{"id":40162,"date":"2011-02-04T15:01:16","date_gmt":"2011-02-04T20:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/home.bates.edu\/?p=40162"},"modified":"2018-06-04T09:22:14","modified_gmt":"2018-06-04T13:22:14","slug":"serengeti-eb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2011\/02\/04\/serengeti-eb\/","title":{"rendered":"A Burning Interest in the Serengeti"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2022 Click the thumbnails above to view the slide show<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\t\n\t

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\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\t
\n\t\t\"3-fire_serengeti.jpg\"\n\t\t

A management-set fire burns in Serengeti National Park.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t

<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\t
\n\t\t\"4-eby_cheetah.jpg\"\n\t\t

Cheetahs and other predators find it harder to\r\nsneak up on prey after fires remove taller grass.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t

<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\t
\n\t\t\"5-eby_zebra\"\n\t\t

Zebras and other herbivores prefer to eat the new plant growth after a fire.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t

<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\t
\n\t\t\"1-zebra-and-wildebeest-on-fresh-burn.jpg\"\n\t\t

Zebras and wildebeest pass through a recently burned area of the park.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t

<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\t
\n\t\t\"2-fire.jpg\"\n\t\t

Management-set fires in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park prevent grass from becoming moribund.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t

<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n

These photographs of Tanzania\u2019s Serengeti National Park illustrate research by biologist Stephanie
\nEby \u201902 that explains how the park\u2019s large mammals, especially herbivores, are affected by fires intentionally
\nset by park management.<\/p>\n

\"5-eby_zebra\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Eby, who did the research for her Ph.D. dissertation at Syracuse Univ., explains that fires are set to
\nensure that grasslands do not become moribund and to lower the risk that fires from outside the park
\nwill spread into the park and destroy large areas. Each year, intentional fires burn a third of the park.<\/p>\n

Some species are attracted to burned areas following a fire.<\/p>\n

Far from harming herbivores, Eby has documented that some species \u2014 such as Thomson\u2019s gazelles,
\nGrant\u2019s gazelles, wildebeest, impala, and warthog \u2014 are actually attracted to burned areas for about six
\nmonths following a fire.<\/p>\n

As she began her research, Eby postulated five possible reasons for this attraction: Herbivores could
\nbe seeking nutrient-rich, post-burn plants; eating ash as a nutrient supplement; avoiding parasites and
\npredators; or utilizing the warmer microclimate.<\/p>\n

Her research uncovered two primary reasons. \u201cFirst, the herbivores are attracted to the newer, more
\nnutritious plant growth that sprouts after burning,\u201d Eby explains. \u201cSecond, the fires decrease vegetation
\nheight, making it harder for carnivores to sneak up on the herbivores. Ash may also play a minor role
\nshortly after burning as it is higher in nutrients than unburned vegetation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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