[7] Presence of the nara plant is associated with significantly increased soil microdiversity likely due to the shade it provides and the attraction of foraging mammals which contribute to organic matter.

[8] Acanthosicyos horridus typically occurs in the absence of other vegetation due to the harshness of the climate,[4] though Eragrostis spinosa and Stipagrostis sabulicola grasses may grow between its hummocks.

It is regarded as a keystone species because its melons, seeds, shoots, and flowers are food sources for beetles, gemsbok, and ostrich, while small rodents such as Rhabdomys pumilio, Desmodillus auricularis, and Thallomys nigricauda take shelter amid the spiny tangle of its stems.

[9] Black-backed jackals sniff out its ripe melon fruits using their jaws to bite through their tough skins.

Further, seeds from their scats may then be collected by scatter-hoarding gerbils which move them into microhabitats further dispersing them and optimising their germination.