"Fairy circles" in are back in the news. What causes these mysterious patterns? washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro
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The piece highlights work by Stephan Getzin et al., who argue that "plant water stress, not termite herbivory, causes Namibia’s fairy circles." For their research article, see
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An alternative theory, in which both termites and plant competition play key roles, is discussed here:
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Back in 2020, I had the pleasure of chatting with Corina Tarnita about her work on fairy circles:
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Sorry, I meant to type: "Fairy circles" in _Namibia_ are back in the news.
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This reminds me of a passage in your book about the mystery of the⭕️: "We see circles in tree rings, in the ripples on a pond, in the shape of the sun and the moon. Circles surround us in nature. And as we gaze at circles, they gaze back to us, literally...They are mystical too."
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These appear to have been water puddles that have dried. Also, it appears that some sort of vegetation seemed to have grown at an optimal distance from the center and depth of the puddle? A closer visual inspection would help. Let us know what you find.
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Australian Journal of Botany, 2021, 69, 113–120
doi.org/10.1071/BT20122
The contribution of pathogenic soil microbes to ring formation in an iconic Australian arid grass, Triodia basedowii (Poaceae)
Neil D. RossA and Angela T. Moles
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