Waithira Ngugi Mary

Ms. Waithira Ngugi Mary

University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Nairobi City, Kenya

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
18 October 2022 in Fire
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
WMWaithira Ngugi Mary
Waithira Ngugi Mary
DKDuncan Kimuyu
Duncan Kimuyu
RSRyan L. Sensenig
Ryan L. Sensenig
WOWilfre O. Odadi
Wilfre O. Odadi
SKSamuel Kiboi
Samuel Kiboi
TYTruman P. Young
Truman P. Young
There has been a long-standing interest in understanding how interactions between fire and herbivory influence woody vegetation dynamics in savanna ecosystems. However, controlled, replicated experiments examining how different fire regimes interact with different herbivore groups are rare. We tested the effects of single and repeated burns, crossed with six replicated herbivore treatments, on the mortality and growth of woody vegetation in the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment plots located in a semi-arid savanna system in central Kenya. Burned plots experienced higher tree mortality overall, but differences between burns and non-burns were only significant in plots excluding all wild herbivores and in plots accessible to megaherbivores. Cattle ameliorated the negative effects of repeat burns on tree mortality, perhaps by suppressing fuel load accumulation. Across all herbivore treatments, trees experienced a significant reduction in height within the first two years after fire (top-kill), which was followed by a gradual recovery. Saplings and coppices subjected to repeated burns regrew faster than those that were burned once, except in the presence of megaherbivores. This study highlights strong context-dependent interactions between fire and different herbivore groups, and extends previous approaches to understanding fire–herbivory interactions, which have tended to lump the effects of different herbivore groups, or study them separately.