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Zylinski S, Swan M, Sitters H. Contrasting responses of native and introduced mammal communities to fire mosaics in a modified landscape. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2570. [PMID: 35167168 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2570] [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: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Planned fire is increasingly recognized as an important tool in conservation, but other factors such as land-use change may hinder the ability of land managers to use fire for the benefit of biodiversity. The mosaic of past fires in native vegetation may interact with the mosaic of other land-cover types in human-modified landscapes, yet the effects of these interactions on mammal communities are unknown. We investigated the responses of ground-dwelling mammal community composition and species richness to interactions between land cover and post-fire vegetation growth-stage mosaics in southern Australia. This fire-prone, human-modified landscape features a fine-scale fire mosaic in native vegetation patches surrounded by pasture, horticulture, and peri-urban environments. We measured the composition of land-cover types and fire mosaics (landscape structure) at multiple scales of up to 1257 ha surrounding 129 study sites, and considered native and introduced species together and separately. Land-cover composition was the primary driver of community composition: native species favored areas with a greater proportion of native heathy woodland, whereas introduced species were associated with landscapes comprising more cleared land. The fire mosaic also influenced community composition and species richness: greater growth-stage diversity was associated with native habitat-specialist communities and fewer introduced species. In areas with more cleared land, native species richness increased when there was a greater proportion of mid-successional vegetation, demonstrating that the effect of fire mosaics on mammal diversity depended on land-cover composition. The positive relationship between introduced species richness and cleared land extent was also stronger in recently burned sites than in other growth stages, suggesting that introduced species are well suited to more modified areas of the landscape. Land managers need to consider the underlying land-cover composition and the potential interactions it may have with fire mosaics and species composition. In this landscape a greater diversity of growth stages may disadvantage introduced species yet an increase in mid-successional vegetation in more modified areas would be likely to benefit native mammal communities. Our study highlights that fire management may need to be tailored depending on the context of land use and the species of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Zylinski
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Matthew Swan
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Holly Sitters
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
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Santos X, Belliure J, Gonçalves JF, Pausas JG. Resilience of reptiles to megafires. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2518. [PMID: 34918831 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Extreme climate events, together with anthropogenic land-use changes, have led to the rise of megafires (i.e., fires at the top of the frequency size distribution) in many world regions. Megafires imply that the center of the burnt area is far from the unburnt; therefore, recolonization may be critical for species with low dispersal abilities such as reptiles. We aimed to evaluate the effect of megafires on a reptile community, exploring to what extent reptile responses are spatially shaped by the distance to the unburnt area. We examined the short-term spatiotemporal response of a Mediterranean reptile community after two megafires (>20,000 ha) that occurred in summer 2012 in eastern Spain. Reptiles were sampled over 4 years after the fire in burnt plots located at different distances from the fire perimeter (edge, middle, and center), and in adjacent unburnt plots. Reptile responses were modeled with fire history, as well as climate and remotely sensed environmental variables. In total, we recorded 522 reptiles from 12 species (11 species in the burnt plots and nine in the unburnt plots). Reptile abundance decreased in burnt compared with unburnt plots. The community composition and species richness did not vary either spatially (unburnt and burnt plots) or temporally (during the 4 years). The persistence of reptiles in the burnt area supported their resilience to megafires. The most common lizard species was Psammodromus algirus; both adults and juveniles were found in all unburnt and burnt plots. This species showed lower abundances in burnt areas compared with the unburnt and a slow short-term abundance recovery. The lizard Psammodromus edwarsianus was much less abundant and showed a tendency to increase its abundance in burnt plots compared with unburnt plots. Within the megafire area, P. algirus and P. edwarsianus abundances correlated with the thermal-moisture environment and vegetation recovery regardless of the distance from the fire edge. These results indicated the absence of a short-term reptile recolonization from the unburnt zone, demonstrating that reptiles are resilient (in situ persistence) to megafires when environmental conditions are favorable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Santos
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto. Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão. R. Padre Armando Quintas, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Josabel Belliure
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Global Change Ecology and Evolution Group (GLOCEE), Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
| | - João F Gonçalves
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto. Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão. R. Padre Armando Quintas, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
- proMetheus - Research Unit in Materials, Energy and Environment for Sustainability, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (IPVC), Avenida do Atlântico, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
| | - Juli G Pausas
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC), Moncada, Spain
