grasses. The findings are particularly significant for the management of semi-arid nature reserves, in which, in the absence of natural plant eaters, fires are the only practical means of renewing the grass canopy.