In many places, including the savannas of Kenya, patterns of burning have drastically changed in the last half-century due to changes in demographics, land ownership, and beliefs about fire. While fire has been recognized as a particularly important structuring force in many of these grassland systems, ecologists have rarely addressed how the spatial scale of a burn affects system response. Data from our previous studies in East Africa suggest that differences in the spatial attributes of a burn can markedly affect the response of grazing mammals of differing body sizes. Our research has begun to test how the spatial attributes of grassland fires (burn size and patchiness) affect: (a) which grazing species utilize the post-burn re-growth, and (b) in turn, how such herbivory modifies nitrogen dynamics, acacia tree regeneration, and grass productivity in the post-burn environment. The project is a partnership with three ranches in Laikipia, Kenya where plots of 81, 9 and 1 hectares have been burned in order to measure how animals of varying body-size, from elephants to rodents, make use of the grass re-growth. Additionally, the project works toward engaging the local community within the research program. Through an international cooperative arrangement with the University of Nairobi, a Kenyan MS student is providing additional measures of grass productivity and soil changes in the post-burn environment. Prescribed fire training, fire ecology instruction, and fire suppression equipment are provided to local landowners and stakeholders. This award is co-funded by the Division of Environmental Biology and The Office of International Science and Engineering.