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Volkmann LA, Hodges KE. Post-fire movements of Pacific marten (Martes caurina) depend on the severity of landscape change. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:49. [PMID: 34627394 PMCID: PMC8501742 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00286-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wildfires and forestry activities such as post-fire salvage logging are altering North American forests on a massive scale. Habitat change and fragmentation on forested landscapes may threaten forest specialists, such as Pacific marten (Martes caurina), that require closed, connected, and highly structured habitats. Although marten use burned landscapes, it is unclear how these animals respond to differing burn severities, or how well they tolerate additional landscape change from salvage logging. METHODS We used snow tracking and GPS collars to examine marten movements in three large burns in north-central Washington, USA (burned in 2006) and central British Columbia, Canada (burned in 2010 and 2017). We also assessed marten habitat use in relation to areas salvage-logged in the 2010 burn. We evaluated marten path characteristics in relation to post-fire habitat quality, including shifts in behaviour when crossing severely-disturbed habitats. Using GPS locations, we investigated marten home range characteristics and habitat selection in relation to forest cover, burn severity, and salvage logging. RESULTS Marten in the 2006 burn shifted from random to directed movement in areas burned at high severity; in BC, they chose highly straight paths when crossing salvage-blocks and meadows. Collared marten structured their home ranges around forest cover and burn severity, avoiding sparsely-covered habitats and selecting areas burned at low severity. Marten selected areas farther from roads in both Washington and BC, selected areas closer to water in the 2006 burn, and strongly avoided salvage-logged areas of the 2010 burn. Marten home ranges overlapped extensively, including two males tracked concurrently in the 2010 burn. CONCLUSIONS Areas burned at low severity provide critical habitat for marten post-fire. Encouragingly, our results indicate that both male and female marten can maintain home ranges in large burns and use a wide range of post-fire conditions. However, salvage-logged areas are not suitable for marten and may represent significant barriers to foraging and dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan A Volkmann
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Science Building, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada.
| | - Karen E Hodges
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Science Building, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada
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Lee JS, Callaghan CT, Cornwell WK. Using citizen science to measure recolonisation of birds after the Australian 2019–2020 mega‐fires. AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua S. Lee
- Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
| | - Corey T. Callaghan
- Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
- Ecology & Evolution Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - William K. Cornwell
- Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
- Ecology & Evolution Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
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Nalliah R, Sitters H, Smith A, Di Stefano J. Untangling the influences of fire, habitat and introduced predators on the endangered heath mouse. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Nalliah
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Creswick VIC Australia
| | - Holly Sitters
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Creswick VIC Australia
| | - Amy Smith
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Creswick VIC Australia
| | - Julian Di Stefano
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Creswick VIC Australia
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Connell J, Hall MA, Nimmo DG, Watson SJ, Clarke MF. Fire, drought and flooding rains: The effect of climatic extremes on bird species’ responses to time since fire. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jemima Connell
- Department of Ecology, Environment and EvolutionLa Trobe University Bundoora VIC Australia
| | - Mark A. Hall
- Department of Ecology, Environment and EvolutionLa Trobe University Bundoora VIC Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the EnvironmentWestern Sydney University Penrith NSW Australia
| | - Dale G. Nimmo
- School of Environmental Science Institute for Land, Water and Society Charles Sturt University Albury NSW Australia
| | - Simon J. Watson
- Department of Ecology, Environment and EvolutionLa Trobe University Bundoora VIC Australia
| | - Michael F. Clarke
- Department of Ecology, Environment and EvolutionLa Trobe University Bundoora VIC Australia
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Rainsford FW, Kelly LT, Leonard SWJ, Bennett AF. Fire and functional traits: Using functional groups of birds and plants to guide management in a fire‐prone, heathy woodland ecosystem. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick W. Rainsford
- Department of Ecology Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
| | - Luke T. Kelly
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Steve W. J. Leonard
- Department of Ecology Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- Department of Primary Industries Hobart Tas. Australia
| | - Andrew F. Bennett
- Department of Ecology Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
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Swan M, Christie F, Steel E, Sitters H, York A, Di Stefano J. Ground‐dwelling mammal diversity responds positively to productivity and habitat heterogeneity in a fire‐prone region. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Swan
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne 4 Water St Creswick Victoria3363Australia
| | - Fiona Christie
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne 4 Water St Creswick Victoria3363Australia
| | - Erin Steel
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne 4 Water St Creswick Victoria3363Australia
| | - Holly Sitters
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne 4 Water St Creswick Victoria3363Australia
| | - Alan York
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne 4 Water St Creswick Victoria3363Australia
| | - Julian Di Stefano
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne 4 Water St Creswick Victoria3363Australia
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Chergui B, Pleguezuelos JM, Fahd S, Santos X. Modelling functional response of reptiles to fire in two Mediterranean forest types. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 732:139205. [PMID: 32438172 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fire is one of the main disturbances to terrestrial environments, transforming habitat structure and affecting community composition. Coupled with fire, forest type and vegetation structure modulate the taxonomic response to fire by ectotherm organisms such as reptiles. The response of each reptile species to fire is based on their functional attributes, which make some species resilient to fire and others vulnerable to that disturbance and only adapted to long-unburnt landscapes. We studied the functional response of a reptile community at 13 burnt sites within the African rim of the Western Mediterranean, and in two contrasting forest types, i.e. native cork oak forests (five sites) and pine plantations (eight sites). We compiled seven functional traits for the reptile species in the study areas, and quantified reptile functional diversity at each sampled plot. Variation in this index was examined from burnt to nearby unburnt plots, both in cork oak and pine forests, with generalized linear mixed models. Redundancy analysis was used to identify which functional traits were associated with particular plot types. We found 2149 individual reptiles from 15 species. The functional response of reptiles to fire was forest-type dependent: functional richness did not change with fire in cork oak forest plots, but increased with fire in the pine plantation ones. High reptile functional richness in cork oak plots was due to high species richness in this forest type. The functional-redundancy analysis showed that cork oak forest hosts a reptile community functionally composed of small Mediterranean ground- and rock-dwelling lizards. In pine plantation plots, however, saxicolous geckos and phytophagous tortoises indicate the availability of other microhabitat and food resources to be exploited by reptile species with different functional traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brahim Chergui
