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Africa's Savanna Ecosystems

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Topic
  • Ecology
  • Ecosystems
  • Earth Science
  • Climate
Duration
24 minutes 56 seconds
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Description

In this talk, ecologist Robert Pringle discusses how patterns and processes that occur in the savanna, a globally important biome, illustrate core concepts in ecology.

Savannas cover 20% of Earth’s surface, including much of Africa. They are defined by the stable coexistence of trees and grass. The stability of a savanna ecosystem was once thought to be determined by abiotic factors, such as rainfall, fires, soil, and nutrients. Pringle describes research that reveals the importance of biotic factors, such as large herbivores, predators, and even termite mounds.

This talk is from a 2015 Holiday Lecture Series, Patterns and Processes in Ecology.

Details
Key Terms

biome, fire, Gorongosa National Park, herbivore, precipitation, tree cover, trophic interaction

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Version History
Date Published 10.22.15
Date Updated 05.06.16
Materials
Video (MP4) 189 MB
Transcript (PDF) 58 KB
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