Predators, prey or temperature? Mechanisms driving niche use of a foundation plant species by specialist lizards

Bell, Kristian; Doherty, Tim S.; Driscoll, Don A.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.2633

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Spinifex-dominated communities represent approximately 20% of the Australian continent, and a multitude of reptile and bird species have adapted to life with spinifex (Melville and Schulte 2001;Sass et al 2011;Nimmo et al 2013;Harrington and Murphy 2016). Structural features such as dense mats of dead material and large protective rings of spines provide protection from predators, suitable microclimates and/or critical breeding habitat for many taxa, including rare or threatened species (Masters 1996;Moore et al 2015;Stoetzel et al 2020;Bell et al 2021), such as the Arnhem phasmid gecko (Strophurus horneri) and white-throated grasswren (Amytornis woodwardi; Fig. 2).…”

Section: Box 1: Long-unburnt Spinifex Communities Are Critical Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, contemporary landscapes exhibit a large range of characteristics that differ to historical conditions. As discussed above, contemporary long-unburnt patches are often small and isolated areas that are nested within a more recently disturbed matrix (Camp et al 1997;Parsons et al 2011;Driscoll et al 2021). In addition, many Australian ecosystems are missing a whole suite of important vertebrate ecosystem engineers that have gone locally, regionally, or globally extinct since European colonisation in 1788 (Fleming et al 2014;Woinarski et al 2015;Halstead et al 2020).…”

Section: Challenges and Opportunities For Contemporary Landscape Mana...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-unburnt habitat is critical for the conservation of threatened vertebrates across Australia

et al. 2022

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Context Increases in fire frequency, intensity and extent are occurring globally. Relative to historical, Indigenous managed conditions, contemporary landscapes are often characterised by younger age classes of vegetation and a much smaller representation of long-unburnt habitat. Objectives We argue that, to conserve many threatened vertebrate species in Australia, landscape management should emphasise the protection of existing long-unburnt patches from fire, as well as facilitate the recruitment of additional long-unburnt habitat, while maintaining historically relevant age distributions of more recently burned patches. Methods We use a range of case studies and ecosystem types to illustrate three lines of evidence: (1) that many threatened vertebrate species depend on mid- to late-successional ecosystem attributes; (2) disturbance to long-unburnt habitat tends to increase risk of future disturbance and ecosystem collapse; and (3) contemporary landscapes exhibit a range of characteristics that differ to historical conditions and require context-specific management. Conclusions It is crucial that we adequately consider the implications of altered contemporary landscapes for management activities that aim to conserve threatened vertebrates. Contemporary landscapes often lack a range of critical structural and compositional components typical of late-successional habitat that are required for the persistence of threatened vertebrates. We need to shift towards strategic, objective-driven approaches that identify and protect long-unburnt habitats and promote their recruitment to enable recovery of many declining and threatened species.

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Section: Box 1: Long-unburnt Spinifex Communities Are Critical Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Challenges and Opportunities For Contemporary Landscape Mana...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-unburnt habitat is critical for the conservation of threatened vertebrates across Australia

et al. 2022

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“…Triodia Mallee is widespread across the region (Haslem et al, 2010) and fire-prone (Avitabile et al, 2013). Triodia hummocks are an important structural habitat component for a range of faunal species (Verdon et al, 2020), partly due to their amelioration of environmental temperature (Bell et al, 2021), but they are also a source of fuel for fire (Haslem et al, 2010).…”

Section: Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and Its Interactions With Other Drivers Shape a Distinctive, Semi-Arid ‘Mallee’ Ecosystem

