Beyond inappropriate fire regimes: A synthesis of fire‐driven declines of threatened mammals in Australia
Abstract Fire can promote biodiversity, but changing patterns of fire threaten species worldwide. While scientific literature often describes ‘‘inappropriate fire regimes’’ as a significant threat to biodiversity, less attention has been paid to the characteristics that make a fire regime inappropri...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Conservation Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12905 |
| _version_ | 1797989876271939584 |
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| author | Julianna L. Santos Bronwyn A. Hradsky David A. Keith Kevin C. Rowe Katharine L. Senior Holly Sitters Luke T. Kelly |
| author_facet | Julianna L. Santos Bronwyn A. Hradsky David A. Keith Kevin C. Rowe Katharine L. Senior Holly Sitters Luke T. Kelly |
| author_sort | Julianna L. Santos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Fire can promote biodiversity, but changing patterns of fire threaten species worldwide. While scientific literature often describes ‘‘inappropriate fire regimes’’ as a significant threat to biodiversity, less attention has been paid to the characteristics that make a fire regime inappropriate. We go beyond this generic description and synthesize how inappropriate fire regimes contribute to declines of animal populations using threatened mammals as a case study. We developed a demographic framework for classifying mechanisms by which fire regimes cause population decline and applied the framework in a systematic review to identify fire characteristics and interacting threats associated with population declines in Australian threatened land mammals (n = 99). Inappropriate fire regimes threaten 88% of Australian threatened land mammals. Our review indicates that intense, large, and frequent fires are the primary cause of fire‐related population declines, particularly through their influence on survival rates. However, several species are threatened by a lack of fire, and there is considerable uncertainty in the evidence base for fire‐related declines. Climate change and predation are documented or predicted to interact with fire to exacerbate mammalian declines. This demographic framework will help target conservation actions globally and will be enhanced by empirical studies of animal survival, movement, and reproduction. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T08:27:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-190bcdbf40594a4db2808326bcf79295 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1755-263X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T08:27:34Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-190bcdbf40594a4db2808326bcf792952022-12-22T04:34:41ZengWileyConservation Letters1755-263X2022-09-01155n/an/a10.1111/conl.12905Beyond inappropriate fire regimes: A synthesis of fire‐driven declines of threatened mammals in AustraliaJulianna L. Santos0Bronwyn A. Hradsky1David A. Keith2Kevin C. Rowe3Katharine L. Senior4Holly Sitters5Luke T. Kelly6School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Parkville AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Parkville AustraliaCentre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences The University of New South Wales Sydney AustraliaSciences Department Museums Victoria Melbourne AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Parkville AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Parkville AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Parkville AustraliaAbstract Fire can promote biodiversity, but changing patterns of fire threaten species worldwide. While scientific literature often describes ‘‘inappropriate fire regimes’’ as a significant threat to biodiversity, less attention has been paid to the characteristics that make a fire regime inappropriate. We go beyond this generic description and synthesize how inappropriate fire regimes contribute to declines of animal populations using threatened mammals as a case study. We developed a demographic framework for classifying mechanisms by which fire regimes cause population decline and applied the framework in a systematic review to identify fire characteristics and interacting threats associated with population declines in Australian threatened land mammals (n = 99). Inappropriate fire regimes threaten 88% of Australian threatened land mammals. Our review indicates that intense, large, and frequent fires are the primary cause of fire‐related population declines, particularly through their influence on survival rates. However, several species are threatened by a lack of fire, and there is considerable uncertainty in the evidence base for fire‐related declines. Climate change and predation are documented or predicted to interact with fire to exacerbate mammalian declines. This demographic framework will help target conservation actions globally and will be enhanced by empirical studies of animal survival, movement, and reproduction.https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12905biodiversitydemographic processesdispersalextinctionfire frequencymovement |
| spellingShingle | Julianna L. Santos Bronwyn A. Hradsky David A. Keith Kevin C. Rowe Katharine L. Senior Holly Sitters Luke T. Kelly Beyond inappropriate fire regimes: A synthesis of fire‐driven declines of threatened mammals in Australia Conservation Letters biodiversity demographic processes dispersal extinction fire frequency movement |
| title | Beyond inappropriate fire regimes: A synthesis of fire‐driven declines of threatened mammals in Australia |
| title_full | Beyond inappropriate fire regimes: A synthesis of fire‐driven declines of threatened mammals in Australia |
| title_fullStr | Beyond inappropriate fire regimes: A synthesis of fire‐driven declines of threatened mammals in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond inappropriate fire regimes: A synthesis of fire‐driven declines of threatened mammals in Australia |
| title_short | Beyond inappropriate fire regimes: A synthesis of fire‐driven declines of threatened mammals in Australia |
| title_sort | beyond inappropriate fire regimes a synthesis of fire driven declines of threatened mammals in australia |
| topic | biodiversity demographic processes dispersal extinction fire frequency movement |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12905 |
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