Mechanisms of recovery after fire by rodents in the Australian environment: a review

Sutherland, Elizabeth F.; Dickman, Chris R.

doi:10.1071/wr97045

Cited by 137 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…S3). The risks of predation on small mammals both by birds and mammals are probably higher when 312 vegetation cover is low because small mammals can be more easily spotted and captured by 313 predators at sites with poor vegetation cover (Sutherland and Dickman, 1999). In extremely dry 314 years such as 2012, areas with higher vegetation cover probably also provided more abundant food 315 than areas which are mowed or grazed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Local habitat management and landscape‐scale restoration influence small‐mammal communities in grasslands

Mérő¹,

Bocz

Polyák³

et al. 2015

Animal Conservation

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Ecosystem/habitat restoration has become a major goal of international biodiversity policy. However, restorations are often limited in space or time, and we know little on whether and how restoration and management affect vertebrates. Here we assessed the local and landscape‐scale effects of habitat restoration and management on small‐mammal communities in the Egyek–Pusztakócs marsh system (Hortobágy National Park, Hungary), site of the largest active restoration of grasslands on former croplands in Europe. We live‐trapped mice, voles and shrews in spring and autumn in 2 years (four sampling periods) at two sites in six habitat types: croplands, grasslands restored 3–6 years earlier and natural grasslands. Data on 421 individuals of 12 species showed that restored grasslands were similar to croplands and natural grasslands in species richness, abundance and composition. At the local scale, management influenced abundance because there were more small mammals in unmanaged and early‐mown grasslands with taller vegetation than in late‐mown or grazed grasslands with lower vegetation, or in ploughed croplands. Elevation was also important because sites at higher elevation provided refuges during spring floods or summer droughts. At the landscape scale, the proportion of restored and natural grasslands positively affected the abundance of small mammals, whereas the proportion of linear habitats (roads, canals) had a negative effect on abundance. Our results show that management is more important than restoration per se at the local scale, which is expected for habitat generalists such as small mammals in contrast to specialists such as plant‐feeding invertebrates. However, restoration provides landscape‐scale benefits by increasing the area of grasslands that can serve as refuges for small mammals in unfavourable periods. We thus conclude that a mosaic of restored and appropriately managed grasslands with tall vegetation will provide the best chances for the persistence of small‐mammal communities in dynamic landscapes.

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confidence: 99%

Local habitat management and landscape‐scale restoration influence small‐mammal communities in grasslands

Mérő¹,

Bocz

Polyák³

et al. 2015

Animal Conservation

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“…Although many can shelter from the fire front in refuges, they subsequently have to cope with an environment that deprives them abruptly of vegetation cover and food. The consequences are twofold: (i) increased exposure to predators while foraging in the open [2,3] and (ii) for most species a decrease in food availability [4]. To compensate for the latter, small mammals with their inherently high energy requirements and limited body fat stores [5,6] will have to either intensify foraging or reduce energy expenditure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of mammalian torpor for survival in a post-fire landscape

et al. 2015

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Wildfires have increased in frequency and intensity worldwide with climate change as a main driving factor. While a number of studies have focused on population changes in regard to fires, there are essentially no quantitative data on behavioural and physiological adjustments that are vital for the persistence of individuals during and after fires. Here we show that brown antechinus, a small insectivorous marsupial mammal, (i) endured a prescribed fire in situ, (ii) remained in their scorched home range despite unburned areas nearby, and (iii) substantially increased post-fire torpor use and thus reduced foraging requirements and exposure to predators. Hence, torpor is a physiological adaptation that, although not quantified in this context previously, appears to play a key role in post-fire survival for this and other heterothermic species.

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“…Our findings suggest low intensity prescribed burning may have implications for fungivorous and insectivorous fauna, as spatial patterns of highly decayed CWD alter the availability of saproxylic fungi and invertebrates [2,46]. Materials in late stages of decay are known to have a larger community of fungi, including not only early successional fungi such as brown and white rot fungi, but also other taxa such as mycorrhizae and litter decomposing fungi [47,48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Effect of Prescribed Burning Regimes and Logging on Coarse Woody Debris in South-Eastern Australia

Stares

Collins

Law

et al. 2018

Forests

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Coarse woody debris (CWD) is vital within forest ecosystems for an array of fauna. Forest management practices, such as prescribed burning and logging, influence the creation or loss of CWD. We examined the effect of long-term prescribed burning and logging on (i) the abundance of hollow-bearing CWD, (ii) the volume of CWD in different decay classes, (iii) the probability of hollow presence, and (iv) the size of hollows at a long-term (28 years) experimental site. Volume of CWD in moderate and advanced stages of decomposition decreased with increasing fire frequency while moderately decomposed material was higher in logged plots. The likelihood of a hollow being present increased with diameter and decreased when CWD was extensively charred. Hollow size was smaller when material was externally charred but larger when charring affected a pre-existing hollow. Increases in moderately decayed CWD reflect a pulse input of unmerchantable timber following the one-off logging event 28 years ago, though future loss of mature trees may lead to reduced input rates of woody debris in the future. Charring effects on hollow formation, increasing hollow size but decreasing overall presence, demonstrate the complex effect of fire on this resource. Our research highlights the need to develop a fundamental understanding of CWD input and loss dynamics in response to fire and logging in order to predict changes to this resource under a broad range of management scenarios.

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Mechanisms of recovery after fire by rodents in the Australian environment: a review

Cited by 137 publications

References 36 publications

Local habitat management and landscape‐scale restoration influence small‐mammal communities in grasslands

Local habitat management and landscape‐scale restoration influence small‐mammal communities in grasslands

The importance of mammalian torpor for survival in a post-fire landscape

Long-Term Effect of Prescribed Burning Regimes and Logging on Coarse Woody Debris in South-Eastern Australia

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