Anthropogenic fire practices only ‘best’ if they promote a large seed buildup: comment on the conservation needs of a fire-killed grevillea
Byron B. Lamont
A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Ecology Section, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, PO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia.
* Correspondence to: B.Lamont@Curtin.edu.au
International Journal of Wildland Fire 31(8) 816-820 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF21160
Submitted: 9 November 2021 Accepted: 21 June 2022 Published: 20 July 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF.
Abstract
Fire regimes control the population dynamics of fireprone plant species. Here, I re-analyse the data acquired in a study of the conservation requirements of a rare, fire-killed grevillea. I conclude that specific knowledge is required on the rate at which seeds accumulate in the soil, and the effect of fire frequency on population dynamics for a comprehensive understanding of the conservation biology of this species. Modelling indicates that fires at intervals in the order of multiple decades and covering at least 60% of the ground surface are optimal for this species, independently of the type of fire employed.
Keywords: fire frequency, fire intensity, Grevillea, indigenous fire management, obligate seeder, population modelling, rare plant species, wildfire.
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