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Yates C, Evans J, Vernooij R, Eames T, Muir E, Holmes J, Edwards A, Russell-Smith J. Incentivizing sustainable fire management in Australia's northern arid spinifex grasslands. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 344:118384. [PMID: 37392692 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Fire management across Australia's fire-prone 1.2 M km2 northern savannas region has been transformed over the past decade supported by the inception of Australia's national regulated emissions reduction market in 2012. Today, incentivised fire management is undertaken over a quarter of that entire region, providing a range of socio-cultural, environmental, and economic benefits, including for remote Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) communities and enterprises. Building on those advances, here we explore the emissions abatement potential for expanding incentivised fire management opportunities to include a contiguous fire-prone region, extending to monsoonal but annually lower (<600 mm) and more variable rainfall conditions, supporting predominantly shrubby spinifex (Triodia) hummock grasslands characteristic of much of Australia's deserts and semi-arid rangelands. Adapting a standard methodological approach applied previously for assessing savanna emissions parameters, we first describe fire regime and associated climatic attributes for a proposed ∼850,000 km2 lower rainfall (600-350 mm MAR) focal region. Second, based on regional field assessments of seasonal fuel accumulation, combustion, burnt area patchiness, and accountable methane and nitrous oxide Emission Factor parameters, we find that significant emissions abatement is feasible for regional hummock grasslands. This applies specifically for more frequently burnt sites under higher rainfall conditions if substantial early dry season prescribed fire management is undertaken resulting in marked reduction in late dry season wildfires. The proposed Northern Arid Zone (NAZ) focal envelope is substantially under Indigenous land ownership and management, and in addition to reducing emissions impacts associated with recurrent extensive wildfires, development of commercial landscape-scale fire management opportunities would significantly support social, cultural and biodiversity management aspirations as promoted by Indigenous landowners. Combined with existing regulated savanna fire management regions, inclusion of the NAZ under existing legislated abatement methodologies would effectively provide incentivised fire management covering a quarter of Australia's landmass. This could complement an allied (non-carbon) accredited method valuing combined social, cultural and biodiversity outcomes from enhanced fire management of hummock grasslands. Although the management approach has potential application to other international fire-prone savanna grasslands, caution is required to ensure that such practice does not result in irreversible woody encroachment and undesirable habitat change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Yates
- Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, 0909, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Jay Evans
- Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, 0909, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Roland Vernooij
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tom Eames
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ed Muir
- Indigenous Desert Alliance, West Perth, 6005, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jarrad Holmes
- PEC Consultants (People, Environment, Carbon), Lake Barrine, 4884, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew Edwards
- Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, 0909, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Jeremy Russell-Smith
- Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, 0909, Northern Territory, Australia.
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2
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Wright BR, Nipper M, Nipper N, Merson SD, Guest T. Mortality rates of desert vegetation during high‐intensity drought at
Uluru‐Kata
Tjuta National Park, Central Australia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Boyd R. Wright
- Uluru‐Kata Tjuta National Park Yulara Northwest Territories Australia
- School of Agriculture and Food Science University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Botany, School of Environmental and Rural Science University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Martin Nipper
- Mutitjulu Community Ranger Program, Mutitjulu Community Yulara Northwest Territories Australia
| | - Nathan Nipper
- Mutitjulu Community Ranger Program, Mutitjulu Community Yulara Northwest Territories Australia
| | | | - Tracey Guest
- Uluru‐Kata Tjuta National Park Yulara Northwest Territories Australia
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3
