Africa's Fairy Circles Linked to Savvy Termites
- 11 years ago
Africa's Fairy Circles are linked to savvy termites.
Scientists may have solved the mystery concerning Africa's fairy circles.
Bizarre rings dot the desert in southwest Africa.
Essentially barren, dirt patches which rest in the middle of grassland, local residents have always referred to the spots as “footprints of the gods”. Researchers declared them fairy circles for the lack of scientific explanation behind them.
A German scientist recently hypothesized that the circles are the work of industrious termites.
A professor at the University of Hamburg claims these sand termites “match the beaver with regard to intensity of environmental change, but surpass it with regard to the spatial dimension of their impact.”
The soft-bodied insects don’t just create the shapes for chewing purposes, the professor believes they engineer the rings to maintain a water supply in the harsh environment.
First, the termites clear the patch by eating the roots of annual grasses. Leaving a ring of bare reddish earth behind, surrounded by untouched grasses, the circles act as water traps, with rainwater collecting just below the surface where it cannot be lost through the evaporation process.
Scientists may have solved the mystery concerning Africa's fairy circles.
Bizarre rings dot the desert in southwest Africa.
Essentially barren, dirt patches which rest in the middle of grassland, local residents have always referred to the spots as “footprints of the gods”. Researchers declared them fairy circles for the lack of scientific explanation behind them.
A German scientist recently hypothesized that the circles are the work of industrious termites.
A professor at the University of Hamburg claims these sand termites “match the beaver with regard to intensity of environmental change, but surpass it with regard to the spatial dimension of their impact.”
The soft-bodied insects don’t just create the shapes for chewing purposes, the professor believes they engineer the rings to maintain a water supply in the harsh environment.
First, the termites clear the patch by eating the roots of annual grasses. Leaving a ring of bare reddish earth behind, surrounded by untouched grasses, the circles act as water traps, with rainwater collecting just below the surface where it cannot be lost through the evaporation process.