Dispersal-limited detritivores in fire-prone environments: persistence and population structure of terrestrial amphipods (Talitridae)
L. Menz A , H. Gibb A and N. P. Murphy A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora, Vic. 3086, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: n.murphy@latrobe.edu.au
International Journal of Wildland Fire 25(7) 753-761 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF15005
Submitted: 12 January 2015 Accepted: 6 March 2016 Published: 20 June 2016
Abstract
Invertebrate detritivores play a critical role in the decomposition of litter, an important component of wildfire fuel. Knowledge of invertebrate response to fire is often hampered by taxonomic resolution; however, genetic species identification can enable analysis of fine-scale assemblages and the interaction between dispersal and population recovery. In this study, we ask: do terrestrial amphipod assemblages differ following increasing fire severities and does population structure indicate in situ survival or recolonisation following severe fires? Using seven replicate sites over three fire severities, we measured amphipod abundance at the site of the catastrophic 2009 ‘Black Saturday’ fires in south-east Australia. Genetic analyses to distinguish species and population structure revealed 16 species. Populations of Arcitalitrus sylvaticus were highly structured, suggesting limited dispersal. Amphipod abundance and species richness were not affected by fire severity 3 years after fire. Localised population structure within A. sylvaticus suggests that in situ survival enabled amphipods to repopulate severely burnt sites. The genetic analyses used in this study enabled the detection of unrecognised diversity and population structure in these detritivores. With many detritivores showing similar life history strategies, studies that combine a genetic and ecological approach are essential for understanding the impact of fire on litter decomposition.
Additional keywords: detritivore, diversity, ecology, fire, invertebrate, population genetics.
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