Journal article
Predicting faunal fire responses in heterogeneous landscapes: The role of habitat structure
M Swan, F Christie, H Sitters, A York, J Di Stefano
Ecological Applications | WILEY | Published : 2015
DOI: 10.1890/14-1533.1
Abstract
Predicting the effects of fire on biota is important for biodiversity conservation in fire-prone landscapes. Time since fire is often used to predict the occurrence of fauna, yet for many species, it is a surrogate variable and it is temporal change in resource availability to which animals actually respond. Therefore prediction of fire-fauna relationships will be uncertain if time since fire is not strongly related to resources. In this study, we used a spacefor-time substitution across a large diverse landscape to investigate interrelationships between the occurrence of ground-dwelling mammals, time since fire, and structural resources. We predicted that much variation in habitat structure..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We thank Erin Steel, Amanda Ashton, Michelle Ibbett, Leigh Morison, Cristina Aponte, Jemma Cripps, Helen Doherty, Carolina Galindez Silva, Sarah Garnick, Andrew Heaver, and Evan Watkins for assistance in the field. Two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the manuscript. This research was supported by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI), Parks Victoria, and the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment. Field work was conducted under the National Parks Act (Research Permit Number 10005348) and Forests Act (Scientific Permit Number 10005514), and faunal surveys were approved by the University of Melbourne School of Land and Environment Ethics Committee (Register Number 1011632.5).