Interplay of competition and facilitation in grazing succession by migrant Serengeti herbivores. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38359113/)

These scientists wanted to understand why different animals move from one place to another in a big park called Serengeti National Park. They were curious about how the animals that eat grass, like zebras and wildebeests, decide where to go and when. They used special cameras, GPS trackers on the animals, and a method called fecal DNA metabarcoding to study the animals over 8 years.

They found out that the zebras and wildebeests take turns eating the grass. Sometimes, the zebras eat first because they are better at competing for the food. Then, the wildebeests follow behind and eat what's left. But, the zebras also help the smaller gazelles by eating the grass down, which makes it easier for the gazelles to find food too.

The scientists also saw that when there were big fires or a lot of rain, it changed how the animals moved and ate. The study showed that there is a balance between helping each other find food (facilitation) and competing for food (competition) among the animals in the park.

Anderson TM., Hepler SA., Holdo RM., Donaldson JE., Erhardt RJ., Hopcraft JGC., Hutchinson MC., Huebner SE., Morrison TA., Muday J., Munuo IN., Palmer MS., Pansu J., Pringle RM., Sketch R., Packer C. Interplay of competition and facilitation in grazing succession by migrant Serengeti herbivores. Science. 2024 Feb 16;383(6684):782-788. doi: 10.1126/science.adg0744. Epub 2024 Feb 15.