Plant and soil fungal community responses to cultural burning

Plant and soil fungal community responses to cultural burning

Fire is a key driver of ecological dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. Thus, understanding the effects of fire on ecosystem dynamics above and below ground is imperative, yet rarely attempted, to ecosystem management and the associated control of invasive plant species. Fire has been used for millennia by Traditional Owners for fuel reduction and flora regeneration. The aim of this project is to improve understanding of vegetation and soil fungal community responses to cultural burning on stock route reserves in the Balonne Shire Council area, south-western Queensland. The effects of cultural burning practices on invasive and native plant species and soil fungal communities were assessed across four paired sites (burnt/unburnt). Within each site, two burnt and two unburnt transects were established six months post burning. Each 30 m transect consisted of six 1 m2 quadrats. A total of 48 soil samples were collected from vegetation survey quadrats at two of the four sites. Total mean plant species richness ranged from 4 to 9 per quadrat revealing site-specific variation. However, mean total species richness (7) was similar across all burnt vs unburnt sites. Invasive plant species across all sites included Cenchrus ciliaris (buffel grass), Conyza albida (fleabane), Bryophyllum sp. (mother of millions) and Xanthium occidentale (noogoora burr). Our preliminary results indicate that cultural burning has a negligible effect on driving the above-ground plant richness between burnt and unburnt plots at the quadrat level. However, whether these patterns are mirrored on a larger scale and in the below-ground soil fungal richness remains to be assessed.

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