Change in the Serengeti. Long-term records from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

Chapter 0, Problem 7.36

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Change in the Serengeti. Long-term records from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania show interesting ecological relationships. When wildebeest are moreabundant, they graze the grass more heavily, so there are fewer fires and more treesgrow. Lions feed more successfully when there are more trees, so the lionpopulation increases. Here are data on one part of this cycle, wildebeestabundance (in thousands of animals) and the percent of the grass area thatburned in the same year:14Gallo ImagesAnthony Bannister/Getty ImagesWildebeest Percent Wildebeest Percent Wildebeest Percent(1000s) burned (1000s) burned (1000s) burned396 56 360 88 1147 32476 50 444 88 1173 31698 25 524 75 1178 241049 16 622 60 1253 241178 7 600 56 1249 531200 5 902 451302 7 1440 21 To what extent do these data support the claim that more wildebeest reduce thepercent of grasslands that burn? How rapidly does burned area decrease as thenumber of wildebeest increases? Include a graph and suitable calculations. Followthe four-step process (page 53) in your answer.