Round, barren areas and holes in grasslands in southern Africa, the so-called fairy circles, have puzzled scientists for decades. Locals speculated on gods and fairies (hence the name) as the cause. The phenomenon has been studied for decades and now German scientists want to solve the mystery of its origin…
To date, there have been two main theories for the round bare patches in the middle of lawns surrounded by a ring of vigorously growing grass: one blames termites and the other says that plants somehow organize themselves that way. .
According to the scientists at the University of Göttingen, they have benefited from two exceptionally good rainfall periods in the Namib Desert. They have now been able to show that the grasses within the fairy circles die immediately after the rain, but that termites were not the cause of the bald spots.
Instead, continuous measurements of soil moisture show that the surrounding grasses between the fairy circles have severely depleted the water within the circles, likely causing the grasses in the fairy circles to die, the researchers reported in the journal Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics.
Millions of Bald Spots in the Namib Desert
Located 80 to 140 kilometers from the coast, the Namib Desert is home to millions of fairy circles, each only a few meters wide, which together form a distinctive pattern in the landscape that can be seen for miles.
After sporadic rain showers in ten regions of this desert, the researchers examined the circumstances of the death of the grasses in the fairy circles immediately after the rains, which actually caused new growth of the grasses. From the dry season of 2020 to the end of the rainy season in 2022, they were able to show how the growth of newly emerging grasses outside the circles affects the soil water in and around the circles.
It was not until fifty to sixty days after the rain that root damage on the dead grasses became more apparent. And according to the researchers, there was no evidence at the roots that termites were responsible for the death of the plants.
The plants organize themselves
“By forming high pattern landscapes of evenly spaced fairy circles, the grasses act as ecosystem engineers, taking direct advantage of the water source provided by the vegetation holes (i.e., the bare patches, NB),” said Stephan Getzin of the Ecosystem Modeling Department. from the University of Göttingen quoted on their website.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