- Equipe de Recherche Ecologie, Systématique, Conservation de la Biodiversité, Faculté des Sciences de Tétouan, Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi, BP 2121 El M'Hannech, Tétouan, Morocco.
| | - Juan M Pleguezuelos
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Soumia Fahd
- Equipe de Recherche Ecologie, Systématique, Conservation de la Biodiversité, Faculté des Sciences de Tétouan, Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi, BP 2121 El M'Hannech, Tétouan, Morocco
| | - Xavier Santos
- CIBIO/InBIO (Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto), R. Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
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10
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MacGregor CI, Blanchard W, Stein JA, Lindenmayer DB. Factors influencing the occurrence of the Southern Long‐nosed Bandicoot (
Perameles nasuta
Geoffroy) during a population irruption and decline. AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I. MacGregor
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory2601 Australia
- Threatened Species Recovery Hub National Environmental Science Program Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory2601 Australia
| | - Wade Blanchard
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory2601 Australia
| | - John A. Stein
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory2601 Australia
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory2601 Australia
- Threatened Species Recovery Hub National Environmental Science Program Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory2601 Australia
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11
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Rainsford FW, Kelly LT, Leonard SW, Bennett AF. Post-fire development of faunal habitat depends on plant regeneration traits. AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick W. Rainsford
- Department of Ecology Environment and Evolution; La Trobe University; Bundoora Victoria 3086 Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes; La Trobe University; Bundoora Victoria Australia
| | - Luke T. Kelly
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences; University of Melbourne; Parkville Victoria Australia
| | - Steve W.J. Leonard
- Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment; Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Andrew F. Bennett
- Department of Ecology Environment and Evolution; La Trobe University; Bundoora Victoria 3086 Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes; La Trobe University; Bundoora Victoria Australia
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12
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Sitters H, Di Stefano J. Integrating functional connectivity and fire management for better conservation outcomes. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2020; 34:550-560. [PMID: 31777984 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Globally, the mean abundance of terrestrial animals has fallen by 50% since 1970, and populations face ongoing threats associated with habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change, and disturbance. Climate change can influence the quality of remaining habitat directly and indirectly by precipitating increases in the extent, frequency, and severity of natural disturbances, such as fire. Species face the combined threats of habitat clearance, changing climates, and altered disturbance regimes, each of which may interact and have cascading impacts on animal populations. Typically, conservation agencies are limited in their capacity to mitigate rates of habitat clearance, habitat fragmentation, or climate change, yet fire management is increasingly used worldwide to reduce wildfire risk and achieve conservation outcomes. A popular approach to ecological fire management involves the creation of fire mosaics to promote animal diversity. However, this strategy has 2 fundamental limitations: the effect of fire on animal movement within or among habitat patches is not considered and the implications of the current fire regime for long-term population persistence are overlooked. Spatial and temporal patterns in fire history can influence animal movement, which is essential to the survival of individual animals, maintenance of genetic diversity, and persistence of populations, species, and ecosystems. We argue that there is rich potential for fire managers to manipulate animal movement patterns; enhance functional connectivity, gene flow, and genetic diversity; and increase the capacity of populations to persist under shifting environmental conditions. Recent methodological advances, such as spatiotemporal connectivity modeling, spatially explicit individual-based simulation, and fire-regime modeling can be integrated to achieve better outcomes for biodiversity in human-modified, fire-prone landscapes. Article impact statement: Land managers may conserve populations by using fire to sustain or enhance functional connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Sitters
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Victoria, 3363, Australia
| | - Julian Di Stefano
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Victoria, 3363, Australia
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Geary WL, Hradsky BA, Robley A, Wintle BA. Predators, fire or resources: What drives the distribution of herbivores in fragmented mesic forests? AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- William L. Geary
- Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Parkville Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia
- Biodiversity Division Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning East Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences (Burwood Campus) Deakin University Geelong Victoria Australia
| | - Bronwyn A. Hradsky
- Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Parkville Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Alan Robley
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Heidelberg Victoria Australia
| | - Brendan A. Wintle
- Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Parkville Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia
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14
