REVIEW: Refuges for fauna in fire‐prone landscapes: their ecological function and importance

Robinson, Natasha; Leonard, Steve; Ritchie, Euan G.; Bassett, Michelle; Chia, Evelyn K.; Buckingham, Sebastian; Gibb, Heloise; Bennett, Andrew F.; Clarke, Michael F.

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12153

Cited by 172 publications

(144 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Many invasive species take opportunistic advantage of habitat modification and therefore increase their overall impact within these habitats (Didham et al 2005;Janssen et al 2007;McGregor et al 2014;McDonald et al 2016;Hradsky et al 2017). In many cases structurally complex habitats have been shown to decrease predation risk by providing refuges or shelter for prey, reducing encounter rates between predator and prey, hindering foraging activity of predators and reducing predator kill rate success (Fischer & Lindenmayer 2007;Janssen et al 2007;Robinson et al 2013;McGregor et al 2014;Hradsky et al 2017). A study conducted in northern Australia by McGregor et al (2014) on the interactive effects between habitat modification and potential predator pressure found that modifications of habitat produced by grazing, and particular fire types, have strong effects on feral cat movement behaviour.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling the pressure at home: Predator activity at the burrow entrance of an endangered arid‐zone skink

Moore

Kearney

Paltridge³

et al. 2017

Austral Ecology

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Habitat modification and invasive species are among the most important contemporary drivers of biodiversity loss. These two threatening processes are often studied independently and few studies have focused on how they interact to influence species declines. Here we assess the predation pressure placed on the threatened great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei) and how this interacts with fire-induced habitat modifications. We collected daily track data of potential predators for 1 month at 30 great desert skink burrow-systems where vegetation cover varied significantly after experimental burns. We used these data to evaluate potential predation pressure at the burrow-system and assess whether fire influenced predator pressure. We supplemented this analysis by documenting predation via the inspection of large mammalian predator scats collected from great desert skink habitat. The level of feral cat activity at a burrow-system entrance was significantly higher than that of any other potential predator, however fire had no effect on the visitation rates of feral cats, dingoes or large snakes to great desert skink burrow-systems. The remains of great desert skink were found significantly more frequently in feral cat scats, compared to fox and dingo scats. We provide the first direct evidence that feral cats are a significant predator for great desert skink, thus supporting the hypothesis that feral cat predation is a key threatening process. Feral cat activity was not influenced by small-scale experimental burns, however, this does not preclude an effect of larger scale fires and we recommend further research exploring this possible interaction.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling the pressure at home: Predator activity at the burrow entrance of an endangered arid‐zone skink

Moore

Kearney

Paltridge³

et al. 2017

Austral Ecology

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“…The importance of refuges in facilitating survival will vary between species and is dependent on whether refuges provide critical resources that are absent from the surrounding landscape (Robinson et al 2013). Fire refuges may be especially important for fauna that are dependent on mature vegetation features, such as tree hollows for nesting or denning (Banks et al 2011b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying the location of fire refuges in wet forest ecosystems

Berry

Driscoll

Stein

et al. 2015

Ecological Applications

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The increasing frequency of large, high-severity fires threatens the survival of old-growth specialist fauna in fire-prone forests. Within topographically diverse montane forests, areas which experience less severe or fewer fires compared with those prevailing in the landscape may present unique resource opportunities enabling old-growth specialist fauna to survive. Statistical landscape models which identify the extent and distribution of potential fire refuges may assist land managers to incorporate these areas into relevant biodiversity conservation strategies. We used a case study in an Australian wet montane forest to establish how predictive fire simulation models can be interpreted as management tools to identify potential fire refuges. We examined the relationship between the probability of fire refuge occurrence as predicted by an existing fire refuge model and fire severity experienced during a large wildfire. We also examined the extent to which local fire severity was influenced by fire severity in the surrounding landscape. We used a combination of statistical approaches including generalised linear modelling, variogram analysis and receiver operating characteristics and area under the curve analysis (ROC AUC). We found that the amount of unburnt habitat and the factors influencing the retention and location of fire refuges varied with fire conditions. Under extreme fire conditions, the distribution of fire refuges was limited to only extremely sheltered, fire-resistant regions of the landscape. During extreme fire conditions, fire severity patterns were largely determined by stochastic factors that could not be predicted by the model. When fire conditions were moderate, physical landscape properties appeared to mediate fire severity distribution. Our study demonstrates that land managers can employ predictive landscape fire models to identify the broader climatic and spatial domain within which fire refuges are likely to be present. It is essential that within these envelopes, forest is protected from logging, roads and other developments so that the ecological processes related to the establishment and subsequent use of fire refuges are maintained. Abstract. The increasing frequency of large, high-severity fires threatens the survival of old-growth specialist fauna in fire-prone forests. Within topographically diverse montane forests, areas that experience less severe or fewer fires compared with those prevailing in the landscape may present unique resource opportunities enabling old-growth specialist fauna to survive. Statistical landscape models that identify the extent and distribution of potential fire refuges may assist land managers to incorporate these areas into relevant biodiversity conservation strategies. Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral SciencesEcological Applications, 25(8), 2015, pp. 2337-2348 Ó 2015 by the Ecological Society ofWe used a case study in an Australian wet montane forest to establish how predictive fire simulation models can be in...

