Differential resilience of invertebrates to fire

Abstract

Fires are natural to ecosystems in many parts of the world, yet few studies have examined multi-taxa invertebrate responses to these fires. We sampled a wide range of invertebrate taxa and feeding guilds at sites 3 months, 1 year and 3 years after fire, and in unburned control sites at the same time. A range of invertebrate sampling techniques was used on Table Mountain, in the Cape Floristic Region biodiversity hotspot, an area prone to natural and human-induced fires. Sampling time differences strongly affected the composition of the whole assemblage, with fire having a major additional influence. Assemblages showed differential resilience to fire, especially in terms of species richness and abundance. One year after fire, the burned sites had the most compositional differences for the surface-active species compared to control sites, while after 3 years, these sites were similar. Aerial assemblages were very different 3 years after burning, especially the pollination guild. Furthermore, these 3-year-old burned sites had the most unique species, suggesting that burning and longer-term recovery is important for overall diversity. Some components of the invertebrate assemblage were remarkably resilient to fire (particularly ants), while others were far more conservative (pollinators). Nevertheless, fire allows new species to enter the ecosystem and can thus be used to promote local biodiversity if used appropriately. Ants alone should not be used to represent the whole invertebrate assemblage as they do not represent the more fire-prone groups. A cross-section of functional guilds is recommended in invertebrate recovery/fire management conservation programmes. These results have general significance in that a variety of feeding guilds need to be sampled when monitoring invertebrate responses to fire.

Short-Term Effects of Prescribed Burning on Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Assemblages in Ozark Forests

“…Whereas some studies report strong negative effects of fire on ants and other insects (Andrew et al 2000), results of this and other comparative studies indicate that litter and ground-dwelling ants are relatively resihent to the effects of fire (e.g., Parr et al 2004, Piyke andSamways 2012). Resiliency (i.e., the time required for recovery to prefire community structure) is highly variable among insect taxa (Pryke and Samways 2012), and depends on fire conditions, habitat structure, and various other factors. Recovery times may be quite short (i.e., weeks or months; Buffington 1967) or protracted (a decade or longer; Moretti et al 2006), although 1-5 yr appears to be typical (York 1994, Hanula and Wade 2003, Stephens and Wagner 2006.…”

Enhancement of Linear Agricultural Areas to Provide Invertebrates as Potential Food for Breeding Birds

“…Impacts include direct impacts of collision with vehicles and indirect impacts from de-icing chemicals and fluid leakage from vehicles. Additionally, as the length of the field increases so does the distance to the nearest non-tilled areas that serve as refugia or source populations in recovery after adverse events [38].…”

Effects of Fire Intensity on Litter Arthropod Communities in Ozark Oak Forests, Arkansas, U.S.A

“…However, not all litter burns in a fire, and fire intensity at ground level varies with fuel characteristics at spatial scales corresponding to variation in litter arthropod communities (i.e., 1 m 2 ; Kaspari, 1996a, b). Moreover, some arthropod taxa (e.g., those nesting in soil or large woody debris; Torgensen, 1995) are not exterminated by fire (Pryke and Samways, 2012), and some beetle species specifically inhabit unburned refugia within burned areas (Gandhi et al, 2001). Consequently, local variation in fire intensity is likely to affect post fire arthropod community structure in predictable ways.…”