Savanna ecosystems, spanning grasslands punctuated by scattered trees, are shaped fundamentally by the activities of large mammalian herbivores. Through grazing and browsing, these animals regulate ...

Human-caused environmental changes threaten natural ecosystems. These ecosystems are essential to creating and maintaining a rich, resilient, and adaptable biosphere. In East Africa's savanna, ...

New research shows that degraded savanna ecosystems can reap lasting benefits from a single seeding of native understory plants. Once a diverse understory of savanna plants became established, its ...

If you liked this story, share it with other people. The Amazon’s “tipping point” refers to the transition of the rainforest into a drier, savanna ecosystem. The rainforest’s ecological balance ...

Droughts are becoming both more frequent and more intense in many parts of the world. Savannas, which cover nearly 20% of Earth's land surface and play a key role in carbon, water and energy cycles, ...

New research pushes back the oldest evidence of C4 grass-dominated habitats in Africa -- and globally -- by more than 10 million years, with important implications for primate evolution and the ...

Prescribed burns are planned and conducted by trained wildland fire professionals under strict safety protocols.

Red-headed woodpeckers and their oak savanna habitats are in serious decline. Red-headed woodpeckers and the oak savanna habitat that supports them are in serious decline. To forage for insects and ...

If you liked this story, share it with other people. Stamping out fires in the African savanna generates smaller carbon sequestration gains than previously thought, an analysis published in the ...

Swift foxes are among the many species that rely on healthy grassland ecosystems. Image: Roshan Patel, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute From the savannas of Sub-Saharan ...