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Bell K, Doherty TS, Wevill T, Driscoll DA. Restoration of a declining foundation plant species: testing the roles of competitor suppression, fire reintroduction and herbivore exclusion. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristian Bell
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong VIC Australia
| | - Tim S. Doherty
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong VIC Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - T. Wevill
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong VIC Australia
| | - Don A. Driscoll
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong VIC Australia
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4
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Vacchiano G, Pesendorfer MB, Conedera M, Gratzer G, Rossi L, Ascoli D. Natural disturbances and masting: from mechanisms to fitness consequences. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200384. [PMID: 34657468 PMCID: PMC8520777 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The timing of seed production and release is highly relevant for successful plant reproduction. Ecological disturbances, if synchronized with reproductive effort, can increase the chances of seeds and seedlings to germinate and establish. This can be especially true under variable and synchronous seed production (masting). Several observational studies have reported worldwide evidence for co-occurrence of disturbances and seed bumper crops in forests. Here, we review the evidence for interaction between disturbances and masting in global plant communities; we highlight feedbacks between these two ecological processes and posit an evolutionary pathway leading to the selection of traits that allow trees to synchronize seed crops with disturbances. Finally, we highlight relevant questions to be tested on the functional and evolutionary relationship between disturbances and masting. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Vacchiano
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marco Conedera
- WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Cadenazzo, Switzerland
| | - Georg Gratzer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lorenzo Rossi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Davide Ascoli
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
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5
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Pesendorfer MB, Bowman R, Gratzer G, Pruett S, Tringali A, Fitzpatrick JW. Fire history and weather interact to determine extent and synchrony of mast-seeding in rhizomatous scrub oaks of Florida. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200381. [PMID: 34657464 PMCID: PMC8520774 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In disturbance-prone ecosystems, fitness consequences of plant reproductive strategies are often determined by the relative timing of seed production and disturbance events, but the role of disturbances as proximate drivers of seed production has been overlooked. We use long-term data on seed production in Quercus chapmanii, Q. geminata and Q. inopina, rhizomatous oaks found in south central Florida's oak scrub, to investigate the role of fire history and its interaction with weather in shaping acorn production and its synchrony. Acorn production increased with the time since last fire, combined with additive or interactive effects of spring precipitation (+) or drought (-). Furthermore, multiple matrix regression models revealed that ramet pairs with shared fire history were more synchronous in seed production than ones that burned in different years. Long-term trends suggest that increasingly drier spring weather, in interaction with fire frequency, may drive a decline of seed production. Such declines could affect the community of acorn-reliant vertebrates in the Florida scrub, including endangered Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens). These results illustrate that fire can function as a proximate driver of seed production in mast-seeding species, highlighting the increasingly recognized importance of interactions among reproductive strategies and disturbance regimes in structuring plant populations and communities. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Reed Bowman
- Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL 33960, USA
| | - Georg Gratzer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - John W. Fitzpatrick
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL 33960, USA
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Ascoli D, Hacket-Pain A, Pearse IS, Vacchiano G, Corti S, Davini P. Modes of climate variability bridge proximate and evolutionary mechanisms of masting. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200380. [PMID: 34657463 PMCID: PMC8520781 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
