Transcontinental insights from USA–South Africa partnerships in long-term African grassland experiments

Abstract

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  Now in their 75th year, the Ukulinga long-term fire and nutrient addition experiments in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa are among the world’s oldest ecological experiments in natural grasslands, providing rare and valuable insights into how these ecosystems respond to sustained disturbance.
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  Since the early 2000s, researchers from South Africa, the United States, and other countries have collaborated on these trials, expanding their global scientific impact through comparative studies with comparable mesic grasslands in the United States.
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  Cross-continental contrasts with sites like Konza Prairie show that although fire supports productivity in both South African and US mesic grasslands, species and community responses differ due to distinct evolutionary and climatic histories.
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  These collaborations have revealed globally relevant lessons, including how nutrient addition often increases yield but reduces biodiversity and how fire frequency influences long-term shifts in grassland structure, composition, and resilience.
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  The Ukulinga experiments remain active, well-maintained, and globally connected, offering scientists from the United States and elsewhere opportunities to collaborate, access unique long-term data, test ecological theory, and advance grassland and rangeland science amid changing climate and land-use pressures.