et al. 2021

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Fire shapes ecosystems globally, including semi-arid ecosystems. In Australia, semi-arid ‘mallee’ ecosystems occur primarily across the southern part of the continent, forming an interface between the arid interior and temperate south. Mallee vegetation is characterized by short, multi-stemmed eucalypts that grow from a basal lignotuber. Fire shapes the structure and functioning of mallee ecosystems. Using the Murray Mallee region in south-eastern Australia as a case study, we examine the characteristics and role of fire, the consequences for biota, and the interaction of fire with other drivers. Wildfires in mallee ecosystems typically are large (1000s ha), burn with high severity, commonly cause top-kill of eucalypts, and create coarse-grained mosaics at a regional scale. Wildfires can occur in late spring and summer in both dry and wet years. Recovery of plant and animal communities is predictable and slow, with regeneration of eucalypts and many habitat components extending over decades. Time since the last fire strongly influences the distribution and abundance of many species and the structure of plant and animal communities. Animal species display a discrete set of generalized responses to time since fire. Systematic field studies and modeling are beginning to reveal how spatial variation in fire regimes (‘pyrodiversity’) at different scales shapes biodiversity. Pyrodiversity includes variation in the extent of post-fire habitats, the diversity of post-fire age-classes and their configuration. At regional scales, a desirable mix of fire histories for biodiversity conservation includes a combination of early, mid and late post-fire age-classes, weighted toward later seral stages that provide critical habitat for threatened species. Biodiversity is also influenced by interactions between fire and other drivers, including land clearing, rainfall, herbivory and predation. Extensive clearing for agriculture has altered the nature and impact of fire, and facilitated invasion by pest species that modify fuels, fire regimes and post-fire recovery. Given the natural and anthropogenic drivers of fire and the consequences of their interactions, we highlight opportunities for conserving mallee ecosystems. These include learning from and fostering Indigenous knowledge of fire, implementing actions that consider synergies between fire and other processes, and strategic monitoring of fire, biodiversity and other drivers to guide place-based, adaptive management under climate change.

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“…is a dominant hummock-forming grass species found throughout arid Australia, particularly mallee woodland vegetation communities on sandy soils, and is considered a foundation species (Verdon et al 2020). A number of studies have found strong association between Triodia cover and lizard distribution patterns (Nimmo et al 2013;Sadlier et al 2019;Bell et al 2021a). However, Triodia structure and abundance can be negatively affected by soil compaction and elevated soil nutrients caused by agricultural activities (Bell et al 2021b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How important is vegetation type in explaining species distribution patterns? Given variation in vegetation communities across small spatial scales can influence reptile community composition, we predicted that species dependant on Triodia scariosa (a foundation plant species) will be restricted in distribution, whereas habitat generalists would be widespread across the study area (Verdon et al 2020;Bell et al 2021a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decline in semi-arid reptile occurrence following habitat loss and fragmentation

Simpson¹,

Nimmo²,

Wright³

et al. 2023

Wildlife Res.

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Context Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading causes of biodiversity decline worldwide. In Australia, woodland habitat has been extensively cleared and fragmented yet there has been limited research on the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on semi-arid reptiles, impeding conservation planning and recovery efforts. Aims We aimed to investigate factors influencing the distribution and occurrence of habitat specialist and generalist reptile species on a large agricultural holding in south-eastern Australia that has experienced habitat loss and fragmentation. Methods Reptiles were surveyed using pitfall and funnel traps and active searches across 20 sites stratified by land use and vegetation type. Twelve sites were established in remnant woodland patches embedded within an agricultural matrix and eight sites were established in a private conservation reserve on the same property. Generalised linear models were used to explore relationships between the occurrence of eight reptile species and predictor variables describing site, landscape and vegetation variables. Key results Of the 31 reptile species that were detected, eight were modelled. The results revealed that four specialist species, the eastern mallee dragon (Ctenophorus spinodomus), nobbi dragon (Diporiphora nobbi), barred wedge-snouted ctenotus (Ctenotus schomburgkii) and shrubland pale-flecked morethia (Morethia obscura), were closely associated with the conservation reserve, and that the southern spinifex ctenotus (Ctenotus atlas) had a strong association with spinifex (Triodia scariosa) dominated vegetation community. Conclusions Reptile habitat specialists are particularly sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation and are at a higher risk of local extinction compared with habitat generalists. Reptile occurrence was reduced in remnant woodland patches, but remnant patches also supported a suite of habitat generalists. Implications A suite of semi-arid reptile species are sensitive to the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation and are susceptible to localised extinction. However, the presence of habitat generalists within woodland remnants highlights the value of retaining representative habitat patches in agricultural landscapes. Conservation of semi-arid woodland reptiles will depend on the retention of large tracts of protected vegetation across a broad range of soil types to maintain habitat heterogeneity and reptile diversity.

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Predators, prey or temperature? Mechanisms driving niche use of a foundation plant species by specialist lizards

Cited by 10 publications

References 74 publications

Long-unburnt habitat is critical for the conservation of threatened vertebrates across Australia

Long-unburnt habitat is critical for the conservation of threatened vertebrates across Australia

Fire and Its Interactions With Other Drivers Shape a Distinctive, Semi-Arid ‘Mallee’ Ecosystem

Decline in semi-arid reptile occurrence following habitat loss and fragmentation

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