Mitigating impacts of weeds and kangaroo grazing following prescribed fire in a Banksia woodland

Brown, Kate; Paczkowska, Grazyna; Gibson, Neil

doi:10.1111/emr.12208

Cited by 14 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Whilst the non-native grass E. calycina can resprout following fire and return to seed production within the first year after fire, quick post-fire emergence may perpetuate the expansion of E. calycina populations. Such a lifecycle may increase the species cover, and perpetuate the fire-weed cycle, a feature common among many invasive grasses (Brown, Paczkowska, & Gibson, 2016;D'Antonio & Vitousek, 1992).…”

Section: Anigozanthos Manglesiimentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed traits determine species' responses to fire under varying soil heating scenarios

et al. 2020

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Many plant species in fire‐prone environments maintain persistence through fire via soil seedbanks. However, seeds stored within the soil are at risk of mortality from elevated soil temperatures during fire. Seeds may be protected from fire‐temperature impacts by burial, however, those buried too deeply may germinate but fail to emerge. Thus, successful post‐fire seed regeneration is contingent upon a trade‐off between burial depth and survival through fire. We examined the relationships between seedling emergence behaviour, seed survival and soil temperatures during fire in 13 native and four non‐native woodland species in southwestern Australia. We assessed total seedling emergence per depth, maximum seedling emergence depth and seedling emergence speed from seeds planted at eight depths (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 cm). Soil temperatures were quantified using distributed temperature sensing in optic fibre (DTS), measured continuously between 1 and 10 cm in depth (temperatures were subsequently categorized into 1 cm increments for analysis) during five experimental fires in beds with fine fuels manipulated between 8 and 20 t/ha. Using seed survival and emergence success relative to soil temperatures, we determined vulnerability of seedling emergence relative to soil temperatures generated by combustion of fuel quantities typically observed in woodlands. Maximum depth of emergence varied between species from 2 to >10 cm, with a positive linear correlation to seed mass. Maximum soil temperatures from the two highest fuel masses exceeded seed lethal thresholds (T50—representing temperatures lethal to 50% of seeds) of at least five species. Lethal temperatures were exceeded at all potential emergence depths for all three grass species, and all four non‐native species studied. Of the remaining 10 species, temperatures did not exceed the lethal thresholds under any of the fuel mass levels tested. We found no relationship between lethal temperature thresholds and maximum emergence depth. Our data demonstrate that seeds exhibit variation in their response to soil heating and capacity to emerge from depth, with three distinct functional responses amongst our study species, which enable persistence through, and recruitment following, fire. Such variation in species attributes and fuel mass may lead to heterogeneity (within fires) or divergent trajectories (among fires) in community response under changed fire regime. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Section: Anigozanthos Manglesiimentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed traits determine species' responses to fire under varying soil heating scenarios

et al. 2020

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“…Similarly, Fisher et al (2006Fisher et al ( , 2009aFisher et al ( , 2009b investigated the effects of introduced species seed bank, fire, and soil nutrient status on plant invasion and found that invasive species alter the nutrient composition of soils and create conditions unconducive for native species. The role of fire in promoting invasion was also investigated by Milberg and Lamont (1995), Ruthrof et al (2003), Ruthrof (2004) and Brown et al (2016), among others. Ehrharta calycina Sm.…”

Section: Floristics and Weedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corrigendum to: A threatened ecological community: research advances and priorities for Banksia woodlands

Ritchie¹,

Svejcar²,

Ayre³

et al. 2021

Aust. J. Bot.

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The rapid expansion of urban areas worldwide is leading to native habitat loss and ecosystem fragmentation and degradation. Although the study of urbanisation's impact on biodiversity is gaining increasing interest globally, there is still a disconnect between research recommendations and urbanisation strategies. Expansion of the Perth metropolitan area on the Swan Coastal Plain in south-western Australia, one of the world's thirty-six biodiversity hotspots, continues to affect the Banksia Woodlands (BWs) ecosystem, a federally listed Threatened Ecological Community (TEC). Here, we utilise the framework of a 1989 review of the state of knowledge of BWs ecology and conservation to examine scientific advances made in understanding the composition, processes and functions of BWs and BWs' species over the last 30 years. We highlight key advances in our understanding of the ecological function and role of mechanisms in BWs that are critical to the management of this ecosystem. The most encouraging change since 1989 is the integration of research between historically disparate ecological disciplines. We outline remaining ecological knowledge gaps and identify key research priorities to improve conservation efforts for this TEC. We promote a holistic consideration of BWs with our review providing a comprehensive document that researchers, planners and managers may reference. To effectively conserve ecosystems threatened by urban expansion, a range of stakeholders must be involved in the development and implementation of best practices to conserve and maintain both biodiversity and human wellbeing.

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“…Fuel management should be undertaken within the ecological tolerances of the environment being managed to avoid undesirable effects such as weed invasion, decline in habitat quality or loss of species that have fire-regime specific attributes (Brown et al 2016;Wooller et al 2002;Gosper et al 2013). In principle, the regular occurrence of high-intensity summer bushfire is considered likely to have deleterious effects on biodiversity (Burrows 2013;Bain et al 2016) and environmental values, including water quality and carbon stored in woody biomass (Nunes et al 2018;Volkova et al 2014;Whitford and McCaw 2019).…”

Section: Ecological Requirements Are Considered When Managing Fuelmentioning

confidence: 99%

A framework for prioritising prescribed burning on public land in Western Australia

Howard¹,

Burrows²,

Smith³

et al. 2020

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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A risk-based framework for targeting investment in prescribed burning in Western Australia is presented. Bushfire risk is determined through a risk assessment and prioritisation process. The framework provides principles and a rationale for programming fuel management with indicators to demonstrate that bushfire risk has been reduced to an acceptable level. Indicators provide targets for fuel management that are applicable throughout the state and can be customised to meet local circumstances. The framework identifies eight bushfire risk management zones having broad consistency of land use, fire environment and management approach, which combine to create a characteristic risk profile. Thirteen fuel types based primarily on structural attributes of the vegetation that influence fire behaviour are recognised and used to assign models for fuel accumulation and fire behaviour prediction. Each bushfire risk management zone is divided into fire management areas, based on the management intent. These are areas where fuels will be managed primarily to minimise the likelihood of fire causing adverse impacts on human settlements or critical infrastructure, to reduce the risk of bushfire at the landscape scale or to achieve other land management outcomes. Indicators of acceptable bushfire risk are defined for each fire management area and are modified according to the distribution of assets and potential fire behaviour in the landscape. Risk criteria established in the framework can be converted to spatially represented targets for fuel management in each zone and can be reported against to measure the effectiveness of the fuel management program. In areas where the primary intent is to reduce the risk of bushfire at the landscape scale, managers have flexibility to apply prescribed fire in ways that maintain and enhance ecosystem services, nature conservation and landscape values through variation in the seasonality, intensity and scale of planned burning.

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Mitigating impacts of weeds and kangaroo grazing following prescribed fire in a Banksia woodland

Cited by 14 publications

References 27 publications

Seed traits determine species' responses to fire under varying soil heating scenarios

Seed traits determine species' responses to fire under varying soil heating scenarios

Corrigendum to: A threatened ecological community: research advances and priorities for Banksia woodlands

A framework for prioritising prescribed burning on public land in Western Australia

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