For decades scientists have been puzzled about the fairy circles found in Africa and Australia. For those who don’t know, these are strange circular patches which dotted the terrains of Namibia and Australia. Now, in the latest development, these circles have been found in 250 new locations that span in a total of 15 countries. Multiple theories have been expounded by scientists globally to determine the cause of these circles.
According to a new study, artificial intelligence was used to classify satellite images which contained 263 sites with patterns similar to the fairy circles.
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Study co-author Emilio Guirado from UA said, “Analyzing their effects on the functioning of ecosystems and discovering the environmental factors that determine their distribution is essential to better understand the causes of the formation of these vegetation patterns and their ecological importance.”
Meanwhile, earlier, a study conducted by scientists from the University of Pretoria and ITMO University in St Petersburg found that the cause of the fairy circle is dead Euphorbia species sap. The research was started in 2015 by Professor Marion Meyer from the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences in Pretoria and included seven other members. They studied the effect of toxic Euphorbia species, which are basically milk bushes, on fairy circle soil chemistry and water hydraulics, their germination inhibition and antimicrobial activity on rhizosphere bacteria.
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Since sandy soils in Namibia have a low water-holding capacity and might facilitate the formation of a hydraulically connected landscape, the Euphorbia plants come under pressure for water and nutrient availability. These plants release water-repelling sap when they die that hinders the growth of other grassy plants that creates a barren featureless circle.
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