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Hradsky BA. Conserving Australia’s threatened native mammals in predator-invaded, fire-prone landscapes. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1071/wr19027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Inappropriate fire regimes and predation by introduced species each pose a major threat to Australia’s native mammals. They also potentially interact, an issue that is likely to be contributing to the ongoing collapse of native mammal communities across Australia. In the present review, I first describe the mechanisms through which fire could create predation pinch points, exacerbating the impacts of predators, including red foxes, Vulpes vulpes, and feral cats, Felis catus, on their native mammalian prey. These mechanisms include a localised increase in predator activity (a numerically mediated pathway) and higher predator hunting success after fire (a functionally moderated pathway), which could both increase native mammal mortality and limit population recovery in fire-affected landscapes. Evidence for such interactions is growing, although largely based on unreplicated experiments. Improving native mammal resilience to fire in predator-invaded landscapes requires addressing two key questions: how can the impacts of introduced predators on native mammals in fire-affected areas be reduced; and, does a reduction in predation by introduced species result in higher native mammal survival and population recovery after fire? I then examine potential management options for reducing predator impacts post-fire. The most feasible are landscape-scale predator control and the manipulation of fire regimes to create patchy fire scars. However, robust field experiments with adequate statistical power are required to assess the effectiveness of these approaches and preclude null (e.g. compensatory mortality) or adverse (e.g. mesopredator or competitor release) outcomes. Ongoing predator management and prescribed burning programs provide an opportunity to learn through replicated natural experiments as well as experimental manipulations. Standardised reporting protocols and cross-jurisdiction monitoring programs would help achieve necessary spatial and environmental replication, while multi-trophic, spatially explicit simulation models could help synthesise findings from disparate study designs, predict management outcomes and generate new hypotheses. Such approaches will be key to improving management of the complex mechanisms that drive threatened native mammal populations in Australia’s predator-invaded, fire-prone landscapes.
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15
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Burns PA, Phillips BL. Time since fire is an over-simplified measure of habitat suitability for the New Holland mouse. J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Fire has shaped much of the Australian landscape, and alterations to natural or historical fire regimes are implicated in the decline of many native mammal species. Time since fire (TSF) is a common metric used to understand vegetation and faunal responses to fire but is unlikely to capture the complexity of successional changes following fire. The New Holland mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae), a threatened and declining rodent species native to southeastern Australia, is traditionally considered an early post-fire successional species. Here, we use a 48-year dataset to test whether this posited association with early TSF is upheld, and whether the species’ occurrence and abundance are governed by TSF. We find support for a minimal influence of TSF on the species’ occurrence, and that while abundance of P. novaehollandiae is partly explained by TSF, considerable uncertainty and variation among fire events and locations limit the usefulness of TSF in informing conservation management strategies. We suggest that it is not helpful to consider the species as early successional and that fire planning for P. novaehollandiae conservation is best considered at a local scale. Additionally, we provide guidelines for maximizing individual survival and persistence during and after planned burns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe A Burns
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ben L Phillips
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Dixon KM, Cary GJ, Renton M, Worboys GL, Gibbons P. More long-unburnt forest will benefit mammals in Australian sub-alpine forests and woodlands. AUSTRAL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Dixon
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
| | - Geoffrey J. Cary
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
| | - Michael Renton
- Schools of Biological Sciences, Agriculture and Environment; The University of Western Australia; Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
| | - Graeme L. Worboys
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
| | - Philip Gibbons
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
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Increase of genetic diversity indicates ecological opportunities in recurrent-fire landscapes for wall lizards. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5383. [PMID: 30926838 PMCID: PMC6441018 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41729-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic and climatic factors are modifying fire regimes with an increase of fire frequency and extension. Unfortunately, the effects of recurrent fires on biological processes that ultimately affect the genetic diversity of animal populations are mostly unknown. We examined genetic patterns of diversity in the wall lizard Podarcis guadarramae in northern Portugal, one of the European regions with the highest percentage of burnt land. This species is a small saxicolous lizard as it inhabits natural outcrops and artificial stone walls, likely in recurrent-fire landscapes. We genotyped nine microsatellites from ten populations selected according to a gradient in fire recurrence, and compared genetic diversity indexes and demographic patterns among them. At the population level, we hypothesize that a high level of mortality and population bottlenecks are expected to reduce genetic heterozygosity in sampled localities affected by recurrent fires. Alternatively, genetic signatures are expected to be absent whether fire did not cause high mortality. Regardless of levels of mortality, we expect a gain in genetic diversity whether recurrent fires facilitate lizard dispersal and migration due to the increased quality of the habitat for wall lizards. At the regional level, we examine whether a recurrent fire regime may disrupt the spatial structure of populations. Our results showed an increase in genetic diversity in recurrently burnt populations, and a decline in longer-unburnt populations. We did not detect bottleneck effects in repeatedly-burnt populations. High genetic diversity in recurrent fire populations suggests a high dispersion rate between adjacent metapopulations and perhaps immigration from outside the fire boundary. At the regional level, lizard populations show low differentiation and weak genetic structure, suggesting no effects of fire. This study confirms field-based censuses showing that recurrent-fire regimes give ecological opportunities to wall lizards that benefit from habitat openness.
