Unburnt areas in subtropical woodlands contain distinct reptile communities after extensive wildfire

Article

Emery, Jon-Paul, Doherty, Tim S., Bruton, M.J., Peck, Stephen and Maron, Martine. 2024. "Unburnt areas in subtropical woodlands contain distinct reptile communities after extensive wildfire." Austral Ecology: a journal of ecology in the Southern Hemisphere. 49 (6). https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13547
Article Title

Unburnt areas in subtropical woodlands contain distinct reptile communities after extensive wildfire

ERA Journal ID3204
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsEmery, Jon-Paul, Doherty, Tim S., Bruton, M.J., Peck, Stephen and Maron, Martine
Journal TitleAustral Ecology: a journal of ecology in the Southern Hemisphere
Journal Citation49 (6)
Article Numbere13547
Number of Pages18
Year2024
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons
Place of PublicationAustralia
ISSN1442-9985
1442-9993
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13547
Web Address (URL)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aec.13547
AbstractExtensive wildfires can have profound impacts on fauna communities by altering the vegetation structure and resource availability. However, unburnt areas within a fire mosaic may be important habitat for wildlife while the surrounding area recovers after fire. To understand the importance of unburnt vegetation for reptiles, we studied community assemblages at 15 burnt and 15 unburnt sites in a subtropical woodland 12 months after a 25 000 ha wildfire. We tested the relative importance of unburnt areas and structural attributes on reptile abundance, richness, and community composition across this landscape. Unburnt areas had higher species richness and diversity, but not overall abundance. Reptile community composition differed significantly between burnt and unburnt areas. Woody debris, which was retained in unburnt areas but depleted in burnt areas, was positively associated with increased reptile diversity and richness. Our results suggest that unburnt areas are vital for maintaining reptile diversity and richness within a woodland landscape after wildfire. These findings demonstrate the importance of ensuring fire management programs retain unburnt patches of vegetation in fire-prone landscapes to sustain reptile communities. © 2024 The Author(s). Austral Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Ecological Society of Australia.
Keywordsconservation; fire management; reptile; unburnt areas; wildfire
Contains Sensitive ContentDoes not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020410401. Conservation and biodiversity
Byline AffiliationsCentre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems
University of Sydney
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra
University of Queensland
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