Impact of intense disturbance on the structure and composition of wet-eucalypt forests: A case study from the Tasmanian 2016 wildfires

PloS One
Tamika J LunnBarry W Brook

Abstract

Fire is a key process in eucalypt communities, exerting a strong influence on the composition, structure and functioning of forests. Much of the research on the fire response of temperate, wet-sclerophyll trees in Australia comes from Victoria, where the dominant eucalypt is Eucalyptus regnans. In contrast, central and northern Tasmanian forests, dominated by Eucalyptus delegatensis, are relatively understudied. There is a need to determine whether Tasmanian wet-sclerophyll forests, though the same forest type in name, are functionally different in floristics and response to fire. Here we document the forest community response to a natural wildfire event in Tasmania-using opportunistic before/after control/impact (BACI) data from pre-existing monitoring plots. Uniting pre- and post-fire floristic data, we quantified mortality and regeneration of eucalypt, acacia and other dominant tree species, and tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica, in response to wildfire. We also evaluated the density of eucalypt and acacia seedling establishment between burnt and unburnt forests, and quantified faunal responses to fire. Despite moderate-to-high intensity burning in patches across the plot, mortality of eucalypts, acacias and tree ferns due to...Continue Reading

References

Jul 1, 1974·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·S A Levin, R T Paine
Nov 10, 2010·Ecology·Monica G Turner
Feb 16, 2012·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jennifer R MarlonMegan K Walsh
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May 27, 2015·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Dominik Thom, Rupert Seidl
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