Pyrodiversity interacts with rainfall to increase bird and mammal richness in African savannas

Beale, Colin M.; Mustaphi, Colin J. Courtney; Morrison, Thomas A.; Archibald, Sally; Anderson, T. Michael; Dobson, Andrew; Donaldson, Jason E.; Hempson, Gareth P.; Probert, James; Parr, Catherine L.

doi:10.1111/ele.12921

Cited by 57 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(127 reference statements)

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“…So, the homogenization of vegetation structure, as seen in the case of increased woody encroachment in the absence of fire, affecting grassland/savanna specialists (Vieira and Marinho-Filho, 1998;Vieira, 1999;Henriques et al, 2000Henriques et al, , 2006Briani et al, 2004;Maravalhas and Vasconcelos, 2014;Abreu et al, 2017), will disrupt community structure resulting in biodiversity losses. Studies of open formations around the world also highlight the importance of habitat heterogeneity for maintaining biodiversity of the landscape (Andersen et al, 2012;Beale et al, 2018;McCleery et al, 2018;Bond, 2019;Costa et al, 2019). At our study area, open grasslands and savannas have particular importance for conservation at local and regional scales.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Although changes in vegetation structure represent modifications in habitat for plants and animals, fire-driven changes in plant communities of tropical savannas due to fire are much more about structure than species composition or biodiversity (Higgins et al, 2007;van Wilgen et al, 2007;Lebbink et al, 2018), since fire does not eliminate typical savanna species. No biodiversity losses due to fire have been consistently observed in savannas for most animal groups, such as arthropods (but see Morais and Benson, 1988;Andersen and Müller, 2000;Maravalhas and Vasconcelos, 2014;Vasconcelos et al, 2017), birds (Cavalcanti and Alves, 1997;Corbett et al, 2003;Mills, 2004;Reis et al, 2016), mammals (Vieira, 1999;Prada and Marinho-Filho, 2004;Beale et al, 2018), reptiles (Griffiths and Christian, 1996;Corbett et al, 2003;Langford et al, 2007;Morais et al, 2011;Costa et al, 2013), and amphibians (Corbett et al, 2003;Langford et al, 2007;Morais et al, 2011). Despite the pattern of low impact on richness observed in most studies, however, there are some exceptions when fire effects are analyzed at a small scale, comparing different pieces of the vegetation mosaic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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No Net Loss of Species Diversity After Prescribed Fires in the Brazilian Savanna

Durigan

Pilon

Abreu

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Although savannas are fire-adapted ecosystems, prescribing fire for biodiversity conservation remains controversial at least in some regions where savannas occur. Faced with uncertainty, many decision makers and even scientists are still reluctant to prescribe fire for conservation purposes in fire-prone ecosystems, invoking the precautionary principle. Knowledge gaps on the ideal fire regime, such as how and when to burn, and especially the fear of biodiversity losses, are among the main arguments against fire management applied to remnants of native savanna vegetation. To inform this debate, we assessed the impact of prescribed fires on diversity of plants (different growth forms), ants, frogs, lizards, birds, and small mammals, in savannas and grasslands of the Brazilian Cerrado. We assessed the existing species richness, composition, and abundance in areas subjected to long periods of fire suppression and compared to that observed over a short period after prescribed dry-season fires, within each group of plants and animals. Whenever possible, we carried out separate analyses for grassland and savanna. Burning did not significantly reduce species richness of any of the groups analyzed, but had a positive effect on richness of graminoids in grassland. When analyzed at the species level, abundance of most animal groups did not show consistent responses to fire, except for a decrease in some frog populations in grasslands. Forbs, graminoids, and subshrubs increased in abundance after fire in grassland areas, though in savanna areas, abundance of forbs, and subshrubs tended to decline after fire. Species composition changed little in response to fire as indicated by low levels of dissimilarity between burned and unburned areas. These results confirm the high resilience of Cerrado biota to fire, as expected for savanna ecosystems in general. Besides, we demonstrate here that the risk of biodiversity losses cannot justify the objections to the use of prescribed fire for conservation purposes in the Cerrado.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Net Loss of Species Diversity After Prescribed Fires in the Brazilian Savanna

Durigan

Pilon

Abreu

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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“…Wildfire is a key ecological disturbance in forests world‐wide, generating successional mosaics of habitat that structure biotic communities (Kelly & Brotons, ). Variation in fire regime characteristics—termed pyrodiversity—creates heterogeneous post‐fire habitat, which has been correlated with increased biodiversity in a variety of fire‐prone systems (Beale et al., ; Tingley, Ruiz‐Gutiérrez, Wilkerson, Howell, & Siegel, ). Mounting evidence in support of this ‘pyrodiversity–biodiversity’ hypothesis has made promoting and retaining fire heterogeneity an increasingly influential guiding principal in forest management and biodiversity conservation (Kelly, Brotons, & McCarthy, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age‐dependent habitat relationships of a burned forest specialist emphasise the role of pyrodiversity in fire management

