Have the mysterious fairy circles of Namibia been solved?

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The discussion centers on the concept of allelopathy, particularly in relation to desert shrubs like Salvia leucophylla, which was historically believed to create bare zones around them due to volatile terpenes. This idea gained attention after being featured in the journal Science in 1964. However, subsequent research has challenged this notion, revealing that the bare zones may not be solely due to allelopathic effects. A 1970 study demonstrated that when rodents and birds were excluded from the area around the shrubs, grass was able to grow in these bare zones, suggesting that other factors, such as herbivory, play a significant role. The discussion also touches on the impact of invasive species like diffuse knapweed, which can severely affect grass growth in lawns, highlighting the complexities of plant interactions in ecosystems.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy

One of the most famous cases of purported allelopathy is in desert shrubs. Salvia leucophylla was one of the most widely known early examples because it was on the cover of the journal Science in 1964[2] Bare zones around the shrubs were hypothesized to be caused by volatile terpenes emitted by the shrubs. However, like many allelopathy studies, it was based on artificial lab experiments and unwarranted extrapolations to natural ecosystems. In 1970, Science published a study where caging the shrubs to exclude rodents and birds allowed grass to grow in the bare zones.[3] A detailed history of this interesting story can be found in Halsey 2004.[4]
 
Diffuse knapweed is absolute death on grasses --- just try letting it go for a while in a lawn.
 

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