A Billion Recyclers: Animals Ecoengineer a Healthy Serengeti | Evolution Earth

Support learning about ecosystem succession through this trophic cascade case study from the Serengeti. Ecologist Inger de Jonge explains how the return of a natural nutrient cycling service restored a lost savanna ecosystem and increased the Serengeti’s role as a major carbon sink in Earth’s carbon cycle.

Engagement and reflection questions, plus modeling activities, will enable students to explore the ecosystem processes important to the health of grasslands. Students can consider the biogeological impacts of rewilding efforts and sustainable agricultural practices on Earth’s carbon cycle.