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McColl-Gausden SC, Penman TD. Pathways of change: Predicting the effects of fire on flammability. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 232:243-253. [PMID: 30476686 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Impacts of wildfire on humans are increasing as urban populations continue to expand into fire prone landscapes. Effective fire risk management can only be achieved if we understand and quantify how ecosystems change in response to fire and how these changes affect flammability. However, there have been limited studies to this effect with the dominant paradigm being the assumption that recently burnt vegetation is less flammable than older vegetation. To better quantify changes in flammability, we first need to quantify trajectories of changes in response to fire within individual vegetation communities. Second, we need to examine the extent to which these changes alter flammability. Here, we quantify the flammability pathways with increasing time since fire for five vegetation communities in south-eastern Australia. A total of 116 sites were measured across a range of heathland, woodland and forest ecosystems. Flammability was measured using an ecological point based mechanistic fire behaviour model that estimates three measures of flammability relevant to both fire management and research. Predicted changes in flammability varied between vegetation types with heathland and wet forests generally increasing in flammability with time since fire and tall mixed, foothills and forby forests decreasing or showing limited changes with time since fire. Variations in flammability pathways suggest fire management activities that alter fuel structure, such as prescribed burning, may only reduce flammability in a limited set of ecosystems. Incorporating these results into a landscape analysis will improve the quantification of fire risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C McColl-Gausden
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Creswick, VIC 3363, Australia.
| | - Trent D Penman
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Creswick, VIC 3363, Australia
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19
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Simms A, Scott M, Watson S, Leonard S. Attenuated post-fire fauna succession: the effects of surrounding landscape context on post-fire colonisation of fauna. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.1071/wr18131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
After fire, immigration from outside burnt areas is important for the recovery of faunal communities. However, for recovery to occur, the matrix around the fire must support source populations of immigrants. Therefore, the landscape context of fires may be a critical determinant of the species pool available for (re)colonisation, hence post-fire community composition. Increasingly, fires occur in fragmented systems, and there is limited knowledge of how the surrounding landscape interacts with post-fire community recovery.
Aim
The present study aimed to examine how landscape context influences faunal communities after large wildfires.
Methods
Three reserves burnt by wildfire were examined ~18 months before the study in the Mallee region of south-eastern Australia. In all cases the burnt area consisted of natural mallee woodland. Two fires occurred within a matrix of extensive natural vegetation, while the third fire burnt >80% of a reserve situated within a highly fragmented, largely agricultural landscape. Birds, reptiles and mammals were surveyed at 90 sites inside and outside the fire boundaries, and relationships of species occurrence to reserve location, burnt versus unburnt status and distance from fire edge were all examined.
Key results
Post-fire faunal communities reflected the species in the surrounding unburnt landscape. Notably, open habitat specialists, invasive species and species that can persist in small habitat patches were prominent within the fragmented system. Post-fire fauna communities were also influenced by variation of the natural vegetation surrounding the fire. The occurrence of species with low dispersal ability (i.e. reptiles) was influenced by local (patch scale) vegetation structure.
2Conclusions
The landscape context of fires is a major driver of the composition of post-fire faunal communities. Our results highlight the potential loss of species sensitive to fragmentation from fire-prone natural vegetation within modified landscapes, and that a reduced pool of potential immigrants leads to ‘attenuated succession’, compromising recovery of the pre-fire community.
