Hippos transfer 0.4 tonnes of silicon into Kenya’s Mara River on a dry-season day; scientists explain why the element matters to aquatic life
- Representative Image of a hippo grazing on grasslands at night and transferring silicon to a river through its dung ( AI Generrated Image)Hippos spend their nights grazing on grass and their days resting in rivers.
- This daily routine also moves silicon from land into water, where it can influence the organisms that form the base of aquatic food webs.
- In a study published in Science Advances titled Hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius): The animal silicon pump, researchers estimated that hippos transfer 0.4 metric tonnes of silicon into Kenya’s Mara River on a dry-season day by eating grass on land a
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- Representative Image of a hippo grazing on grasslands at night and transferring silicon to a river through its dung ( AI Generrated Image)Hippos spend their nights grazing on grass and their days resting in rivers.
- This daily routine also moves silicon from land into water, where it can influence the organisms that form the base of aquatic food webs.
- In a study published in Science Advances titled Hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius): The animal silicon pump, researchers estimated that hippos transfer 0.4 metric tonnes of silicon into Kenya’s Mara River on a dry-season day by eating grass on land a
Sources: Times of India