Which mosaic? A landscape ecological approach for evaluating interactions between fire regimes, habitat and animals
R. A. Bradstock A C , M. Bedward A , A. M. Gill B and J. S. Cohn A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Biodiversity Research and Management Division, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Box 1967, Hurstville, NSW 2220, Australia.
B Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, CSIRO Plant Industry, Box 1600, Canberra City, ACT 2601, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: ross.bradstock@npws.nsw.gov.au
Wildlife Research 32(5) 409-423 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR02114
Submitted: 9 December 2002 Accepted: 28 November 2003 Published: 8 August 2005
Abstract
The link between ‘fire mosaics’ and persistence of animal species is part of a prominent ecological/land management paradigm. This paradigm deals largely with the effects of fire on animals on the basis of individual events. The universality of the paradigm can be questioned on a variety of grounds, a major deficiency being the inability to deal with quantitative effects of recurrent fire (the fire regime). A conceptual model of fire-related habitat elements is proposed for exploration of a continuum of species/habitat/landscape/fire regime combinations. This approach predicts that the dependence of species on fire-mediated habitat heterogeneity will be highly variable and strongly context-dependent. A spatially explicit simulation model was used to examine the persistence of malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) in a specific landscape/habitat context where dependence on fire-mosaics should be high. Results suggest that persistence of L. ocellata populations will be dependent on intervention using small patchy fires but that there is an optimum rate of intervention. Results were sensitive to spatial pattern of prescribed fire, landscape type (topography) and probability of wildfire. Underlying effects of the fire-interval distribution (the ‘invisible’ mosaic) on plant species and habitat account for these results. A management emphasis on species/landscape context and awareness of the ‘invisible’ mosaic is advocated.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Simon Hunter and George Gregan for assistance with modelling. Two anonymous referees provided helpful comments on the manuscript.
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