Implications
Post-fire colonists reflect the surrounding landscapes species pool, such that reserves surrounded by fragmented or otherwise low quality habitat are at risk of attenuated succession after fire. Landscape context should be incorporated into conservation planning in fire-prone ecosystems, including consideration of surrounding habitat quality and connectivity and protecting long unburnt vegetation.
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20
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Chick MP, York A, Sitters H, Di Stefano J, Nitschke CR. Combining optimization and simulation modelling to measure the cumulative impacts of prescribed fire and wildfire on vegetation species diversity. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. Chick
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Ballarat Victoria Australia
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of Melbourne Richmond Victoria Australia
| | - Alan York
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of Melbourne Creswick Victoria Australia
| | - Holly Sitters
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of Melbourne Creswick Victoria Australia
| | - Julian Di Stefano
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of Melbourne Creswick Victoria Australia
| | - Craig R. Nitschke
- School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesUniversity of Melbourne Richmond Victoria Australia
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21
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Camargo ACL, Barrio ROL, de Camargo NF, Mendonça AF, Ribeiro JF, Rodrigues CMF, Vieira EM. Fire affects the occurrence of small mammals at distinct spatial scales in a neotropical savanna. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-018-1224-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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22
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Davies HF, McCarthy MA, Rioli W, Puruntatameri J, Roberts W, Kerinaiua C, Kerinauia V, Womatakimi KB, Andersen AN, Murphy BP. An experimental test of whether pyrodiversity promotes mammal diversity in a northern Australian savanna. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugh F. Davies
- Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group; The University of Melbourne; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Michael A. McCarthy
- Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group; The University of Melbourne; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Alan N. Andersen
- NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub; Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods; Charles Darwin University; Casuarina NT Australia
| | - Brett P. Murphy
- NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub; Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods; Charles Darwin University; Casuarina NT Australia
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23
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Sitters H, Di Stefano J, Wills T, Swan M, York A. Survey design for precise fire management conservation targets. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 28:35-45. [PMID: 28901043 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Common goals of ecological fire management are to sustain biodiversity and minimize extinction risk. A novel approach to achieving these goals determines the relative proportions of vegetation growth stages (equivalent to successional stages, which are categorical representations of time since fire) that maximize a biodiversity index. The method combines data describing species abundances in each growth stage with numerical optimization to define an optimal growth-stage structure that provides a conservation-based operational target for managers. However, conservation targets derived from growth-stage optimization are likely to depend critically on choices regarding input data. There is growing interest in the use of growth-stage optimization as a basis for fire management, thus understanding of how input data influence the outputs is crucial. Simulated data sets provide a flexible platform for systematically varying aspects of survey design and species inclusions. We used artificial data with known properties, and a case-study data set from southeastern Australia, to examine the influence of (1) survey design (total number of sites and their distribution among growth stages) and (2) species inclusions (total number of species and their level of specialization) on the precision of conservation targets. Based on our findings, we recommend that survey designs for precise estimates would ideally involve at least 80 sites, and include at least 80 species. Greater numbers of sites and species will yield increasingly reliable results, but fewer might be sufficient in some circumstances. An even distribution of sites among growth stages was less important than the total number of sites, and omission of species is unlikely to have a major influence on results as long as several species specialize on each growth stage. We highlight the importance of examining the responses of individual species to growth stage before feeding survey data into the growth-stage optimization black box, and advocate use of a resampling procedure to determine the precision of results. Collectively, our findings form a reproducible guide to designing ecological surveys that yield precise conservation targets through growth-stage optimization, and ultimately help sustain biodiversity in fire-prone systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Sitters
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Julian Di Stefano
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Timothy Wills
- GHD, Level 8, 180 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Matthew Swan
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alan York
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Victoria, Australia
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24
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Visual Assessment of Surface Fuel Loads Does Not Align with Destructively Sampled Surface Fuels. FORESTS 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/f8110408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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25
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Westgate MJ, MacGregor C, Scheele BC, Driscoll DA, Lindenmayer DB. Effects of time since fire on frog occurrence are altered by isolation, vegetation and fire frequency gradients. DIVERS DISTRIB 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martin J. Westgate
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Christopher MacGregor
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- Long‐term Ecological Research Network Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Ben C. Scheele
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- National Environmental Science Programme Threatened Species Recovery Hub The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Don A. Driscoll
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Intregrative Ecology Deakin University Burwood Vic. Australia
