Event Details

There's a mystery to be solved, following the disappearance of grasses which have existed for thousands of years. Dr Kimberley Simpson will present the likely suspects in her talk "Whodunnit? The Case of the Vanishing Savannas", and a provide an insight into the delicate balance of plant ecology.

Webinar Abstract

In savannas, a delicate balance between two contrasting life forms - C3 trees and C4 grasses - has existed for millenia. However, the last few decades have seen savannas across the globe being transformed with tree cover rapidly increasing at the expense of grasses, threatening the very existence of this biome. The drivers of this change are under investigation. In this talk, I’ll bring together lines of evidence on the various ‘suspects’ in an attempt to solve the case of the vanishing savannas.