The effect of fire on terrestrial amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in a natural grassland community

Barratt, B. I. P.; Wing, Janine; Ball, Olivier J.-P.; Johnstone, P. D.; Dickinson, Katharine J. M.

doi:10.1016/j.pedobi.2019.150590

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…These studies suggest further research and debate on the role of fire in the evolution of native flora is warranted in order to predict ecological responses to future fires. One of the most comprehensive studies on fire behaviour and fire impacts on the ecology of tussock grasslands were the experimental burns conducted in the early 2000s at two sites in Otago: Deep Stream on the Lammerlaw Ranges and Mt Benger on the Old Man Range (Barratt et al 2009(Barratt et al , 2019Pearce et al 2009). While summer burning caused the highest mortality of Chionochloa rigida , populations of litter-dwelling amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda), the invertebrate taxon most severely affected by fire, took longer to recover after spring-burning because of the unusual intensity of the spring fire and resulting removal of the litter layer (Barratt et al 2019).…”

Section: Current Understandingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, understanding the ecological and functional implications of global change processes on tussock grasslands is comparatively Mammal impacts on vegetation: Bennetts wallaby (right) and browse on wī kura/ narrow-leaved snow tussock (Chionochloa rigida). Photos: J. Hawker and N. Day. limited, including the effects of land use change (Weeks et al 2013), fire (Barratt et al 2009(Barratt et al , 2019, invasive feral mammals (Whitehead et al 2014;Cruz et al 2017), and changes in soil properties (Wakelin et al 2013;Adair et al 2019). We lack key information at the temporal and spatial scales necessary to be able to predict the ecological and functional effects of global change across the environmental extent of tussock grasslands (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Predicting ecological change in tussock grasslands of Aotearoa New Zealand

Day,

Barratt,

Christensen

et al. 2023

NZJE

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Natural grasslands are among the most threatened biomes on Earth. They are under pressure from land cover change including afforestation, farming intensification, invasive species, altered fire regimes, and soil amendments, all of which impact native biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In Aotearoa New Zealand, tussock-dominated native grasslands expanded due to increased fire activity during waves of human settlement. These areas have subsequently been maintained as modified grasslands by agricultural pastoral land management practices and effects of introduced feral mammals. Despite many decades of research on biodiversity in tussock grasslands, we need greater fundamental understanding of many processes causing change in their biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in order to predict how future global change will impact this important and increasingly threatened biome. In this perspective forum article, we present five key research questions that, if answered, would greatly enhance our understanding of connections between tussock grassland biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and associated ecosystem services: (1) What are the relative impacts of domesticated and non-domesticated mammals on indigenous biodiversity in grasslands? (2) Where will invasive plants undergo range expansion? (3) Will future fires tip tussock grasslands into alternative vegetation states? (4) What are the implications of woody thickening by native or non-native species? (5) What are the impacts of global change, and vegetation change in particular, on soil processes and ecosystem functioning? We provide recommendations for research to address and integrate across these questions using both existing and new data. This work would build on our current knowledge and lead to a framework to better understand the ecological impacts of ongoing global change in tussock grasslands.

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Section: Current Understandingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting ecological change in tussock grasslands of Aotearoa New Zealand

Day,

Barratt,

Christensen

et al. 2023

NZJE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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From flames to inflammation: how wildfires affect patterns of wildlife disease

et al. 2021

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Background Fire strongly affects animals’ behavior, population dynamics, and environmental surroundings, which in turn are likely to affect their immune systems and exposure to pathogens. However, little work has yet been conducted on the effects of wildfires on wildlife disease. This research gap is rapidly growing in importance because wildfires are becoming globally more common and more severe, with unknown impacts on wildlife disease and unclear implications for livestock and human health in the future. Results Here, we discussed how wildfires could influence susceptibility and exposure to infection in wild animals, and the potential consequences for ecology and public health. In our framework, we outlined how habitat loss and degradation caused by fire affect animals’ immune defenses, and how behavioral and demographic responses to fire affect pathogen exposure, spread, and maintenance. We identified relative unknowns that might influence disease dynamics in unpredictable ways (e.g., through altered community composition and effects on free-living parasites). Finally, we discussed avenues for future investigations of fire-disease links. Conclusions We hope that this review will stimulate much-needed research on the role of wildfire in influencing wildlife disease, providing an important source of information on disease dynamics in the wake of future wildfires and other natural disasters, and encouraging further integration of the fields of fire and disease ecology.

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The effect of fire on terrestrial amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in a natural grassland community

Cited by 2 publications

References 28 publications

Predicting ecological change in tussock grasslands of Aotearoa New Zealand

Predicting ecological change in tussock grasslands of Aotearoa New Zealand

From flames to inflammation: how wildfires affect patterns of wildlife disease

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