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- Long‐term Ecological Research Network Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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26
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Hradsky BA, Penman TD, Ababei D, Hanea A, Ritchie EG, York A, Di Stefano J. Bayesian networks elucidate interactions between fire and other drivers of terrestrial fauna distributions. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn A. Hradsky
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences; University of Melbourne; 4 Water Street Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
| | - Trent D. Penman
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences; University of Melbourne; 4 Water Street Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
| | - Dan Ababei
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences; University of Melbourne; 4 Water Street Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
- Light Twist Software; 115 Falconer Street Fitzroy North Victoria 3068 Australia
| | - Anca Hanea
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis; School of BioSciences; University of Melbourne; Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; 221 Burwood Highway Burwood Victoria 3125 Australia
| | - Alan York
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences; University of Melbourne; 4 Water Street Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
| | - Julian Di Stefano
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences; University of Melbourne; 4 Water Street Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
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27
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Kelly LT, Haslem A, Holland GJ, Leonard SWJ, MacHunter J, Bassett M, Bennett AF, Bruce MJ, Chia EK, Christie FJ, Clarke MF, Di Stefano J, Loyn R, McCarthy MA, Pung A, Robinson N, Sitters H, Swan M, York A. Fire regimes and environmental gradients shape vertebrate and plant distributions in temperate eucalypt forests. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Luke T. Kelly
- School of BioSciences ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Angie Haslem
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Victoria 3086 Australia
| | - Greg J. Holland
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Victoria 3086 Australia
| | - Steven W. J. Leonard
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Victoria 3086 Australia
| | - Josephine MacHunter
- Department of Environment Land Water and Planning Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Heidelberg Victoria 3084 Australia
| | - Michelle Bassett
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Burwood Victoria 3125 Australia
| | - Andrew F. Bennett
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Victoria 3086 Australia
- Department of Environment Land Water and Planning Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Heidelberg Victoria 3084 Australia
| | - Matthew J. Bruce
- Department of Environment Land Water and Planning Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Heidelberg Victoria 3084 Australia
| | - Evelyn K. Chia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Burwood Victoria 3125 Australia
| | - Fiona J. Christie
- Fire Ecology and Biodiversity Group School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
| | - Michael F. Clarke
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Victoria 3086 Australia
| | - Julian Di Stefano
- Fire Ecology and Biodiversity Group School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
| | - Richard Loyn
- Department of Environment Land Water and Planning Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Heidelberg Victoria 3084 Australia
| | - Michael A. McCarthy
- School of BioSciences ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Alina Pung
- School of BioSciences ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Natasha Robinson
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution La Trobe University Bundoora Victoria 3086 Australia
| | - Holly Sitters
- Fire Ecology and Biodiversity Group School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
| | - Matthew Swan
- Fire Ecology and Biodiversity Group School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
| | - Alan York
- Fire Ecology and Biodiversity Group School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Creswick Victoria 3363 Australia
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28
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Holland GJ, Clarke MF, Bennett AF. Prescribed burning consumes key forest structural components: implications for landscape heterogeneity. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:845-858. [PMID: 27992957 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Prescribed burning to achieve management objectives is a common practice in fire-prone regions worldwide. Structural components of habitat that are combustible and slow to develop are particularly susceptible to change associated with prescribed burning. We used an experimental, "whole-landscape" approach to investigate the effect of differing patterns of prescribed burning on key habitat components (logs, stumps, dead trees, litter cover, litter depth, and understorey vegetation). Twenty-two landscapes (each ~100 ha) were selected in a dry forest ecosystem in southeast Australia. Experimental burns were conducted in 16 landscapes (stratified by burn extent) while six served as untreated controls. We measured habitat components prior to and after burning. Landscape burn extent ranged from 22% to 89% across the 16 burn treatments. With the exception of dead standing trees (no change), all measures of habitat components declined as a consequence of burning. The degree of loss increased as the extent to which a landscape was burned also increased. Prescribed burning had complex effects on the spatial heterogeneity (beta diversity) of structural components within landscapes. Landscapes that were more heterogeneous pre-fire were homogenized by burning, while those that were more homogenous pre-fire tended to display greater differentiation post-burning. Thus, the notion that patch mosaic burning enhances heterogeneity at the landscape-scale depends on prior conditions. These findings have important management implications. Where prescribed burns must be undertaken, effects on important resources can be moderated via control of burn characteristics (e.g., burn extent). Longer-term impacts of prescribed burning will be strongly influenced by the return interval, given the slow rate at which some structural components accumulate (decades to centuries). Management of habitat structural components is important given the critical role they play in (1) provision of habitat resources for diverse organisms, (2) retention of moisture and nutrients in otherwise dry, low-productivity systems, and (3) carbon storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg J Holland
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Michael F Clarke
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Andrew F Bennett