Stillman

Siegel

Wilkerson

et al. 2019

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Variation in fire characteristics, termed pyrodiversity, plays an important role in structuring post‐fire communities, but little is known about the importance of pyrodiversity for individual species. The availability of diverse post‐fire habitats may be key for fire‐associated species if they require different resources at different life‐history stages. We tested for age‐specific habitat relationships in the black‐backed woodpecker, a post‐fire specialist. We used radio‐telemetry to track fledgling and adult woodpeckers in burned forests and built resource selection functions to compare the effect of stand‐, tree‐ and snag‐level covariates between adults and fledglings. Fledgling black‐backed woodpeckers selected habitat with more live trees than adults and used more heterogeneous habitats burned at lower severity, illustrating strong age‐dependent effects on habitat selection. Within selected stands, fledglings were less likely to use snags and more likely to use live trees when compared to adults, but both age classes showed strong positive selection for larger‐diameter trees (live and dead). Over the 60 days after leaving their nests, fledglings showed an increasing propensity to use snags rather than live trees. Our results provide evidence that the predation–starvation hypothesis, which posits a trade‐off between foraging efficiency and the need to minimise predation risk, plays a role in structuring the age‐dependent habitat use of a burned forest specialist. Adult black‐backed woodpeckers selected resources associated with food availability, but these resources occurred in relatively open, exposed habitat. Fledglings selected habitat that provided increased cover, perhaps as a strategy to reduce predation risk. Synthesis and applications. Globally, fires are increasing in severity and extent, leading to increased focus on fire‐associated species that play keystone roles in facilitating biodiversity resilience. Our findings suggest that a diversity of patches burned at different severities may benefit post‐fire specialists like the black‐backed woodpecker at multiple life‐history stages. The increasing prevalence of large, homogeneously high‐severity ‘megafires’ may present an emerging threat even to post‐fire specialists, and we urge land managers to consider opportunities to promote pyrodiversity in the face of novel fire regimes.

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“…, Beale et al. ). In South Africa, patch‐mosaic burning is used in protected areas to achieve conservation goals (Brockett et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…) or climate (Beale et al. ). Varied findings may also result from how studies characterize and quantify both pyrodiversity and biodiversity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burning savanna for avian species richness and functional diversity

Docherty

Hethcoat

MacTavish³

et al. 2020

Ecological Applications

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Prescribed fire is used throughout fire-prone landscapes to conserve biodiversity. Current best practice in managing savanna systems advocates methods based on the assumption that increased fire-mediated landscape heterogeneity (pyrodiversity) will promote biodiversity. However, considerable knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of how savanna wildlife responds to the composition and configuration of pyrodiverse landscapes. The effects of pyrodiversity on functional diversity have rarely been quantified and assessing this relationship at a landscape scale that is commensurate with fire management is important for understanding mechanisms underlying ecosystem resilience. Here, we assess the impact of spatiotemporal variation in a long-term fire regime on avian diversity in North West Province, South Africa. We examined the relationship between (1) species richness, (2) three indices of functional diversity (i.e., functional richness, functional evenness, and functional dispersion) and four measures of pyrodiversity, the spatial extents of fire age classes, and habitat type at the landscape scale. We then used null models to assess differences between observed and expected functional diversity. We found that the proportion of newly burned (<1-yr post-fire), old, unburned (≥10 yr post-fire), and woodland habitat on the landscape predicted species and functional richness. Species richness also increased with the degree of edge contrast between patches of varying fire age, while functional dispersion increased with the degree of patch shape complexity. Lower than expected levels of functional richness suggest that habitat filtering is occurring, resulting in functional redundancy across our study sites. We demonstrate that evaluating functional diversity and redundancy is an important component of conservation planning as they may contribute to previously reported fire resilience. Our findings suggest that it is the type and configuration, rather than the diversity, of fire patches on the landscape that promote avian diversity and conserve ecological functions. A management approach is needed that includes significant coverage of adjacent newly burned and older, unburned savanna habitat; the latter, in particular, is inadequately represented under current burning practices.

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Pyrodiversity interacts with rainfall to increase bird and mammal richness in African savannas

Cited by 57 publications

References 41 publications

No Net Loss of Species Diversity After Prescribed Fires in the Brazilian Savanna

No Net Loss of Species Diversity After Prescribed Fires in the Brazilian Savanna

Age‐dependent habitat relationships of a burned forest specialist emphasise the role of pyrodiversity in fire management

Burning savanna for avian species richness and functional diversity

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