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“…While the effects of fire have been documented in some species of Antechinus, none have possessed a range as small as the type population of A. argentus. Furthermore, the present-day threat of habitat fragmentation likely means that the impact of fires are potentially greater than in the evolutionary history of species (Robinson et al, 2013). The general use of "patchy" fire mosaics for the conservation of animal species dominates the literature (e.g., Bradstock et al, 2005, Christensen and Kimber, 1975, Woinarski, 1999.…”

Section: Outline Of the Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Australian fauna have adapted to the destructive effects of fire in part by seeking refuge in surrounding habitat (Robinson et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology and Conservation of a New Carnivorous Marsupial Species: the Silver-Headed Antechinus (Antechinus argentus)

Mason¹

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The genus Antechinus comprises 15 species of small carnivorous marsupials endemic to Australia. Five of these have been described since 2012 on the basis of combined genetic, morphological and ecological data. One new species, the threatened silver-headed antechinus (Antechinus argentus) was described in 2013. When the present study commenced the species had only been found at one location: the south-eastern plateau of Kroombit Tops National Park, south-west of Gladstone in mid-east Queensland, Australia -an area encompassing less than 10 km 2 . However, the study that described the species was based on data obtained from only 15 individuals used for taxonomic description; thus, little was known about the biology of A.argentus. Therefore, the major component of the present study investigated three broad areas of the species' ecology for which knowledge was sparse or non-existent, with the aim of providing foundational ecological knowledge to prioritise conservation management: 1. dietary strategy and composition; 2.life-history traits; 3. post-fire habitat use. Additional work was carried out to examine the potential influence of rainfall patterns on population dynamics of A. argentus, and widespread trapping surveys were undertaken with the aim of establishing a cogent distributional range of the species, which resulted in the discovery of a second population ~200 km distant from the type locality.During 2014, faecal pellets were collected each month (March-September) from a population at the type locality to gather baseline data on diet composition. A total of 38 faecal pellets were collected from 12 individuals (eight females, four males) and microscopic analysis of pellets identified seven invertebrate orders, with 70% combined mean composition of beetles (Coleoptera: 38%) and cockroaches (Blattodea: 32%). Other orders that featured as prey were ants, crickets/grasshoppers, butterflies/moths, spiders, and true bugs. Given that faecal pellets could only be collected from a single habitat type (Eucalyptus montivaga high-altitude open forest) and location, this was best described as a generalist insectivorous diet that is characteristic of other previously studied congeners.iv Antechinuses are well-known for their spectacular annual male die-off at the close of a one-to three-week mating period. The genus also displays sexual dimorphism for size-males are up to three times heavier than females. The A.argentus population studied at Kroombit Tops National Park over two years followed the trends of the genus, with strong evidence of both a synchronised male die-off (in June/July) and significantly larger males than females. Two proximate sites where A. argentus was previously known to occur were surveyed. Unexpectedly, there was a marked difference in A. argentus numbers between years and sites. It was hypothesised that the disparate capture rates between sites may be at least in part linked to the effects of fire on vegetation.Management of critical habitat for threatened species with small ranges requ...

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REVIEW: Refuges for fauna in fire‐prone landscapes: their ecological function and importance

Cited by 172 publications

References 85 publications

Feeling the pressure at home: Predator activity at the burrow entrance of an endangered arid‐zone skink

Feeling the pressure at home: Predator activity at the burrow entrance of an endangered arid‐zone skink

Identifying the location of fire refuges in wet forest ecosystems

Ecology and Conservation of a New Carnivorous Marsupial Species: the Silver-Headed Antechinus (Antechinus argentus)

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