Effects of wildfire of varying severity on benthic stream insect assemblages and emergence

Malison, Rachel L.; Baxter, Colden V.

doi:10.1899/09-022.1

Cited by 62 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(40 reference statements)

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“…At Angora Creek, only six taxa were indicative of postfire Within Burn samples, including three midge taxa (Chironomidae) and the blackfly Simulium; none of these taxa were shredders or scrapers, but rather were omnivores, gatherers, filterers, and predators. Both midges and blackflies have been previously identified as opportunistic taxa that can reach quite high densities immediately following riparian wildfires (both taxa: Vieira et al, 2004;midges: Mihuc et al, 1996;Minshall et al, 2001c) and these increased densities may last for several years (Malison & Baxter, 2010). However, unlike previous studies where increased predator populations were associated with increased productivity and density of primary consumers such as Chironomidae and Simulium (Malison & Baxter, 2010), we observed only a slight increase in predator populations in the second year following fire.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 82%

Short-term changes in-stream macroinvertebrate communities following a severe fire in the Lake Tahoe basin, California

et al. 2012

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Large and severe wildfires can dramatically alter terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We documented changes in benthic macroinvertebrate communities and physical habitat at two sites along Angora Creek, CA, USA for 2 years following a severe fire. Although post-fire years had low precipitation, canopy cover and bank stability declined dramatically following the wildfire (canopy cover: 88% pre-fire, 22% post-fire; stable bank: 93% pre-fire, 11% post-fire). Substrate also changed substantially, with fine sediment 89 more abundant post-fire and cobble 79 less abundant post-fire. We found no consistent changes in taxonomic richness or diversity following the fire, but post-fire densities and percentage of sensitive taxa were significantly reduced. We observed large reductions in relative abundances of shredder and scraper taxa, while collector-gatherer abundances increased. Community composition shifted away from pre-fire configurations, and continued to diverge in the second year following the fire. Scores from a regionally derived index of biotic integrity (IBI) were variable but overall much lower in post-fire samples and did not show recovery after 2 years. Overall, our study demonstrated substantial post-fire effects to aquatic ecosystems even in the absence of large flooding or scouring events, and showed that these effects can be transmitted downstream into unburned reaches.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 82%

Short-term changes in-stream macroinvertebrate communities following a severe fire in the Lake Tahoe basin, California

et al. 2012

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“…For example, following the 1989 Yellowstone fires, Mihuc and Minshall (1995) found that trophic generalists were common stream food-web components in Cache Creek, MT. Similarly, Malison and Baxter (2010a) found that opportunistic species (i.e. r-selected) such as Chironomidae and Baetis made up a greater proportion of benthic invertebrate biomass and emergence in Big Creek tributary reaches affected by high-severity fire compared with both lowseverity and unburned reaches.…”

Section: ) But the Mechanisms By Which Wildfire Influences Benthicmentioning

confidence: 86%

Wildfire severity mediates fluxes of plant material and terrestrial invertebrates to mountain streams

Jackson

Sullivan

Malison

2012

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…The resilience of ecosystems and biological communities largely determines the capacity of organisms to adapt and recover (Vieira et al, 2004;Romme et al, 2011). Fire can cause mortality in aquatic fauna (e.g., Rieman et al, 1997), although most studies have found negligible or indiscernible direct impacts to organisms such as fish (Rinne, 1996;Jones et al, 1993), amphibians (Dunham et al, 2007, benthic macroinvertebrates (Minshall et al, 1997;Bêche et al, 2005), and periphyton (Earl and Blinn, 2003;Malison and Baxter, 2010). Causes of direct mortality from wildfire include increases in stream temperature (Minshall et al, 1997;Dunham et al, 2007) and toxicity from ash (Spencer and Hauer, 1991;Rinne, 1996) or fire retardant (Jones et al, 1989).…”

Section: Fluvial Processes After Wildfirementioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfire, water, and society: Toward integrative research in the “Anthropocene”

et al. 2016

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Across the globe wildfires are increasing in frequency and magnitude under a warming climate, impacting natural resources, infrastructure, and millions of people worldwide every year. At the 2 same time, human encroachment into fire-prone areas has increased the potential for ignition, as well as risks and damages to human communities. In an era of intensifying human activities on Earth --the "Anthropocene" --societal interactions with post-fire landscapes are becoming normal. Independent theories derived from individual disciplines no longer apply in cases where human interactions are intense. A holistic approach that accounts for interactions between natural and human systems is necessary to understand the altered dynamics of post-fire landscapes.Focusing on the intersection of fire, water, and society, this review explores an integrative research framework to couple post-fire fluvial and human processes. We overview the trends in wildfires and growing impacts on humans, how fluvial processes and systems are altered by wildfires, and the potential hazards for human settlements. This review is a basis for integrating societal concerns, such as vulnerability, economic impacts, and management responses. We then link disciplinary questions into broad interdisciplinary research through an integrative framework. The 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire (Colorado, USA) provides an illustrative case with intense human interactions, both during and after the fire, to formulate critical questions within the integrative framework. Utilizing emergent integrative conceptual frameworks and tools will assist scholars in meeting the challenges and opportunities for broad collaboration, which are necessary to understand and confront wildfires characteristic of the "Anthropocene."

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Effects of wildfire of varying severity on benthic stream insect assemblages and emergence

Cited by 62 publications

References 41 publications

Short-term changes in-stream macroinvertebrate communities following a severe fire in the Lake Tahoe basin, California

Short-term changes in-stream macroinvertebrate communities following a severe fire in the Lake Tahoe basin, California

Wildfire severity mediates fluxes of plant material and terrestrial invertebrates to mountain streams

Wildfire, water, and society: Toward integrative research in the “Anthropocene”

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