There is evidence that variable and synchronous reproduction in seed plants (masting) correlates to modes of climate variability, e.g. El Niño Southern Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation. In this perspective, we explore the breadth of knowledge on how climate modes control reproduction in major masting species throughout Earth's biomes. We posit that intrinsic properties of climate modes (periodicity, persistence and trends) drive interannual and decadal variability of plant reproduction, as well as the spatial extent of its synchrony, aligning multiple proximate causes of masting through space and time. Moreover, climate modes force lagged but in-phase ecological processes that interact synergistically with multiple stages of plant reproductive cycles. This sets up adaptive benefits by increasing offspring fitness through either economies of scale or environmental prediction. Community-wide links between climate modes and masting across plant taxa suggest an evolutionary role of climate variability. We argue that climate modes may 'bridge' proximate and ultimate causes of masting selecting for variable and synchronous reproduction. The future of such interaction is uncertain: processes that improve reproductive fitness may remain coupled with climate modes even under changing climates, but chances are that abrupt global warming will affect Earth's climate modes so rapidly as to alter ecological and evolutionary links. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Ascoli
- Department DISAFA, University of Torino (IT), Torino TO, Italy
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool (UK), UK
| | - Ian S. Pearse
- Fort Collins Science Center, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Susanna Corti
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-ISAC), Bologna, Italy
| | - Paolo Davini
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-ISAC), Torino, Italy
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Wright BR. Evidence that predator satiation drives reproductive synchrony in the desert masting grass, soft spinifex (
Triodia pungens
). AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Boyd R. Wright
- Botany, School of Environmental and Rural Science University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
- School of Agriculture and Food Science University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia
- Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security Alice Springs Herbarium, Northern Territory Government Alice Springs Northern Territory Australia
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8
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Wright BR, Laffineur B, Royé D, Armstrong G, Fensham RJ. Rainfall-Linked Megafires as Innate Fire Regime Elements in Arid Australian Spinifex (Triodia spp.) Grasslands. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.666241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Large, high-severity wildfires, or “megafires,” occur periodically in arid Australian spinifex (Triodia spp.) grasslands after high rainfall periods that trigger fuel accumulation. Proponents of the patch-burn mosaic (PBM) hypothesis suggest that these fires are unprecedented in the modern era and were formerly constrained by Aboriginal patch burning that kept landscape fuel levels low. This assumption deserves scrutiny, as evidence from fire-prone systems globally indicates that weather factors are the primary determinant behind megafire incidence, and that fuel management does not mitigate such fires during periods of climatic extreme. We reviewed explorer’s diaries, anthropologist’s reports, and remotely sensed data from the Australian Western Desert for evidence of large rainfall-linked fires during the pre-contact period when traditional Aboriginal patch burning was still being practiced. We used only observations that contained empiric estimates of fire sizes. Concurrently, we employed remote rainfall data and the Oceanic Niño Index to relate fire size to likely seasonal conditions at the time the observations were made. Numerous records were found of small fires during periods of average and below-average rainfall conditions, but no evidence of large-scale fires during these times. By contrast, there was strong evidence of large-scale wildfires during a high-rainfall period in the early 1870s, some of which are estimated to have burnt areas up to 700,000 ha. Our literature review also identified several Western Desert Aboriginal mythologies that refer to large-scale conflagrations. As oral traditions sometimes corroborate historic events, these myths may add further evidence that large fires are an inherent feature of spinifex grassland fire regimes. Overall, the results suggest that, contrary to predictions of the PBM hypothesis, traditional Aboriginal burning did not modulate spinifex fire size during periods of extreme-high arid zone rainfall. The mechanism behind this is that plant assemblages in seral spinifex vegetation comprise highly flammable non-spinifex tussock grasses that rapidly accumulate high fuel loads under favorable precipitation conditions. Our finding that fuel management does not prevent megafires under extreme conditions in arid Australia has parallels with the primacy of climatic factors as drivers of megafires in the forests of temperate Australia.
