Dr. Getzin has previously suggested that climate conditions and self-organization in plants contribute to fairy circle formation in Namibia. Insects such as termites, while taking advantage of these arid patches, do not directly produce the distinctive patterns.
On the other hand, Dr. Walsh contended that in Australia, termites play an intrinsic role in the creation of these peculiar barren spots.
Their research was conducted in close collaboration with indigenous communities. It established that termites are central to the functioning of these formations, referred to as “linyji” in the Manyjilyjarra language and “mingkirri” in the Warlpiri language.
According to Walsh, “Aboriginal people illustrated these patterns at least since the 1980s and said they knew of them for generations, probably millennia earlier.”
“In Australia, termites do not simply ‘play a role’,” Walsh emphasized. “They are the primary mechanism, and interpretations need to be centered on termite-grass-soil-water dynamics.”
