Interactions between fire and introduced deer herbivory on coastal heath vegetation

Crowther, Mathew S.; Ortac, Geetha; Pedersen, Simen; McArthur, Clare

doi:10.1111/aec.12349

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Knowledge of modifications to vegetation communities by large herbivores within fire‐prone ecosystems is increasing (Crowther et al, 2016 ; Tuft et al, 2012 ). We found that post‐fire herbivory reduced plant species richness, diversity, and evenness and increased plant dominance measures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐fire pickings: Large herbivores alter understory vegetation communities in a coastal eucalypt forest

Chard

Foster

Lindenmayer

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Fire and herbivores alter vegetation structure and function. Future fire activity is predicted to increase, and quantifying changes in vegetation communities arising from post‐fire herbivory is needed to better manage natural environments. We investigated the effects of post‐fire herbivory on understory plant communities in a coastal eucalypt forest in southeastern Australia. We quantified herbivore activity, understory plant diversity, and dominant plant morphology following a wildfire in 2017 using two sizes of exclosures. Statistical analysis incorporated the effect of exclusion treatments, time since fire, and the effect of a previous prescribed burn. Exclusion treatments altered herbivore activity, but time since fire did not. Herbivory reduced plant species richness, diversity, and evenness and promoted the dominance of the most abundant plants within the understory. Increasing time since fire reduced community diversity and evenness and influenced morphological changes to the dominant understory plant species, increasing size and dead material while decreasing abundance. We found the legacy effects of a previous prescribed burn had no effect on herbivores or vegetation within our study. Foraging by large herbivores resulted in a depauperate vegetation community. As post‐fire herbivory can alter vegetation communities, we postulate that management burning practices may exacerbate herbivore impacts. Future fire management strategies to minimize herbivore‐mediated alterations to understory vegetation could include aggregating management burns into larger fire sizes or linking fire management with herbivore management. Restricting herbivore access following fire (planned or otherwise) can encourage a more diverse and species‐rich understory plant community. Future research should aim to determine how vegetation change from post‐fire herbivory contributes to future fire risk.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐fire pickings: Large herbivores alter understory vegetation communities in a coastal eucalypt forest

Chard

Foster

Lindenmayer

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Crowther et al . (2016) also observed that the coverage of sedges and grasses was lower at sites where deer were present, compared to sites where deer were absent. Cycads have not been frequently recorded as components of either deer or macropod diets, making it unclear which group is responsible for the recorded grazing pressure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Additionally, rusa deer in Royal National Park affected the structure and composition of heathlands, and reduced coverage of grasses, sedges and low vegetation (Crowther et al . 2016). Coverage of medium and tall shrubs also varied with fire history and the presence of rusa deer (Crowther et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying variations in browsing pressure caused by feral deer for a range of threatened ecological communities and plant growth forms

2021

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Globally, high‐density populations of feral deer have been associated with a range of negative ecological consequences. Within Australia, limited quantitative research has assessed the impacts of deer, particularly in threatened ecological communities (TECs). Our study aimed to quantify the impact of feral deer on the herbivory of a range of woody plant species, non‐woody growth forms and TECs; and assess whether feral deer increase herbivory in TECs above background rates caused by native herbivores. We surveyed 356 transects across 89 sites representing eight TECs and collected herbivory data for woody and non‐woody plants. At each site, we recorded the presence or absence of deer sign and abundance of macropod pellets to account for variations in herbivory between groups of sympatric species. Generalised linear mixed models were developed to predict: (i) proportion of individual plants browsed (or grazed); and (ii) average browsing (or grazing) intensity for woody plant species and non‐woody plants. Controlling for macropod abundance, we found the average grazing intensity and proportion of non‐woody plants grazed was higher when deer were present compared to absent. Specifically, grazing pressure on rushes, cycads, sedges and grasses was significantly higher where deer were present. In contrast, we did not observe a significant impact of deer on woody plant species. The presence of deer resulted in higher grazing intensity in coastal saltmarsh, freshwater wetland, littoral rainforest and bangalay sand forest TECs. Although the deer population across our study region generally appears to be at low density compared to neighbouring regions, their presence is resulting in grazing pressure above that caused by native herbivores for a range of non‐woody plants. Our results contribute to a growing body of research about the ecological impacts of feral deer in Australia and can be used as a baseline for ongoing regional monitoring of deer impacts in TECs.

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Effectiveness of different herbivore exclusion strategies for restoration of an endangered rainforest community

Nilar

Maute

Dawson

et al. 2019

Forest Ecology and Management

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Interactions between fire and introduced deer herbivory on coastal heath vegetation

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

Post‐fire pickings: Large herbivores alter understory vegetation communities in a coastal eucalypt forest

Post‐fire pickings: Large herbivores alter understory vegetation communities in a coastal eucalypt forest

Quantifying variations in browsing pressure caused by feral deer for a range of threatened ecological communities and plant growth forms

Effectiveness of different herbivore exclusion strategies for restoration of an endangered rainforest community

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