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Lewandrowski W, Stevens JC, Webber BL, L. Dalziell E, Trudgen MS, Bateman AM, Erickson TE. Global change impacts on arid zone ecosystems: Seedling establishment processes are threatened by temperature and water stress. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:8071-8084. [PMID: 34188872 PMCID: PMC8216921 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Recruitment for many arid-zone plant species is expected to be impacted by the projected increase in soil temperature and prolonged droughts associated with global climate change. As seed dormancy is considered a strategy to avoid unfavorable conditions, understanding the mechanisms underpinning vulnerability to these factors is critical for plant recruitment in intact communities, as well as for restoration efforts in arid ecosystems. This study determined the effects of temperature and water stress on recruitment processes in six grass species in the genus Triodia R.Br. from the Australian arid zone. Experiments in controlled environments were conducted on dormant and less-dormant seeds at constant temperatures of 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, and 40°C, under well-watered (Ψsoil = -0.15 MPa) and water-limited (Ψsoil = -0.35 MPa) conditions. Success at three key recruitment stages-seed germination, emergence, and survival-and final seed viability of ungerminated seeds was assessed. For all species, less-dormant seeds germinated to higher proportions under all conditions; however, subsequent seedling emergence and survival were higher in the more dormant seed treatment. An increase in temperature (35-40°C) under water-limited conditions caused 95%-100% recruitment failure, regardless of the dormancy state. Ungerminated seeds maintained viability in dry soil; however, when exposed to warm (30-40°C) and well-watered conditions, loss of viability was greater from the less-dormant seeds across all species. This work demonstrates that the transition from seed to established seedling is highly vulnerable to microclimatic constraints and represents a critical filter for plant recruitment in the arid zone. As we demonstrate temperature and water stress-driven mortality between seeds and established seedlings, understanding how these factors influence recruitment in other arid-zone species should be a high priority consideration for management actions to mitigate the impacts of global change on ecosystem resilience. The knowledge gained from these outcomes must be actively incorporated into restoration initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Lewandrowski
- Kings Park ScienceDepartment of Biodiversity, Conservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Jason C. Stevens
- Kings Park ScienceDepartment of Biodiversity, Conservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Bruce L. Webber
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
- CSIRO Health and BiosecurityFloreatWestern AustraliaAustralia
- Western Australian Biodiversity Science InstitutePerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Emma L. Dalziell
- Kings Park ScienceDepartment of Biodiversity, Conservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Melinda S. Trudgen
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
- CSIRO Health and BiosecurityFloreatWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Amber M. Bateman
- Kings Park ScienceDepartment of Biodiversity, Conservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Todd E. Erickson
- Kings Park ScienceDepartment of Biodiversity, Conservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
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Bell K, Driscoll DA, Patykowski J, Doherty TS. Abundance, Condition and Size of a Foundation Species Vary with Altered Soil Conditions, Remnant Type and Potential Competitors. Ecosystems 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-020-00598-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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11
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Wright BR. Evidence that shrublands and hummock grasslands are fire-mediated alternative stable states in the Australian Gibson Desert. Oecologia 2018; 188:525-535. [PMID: 29974238 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4215-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Alternative stable state theory predicts that different disturbance regimes may support contrasting ecosystem states under otherwise analogous environmental conditions. In fire-prone systems, this theory is often invoked to explain abrupt ecotones, especially when adjacent vegetation types have contrasting flammabilities and differing tolerances to pyric perturbation. Despite being well-documented in forest-savanna transitions, unambiguous examples of fire-driven alternate stable states (FDASS) in arid systems are rare. The current study examined whether flammable spinifex (Triodia spp.) grasslands and fire-sensitive waputi (Aluta maisonneuvei subsp. maisonneuvei) shrublands in Australia's Gibson Desert represent FDASS. Specifically, analyses of soil and topographic variables assessed whether environmental differences explain habitat zonation. To determine whether different flammabilities of Aluta and Triodia systems may perpetuate alternative states via vegetation-fire feedback processes, community-level fuelloads were quantified to provide an indirect measure of flammability. To determine the propensity for fire to trigger 'state-shifting', community responses to a single high-severity fire were evaluated. Habitat segregation did not relate to between-site environmental differences, and the fuel-load study indicated that the more pyrophytic community (Triodia grassland) is more flammable, and hence more likely to experience higher frequency fire-cycles. Fire was identified as a potential vector of 'state-change', because although both systems regenerated well after fire, Triodia reproduced more prolifically at a younger age than Aluta, and hence should tolerate shorter fire-return intervals. In the absence of between-community topographic and edaphic differences, or herbivores that consume either plant, it is likely that Aluta shrublands and Triodia grasslands represent fire-mediated alternative equilibrium states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyd R Wright
- Botany, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2350, Australia. .,Department of Environment and Natural Resources, The Northern Territory Herbarium, Alice Springs, NT, 0871, Australia. .,School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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