Fire occurs naturally in grasslands and savannas and it is commonly used as a management tool to influence structure and composition. The ability of a grass plant to recover from fire may be influenced by the fire frequency and intensity (influenced by seasonal weather conditions and fuel load), defoliation and competition from neighbouring plants. This study sought to investigate factors influencing the fire and herbivore dynamics of an evergreen C₃ grass, Festuca costata, in a high-altitude C₄ dominated grassland in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa. We experimentally examined the effect of fire frequency, defoliation and competition from neighbours on the growth dynamics of F. costata. Annual burning significantly decreased aboveground biomass production, number of tillers and tuft circumference of F. costata. Defoliation similarly reduced aboveground biomass production, number of tillers, tuft circumference and specific leaf area of F. costata. Competition from neighbouring plants reduced aboveground biomass production, number of tillers and tuft circumference of F. costata. Given the expected variable impacts of increasing CO₂ levels and temperature on C₃ and C₄ grasses, these results provide insights for managing the matrix of C₃ and C₄ grasses in the Drakensberg grasslands in a changing climate.

火灾自然发生在草原和稀树草原中，通常用作影响结构和组成的管理工具。草植物从火灾中恢复的能力可能受到火灾频率和强度（受季节性天气条件和燃料负荷的影响）、落叶和来自邻近植物的竞争的影响。本研究旨在调查影响南非德拉肯斯堡山脉高海拔 C _{4主导草原中常绿 C 3}草Festuca costata的火和食草动物动态的因素。我们通过实验研究了火灾频率、落叶和来自邻居的竞争对F. costata 生长动态的影响。每年的燃烧显着降低了F. costata的地上生物量产量、分蘖数和簇周长。落叶同样降低了F. costata的地上生物量产量、分蘖数、簇周长和比叶面积。来自邻近植物的竞争减少了F. costata的地上生物量产量、分蘖数量和簇周长。_{鉴于 CO 2}水平和温度增加对 C ₃和 C ₄草的预期可变影响，这些结果为在气候变化中管理德拉肯斯堡草原中的C ₃和 C ₄草基质提供了见解。