Large fire initially reduces bird diversity in Poland’s largest wetland biodiversity hotspot

Abstract

Freshwater wetlands are widely recognized as biodiversity hotspots for many organisms, including birds. Climate change and the projected increased risk of wetland fires may pose a major threat to wetland biodiversity in the future. There is urgent need to assess short- and long-term effect of fires on avian biodiversity and to establish relevant management implications. We analysed the short-term (first 3 months after fire) effect of a large (5 500 ha) spring wildfire on the community of breeding marshland birds in the best-preserved Polish local wetland biodiversity hotspot: Biebrza Valley. We compared the avian community structure and abundance of certain species before and after the fire on the 18 permanent transects located in both burned and unburned habitats. Within first breeding season post fire, fire significantly reduced pooled abundance and species richness of the whole bird community. Three bird species of special conservation concern (including aquatic warbler) temporarily disappeared from burned areas, and the numbers of 11 other species declined. In contrast, only 3 species benefited from the fire, none of which depended on marshes as their primary habitat. Although the reported strong initial fire effect is likely to fade away in subsequent years, its immediate detrimental effects on marshland birds should not be underestimated. We conclude that it is essential to temporarily provide the unburned adjacent refuge areas with additional protection and bird-friendly management and to focus on preventing further degradation of marshes to increase their resilience to fire.

Land degradation in the European Union—Where does the evidence converge?

“…The role of fires in shaping wetland ecosystems is understudied (Osborne et al, 2013), but more intense fire regimes tend to have more dramatic consequences (Kettridge et al, 2015). Climate change and the mismanagement of water resources make wetlands more vulnerable to wildfires (e.g., Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park Moreno et al, 2011 or Biebrza National Park Sulwiński et al, 2020; Walesiak et al, 2022).…”

Synecology of Lagoecia cuminoides L. in Italy and evaluation of functional compounds presence in its water or hydroalcoholic extracts

“…When grazing disappears from these plant communities, the first effect is an increase in the cover of perennial species and decrease in biological diversity, and the consequence is the encroachment of woody vegetation as a result of the re-activation of natural succession. This situation results not only in the reduction in biodiversity but also in a dramatic increase in the risk of wildfire 55 – 57 . For these reasons the livestock is being increasingly used for creating and maintaining firebreaks in many Mediterranean countries 58 , 59 .…”

In Case of Fire, Escape or Die: A Trait-Based Approach for Identifying Animal Species Threatened by Fire

“…Decreased sensitivity: Generalists that can temporarily adapt their diet and/or habitat preferences to the conditions and food resources available across the post-fire landscape [130]; species that may benefit from fire-induced changes such as predators (birds of prey) [140] and early or mid-successional species: open grassland species [141], aerial insectivores that benefit from the increased availability of flying insects [133,142,143]; nectarivores, frugivores, and granivores that forage on (or close to) the ground and benefit from the greater abundance of small herbaceous plants producing flowers, fruits, and seeds after fire [144][145][146][147][148]; deadwood-associated species [111].…”