After exploring a wide range of African savanna and forested ecosystems, I have learned a lot about the native fauna and the land on which they live.
Animals in Tanzania have to live with a mix of species, humans, and constantly changing environmental conditions. One thing I noticed is that the animals tend to harness positive within-species and between-species interactions. For example, there were multiple instances where we saw large heterogeneous groups of zebras, gazelles, and wildebeest grazing. Although this slightly heightens competition for food, this is a predator avoidance strategy. The herds graze together to maximize protection against predation because large groups make it harder for a predator to target a single individual, and the animals toward the center of the group gain extra protection. Animals take advantage of sought-after environmental factors, like lions sleeping in the shade, lizards basking on the same rock, and hippos, flamingos, ibises, and herons all sharing the same waterhole. Animals in the African savanna have learned to coexist for mutual benefit, and they have also learned to coexist with and adapt to humans. In the Ngorongoro Crater, kites circled the picnic area and learned to swoop down for food. Similarly, various kinds of weavers and plovers learned to snack off of human-made crumbs in the Serengeti National Park eating area. Even at the gate of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, baboons have learned to recognize paper bags and cardboard boxes as likely food and make attempts to steal them. In this way, animals are benefiting from human presence. However, humans are a threat to their habitats and encroach and fragment their lands. The ultimate facilitator of human-animal coexistence is the lack of fences or barriers. Despite human settlement, animals are still free to roam, and National Parks blend seamlessly into surrounding landscapes rather than being a drastically different contained environment.
The natural environment influences wildlife like how the contents of a pantry influence a chef. Different animals are drawn to different environmental factors, and different times call for different priorities. Just like a chef might alter their recipe depending on available supplies, an animal might alter their diet or choice of habitat depending on water and nutrients like prey and/or grass. Many species like waterbucks and buffalos are dependent on water, and the location of waterholes influences their ranges, especially during the dry season. This creates a compounding effect because predators of these species would also be impacted by their prey’s limited range during the dry season. Many prey animals are more dependent on grass than water and migrate continuously to follow rainfall patterns. Huge herds of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles are constantly on the move, and this is solely influenced by the environment. This influences their natural predators, causing a seasonality in prey abundance and prey scarcity that is correlated with grass cover. Openness also influences wildlife, as species differ in their preference for vegetation cover, and openness determines the amount of carnivore competition between predators and scavengers. Lastly, species can be driven by the nutrients present in an environment beyond prey or grass. For example, we saw a group of elephants that frequented a spot in the Ngorongoro Forest because of its richness in salt. Environmental conditions directly and indirectly influence wildlife, and climate change is another factor added into the feedback loop of landscape-animal influence.
The biggest takeaway from experiencing East Africa firsthand is that diverse landscapes host diverse communities. The environment determines what can be utilized in a landscape, and the animals best suited to those specific conditions come to dominate over others. Communities differ based on openness and color, as openness determines vulnerability to predation and weather exposure, and the color of the landscape (i.e. green forests versus yellow plains) determines the effectiveness of camouflage. Environments favor animals most adapted to the conditions, and communities evolve and change with the landscape.
Like many species, hominins were dependent on water. The presence of water greatly shaped human history. Additionally, early humans were dependent on trees before they became bipedal, so they had an early dependence on tree cover. However, humans evolved to become bipedal, resulting in more efficient transportation and the opportunity to use arms (non-walking limbs) for other purposes like carrying and balance. No longer relying on trees, humans were able to expand their range. Importantly, early humans started out as prey. They needed vegetation cover to hide and nearby water to avoid being exposed for too long in search of water. However, with the invention of stone tools, humans became predators as hunters and scavengers. Thus, they suddenly had the motivation to keep close to prey. The human species originated as prey dependent on water and hiding in tree cover, but human inhabitance of the natural environment changed when humans became tool-wielding predators and had the ability to use weapons to fight off other predators. They could survive more open areas and higher competition pressures, such as nearby waterholes.
To put it simply, this entire experience has been the most rewarding two weeks of my life. It has always been a dream of mine to see African wildlife where it naturally persists, and that’s exactly how this class felt: dreamlike. I got to wake up in my tent in the eastern Serengeti plains, drive past some elephants, giraffes, zebras, and gazelles, excavate bone fragments with the help of a 1.5 million-year-old hominin battering stone, and see the Milky Way all in one day. Needless to say, my expectations were unfathomably exceeded, and I got more out of those two weeks than I have out of my 4 years at Rice. I can’t possibly pick my favorite part of the trip, but some highlights included the safaris, excavating at site BK, and hiking in the Ngorongoro Forest. The only part of the trip that I think could be improved upon in the future is the pacing. A little more time to recover from jetlag, long road trips, and/or intermittent exhaustion would help to keep energy and morale up.
Here are the three most important/surprising things that I learned in this course:
- Humans are the biggest threat to many species in African savannas.
- We can use the past to learn about the present AND the present to learn about the past.
- Life is an adventure if you let it be one.
I cannot express the extent of my gratitude for the chance to participate in such a life-changing experience. I am so thankful for Scott, Manuel, Rice Biosciences, and everyone I met on the trip. I am reminded of how fun and exciting learning can be, and I hope I never forget the value of going outside of my comfort zone. This class has been super, and I can’t imagine a better way to finish off my undergraduate studies.
Alrighty then! It has been an immense pleasure to be a part of the first BIOS|ANTH 323 class, and I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging about all that I have experienced.
Filled with love for these people and the experiences I got to share with them!
Take care now, bye then.