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, DELWP, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3081, Australia
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29
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Hradsky BA, Mildwaters C, Ritchie EG, Christie F, Di Stefano J. Responses of invasive predators and native prey to a prescribed forest fire. J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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30
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Opposing Responses of Bird Functional Diversity to Vegetation Structural Diversity in Wet and Dry Forest. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164917. [PMID: 27741290 PMCID: PMC5065136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Disturbance regimes are changing worldwide, and the consequences for ecosystem function and resilience are largely unknown. Functional diversity (FD) provides a surrogate measure of ecosystem function by capturing the range, abundance and distribution of trait values in a community. Enhanced understanding of the responses of FD to measures of vegetation structure at landscape scales is needed to guide conservation management. To address this knowledge gap, we used a whole-of-landscape sampling approach to examine relationships between bird FD, vegetation diversity and time since fire. We surveyed birds and measured vegetation at 36 landscape sampling units in dry and wet forest in southeast Australia during 2010 and 2011. Four uncorrelated indices of bird FD (richness, evenness, divergence and dispersion) were derived from six bird traits, and we investigated responses of these indices and species richness to both vertical and horizontal vegetation diversity using linear mixed models. We also considered the extent to which the mean and diversity of time since fire were related to vegetation diversity. Results showed opposing responses of FD to vegetation diversity in dry and wet forest. In dry forest, where fire is frequent, species richness and two FD indices (richness and dispersion) were positively related to vertical vegetation diversity, consistent with theory relating to environmental variation and coexistence. However, in wet forest subject to infrequent fire, the same three response variables were negatively associated with vertical diversity. We suggest that competitive dominance by species results in lower FD as vegetation diversity increases in wet forest. The responses of functional evenness were opposite to those of species richness, functional richness and dispersion in both forest types, highlighting the value of examining multiple FD metrics at management-relevant scales. The mean and diversity of time since fire were uncorrelated with vegetation diversity in wet forest, but positively correlated with vegetation diversity in dry forest. We therefore suggest that protection of older vegetation is important, but controlled application of low-severity fire in dry forest may sustain ecosystem function by enhancing different elements of FD.
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31
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Lindenmayer DB, Candy SG, MacGregor CI, Banks SC, Westgate M, Ikin K, Pierson J, Tulloch A, Barton P. Do temporal changes in vegetation structure additional to time since fire predict changes in bird occurrence? ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2016; 26:2267-2279. [PMID: 27755726 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Revised: 01/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Fire is a major ecological process in ecosystems globally. Its impacts on fauna can be both direct (e.g., mortality) and indirect (e.g., altered habitat), resulting in population recovery being driven by several possible mechanisms. Separating direct from indirect impacts of fire on faunal population recovery can be valuable in guiding management of biodiversity in fire-prone environments. However, resolving the influence of direct and indirect processes remains a key challenge because many processes affecting fauna can change concomitantly with time since fire. We explore the mechanisms influencing bird response to fire by posing the question, can temporal changes in vegetation structure predict changes in bird occurrence on sites, and can these be separated from other temporal changes using the surrogate of time since fire? We conducted a 12-yr study of bird and vegetation responses to fire at 124 sites across six vegetation classes in Booderee National Park, Australia. Approximately half of these sites, established in 2002, were burned by a large (>3000 ha) wildfire in 2003. To disentangle collinear effects of temporal changes in vegetation and direct demographic effects on population recovery that are subsumed by time since fire, we incorporated both longitudinal and cross-sectional vegetation effects in addition to time since fire within logistic structural equation models. We identified temporal changes in vegetation structure and richness of plant and bird species that characterized burned and unburned sites in all vegetation classes. For nine bird species, a significant component of the year trend was driven by temporal trends in one of three vegetation variables (number of understory or midstory plant species, or midstory cover). By contrast, we could not separate temporal effects between time since fire and vegetation attributes for bird species richness, reporting rate, and the occurrence of 11 other bird species. Our findings help identify species for which indirect effects of vegetation dominate recovery and thus may benefit from vegetation management where conservation actions are required and, conversely, those species for which direct effects of time since fire drive recovery, where simply leaving a system to recover following the last disturbance will be sufficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia.
- National Environmental Science Program, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia.
- Long-Term Ecological Research Network, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia.
| | - Steven G Candy
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- SCandy Statistical Consulting, 70 Burwood Drive, Blackmans Bay, Tasmania, 7052, Australia
| | - Christopher I MacGregor
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- National Environmental Science Program, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- Long-Term Ecological Research Network, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Sam C Banks
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Martin Westgate
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Karen Ikin
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- National Environmental Science Program, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Jennifer Pierson
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Ayesha Tulloch
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
- National Environmental Science Program, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Philip Barton
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
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