Fungi and fire in Australian ecosystems: a review of current knowledge, management implications and future directions

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sapphire J. M. McMullan-Fisher ◽  
Tom W. May ◽  
Richard M. Robinson ◽  
Tina L. Bell ◽  
Teresa Lebel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Community ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Trophic Group ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Essential Components

Fungi are essential components of all ecosystems in roles including symbiotic partners, decomposers and nutrient cyclers and as a source of food for vertebrates and invertebrates. Fire changes the environment in which fungi live by affecting soil structure, nutrient availability, organic and inorganic substrates and other biotic components with which fungi interact, particularly mycophagous animals. We review the literature on fire and fungi in Australia, collating studies that include sites with different time since fire or different fire regimes. The studies used a variety of methods for survey and identification of fungi and focussed on different groups of fungi, with an emphasis on fruit-bodies of epigeal macrofungi and a lack of studies on microfungi in soil or plant tissues. There was a lack of replication of fire treatment effects in some studies. Nevertheless, most studies reported some consequence of fire on the fungal community. Studies on fire and fungi were concentrated in eucalypt forest in south-west and south-eastern Australia, and were lacking for ecosystems such as grasslands and tropical savannahs. The effects of fire on fungi are highly variable and depend on factors such as soil and vegetation type and variation in fire intensity and history, including the length of time between fires. There is a post-fire flush of fruit-bodies of pyrophilous macrofungi, but there are also fungi that prefer long unburnt vegetation. The few studies that tested the effect of fire regimes in relation to the intervals between burns did not yield consistent results. The functional roles of fungi in ecosystems and the interactions of fire with these functions are explained and discussed. Responses of fungi to fire are reviewed for each fungal trophic group, and also in relation to interactions between fungi and vertebrates and invertebrates. Recommendations are made to include monitoring of fungi in large-scale fire management research programs and to integrate the use of morphological and molecular methods of identification. Preliminary results suggest that fire mosaics promote heterogeneity in the fungal community. Management of substrates could assist in preserving fungal diversity in the absence of specific information on fungi.

scholarly journals Fire regimes in eastern coastal fynbos: Imperatives and thresholds in managing for diversity

Koedoe ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tineke Kraaij ◽  
Richard M. Cowling ◽  
Brian W. Van Wilgen
Keyword(s):  
Fire Ecology ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Invasive Alien Plant

Until recently, fire ecology was poorly understood in the eastern coastal region of the Cape Floral Kingdom (CFK), South Africa. Rainfall in the area is aseasonal and temperatures are milder than in the winter-rainfall and drier inland parts of the CFK, with implications for the management of fire regimes. We synthesised the findings of a research programme focused on informing ecologically sound management of fire in eastern coastal fynbos shrublands and explored potential east–west trends at the scales of study area and CFK in terms of fire return interval (FRI) and fire season. FRIs (8–26 years; 1980–2010) were comparable to those elsewhere in the CFK and appeared to be shorter in the eastern Tsitsikamma than in the western Outeniqua halves of the study area. Proteaceae juvenile periods (4–9 years) and post-fire recruitment success suggested that for biodiversity conservation purposes, FRIs should be ≥ 9 years in eastern coastal fynbos. Collectively, findings on the seasonality of actual fires and the seasonality of fire danger weather, lightning and post-fire proteoid recruitment suggested that fires in eastern coastal fynbos are not limited to any particular season. We articulated these findings into ecological thresholds pertaining to the different elements of the fire regime in eastern coastal fynbos, to guide adaptive management of fire in the Garden Route National Park and elsewhere in the region.Conservation implications: Wildfires are likely to remain dominant in eastern coastal fynbos, whilst large-scale implementation of prescribed burning is unattainable. Fires occurring in any season are not a reason for concern, although other constraints remain: the need for sufficient fire intensity, safety requirements, and integration of fire and invasive alien plant management.

scholarly journals Effects of large fires on biodiversity in south-eastern Australia: disaster or template for diversity?

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross A. Bradstock
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Habitat Variation ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Rate Adaptive ◽  
Large Fires ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Large fires coincident with drought occurred in south-eastern Australia during 2001–2007. Perceptions of large, intense fires as being ecologically ‘disastrous’ are common. These are summarised by four hypotheses characterising large fires as: (i) homogenous in extent and intensity; (ii) causing large-scale extinction due to perceived lack of survival and regeneration capacity among biota; (iii) degrading due to erosion and related edaphic effects; (iv) unnatural, as a consequence of contemporary land management. These hypotheses are examined using available evidence and shown to inadequately account for effects of large fires on biodiversity. Large fires do not burn homogeneously, though they may produce intensely burnt patches and areas. The bulk of biota are resilient through a variety of in situ persistence mechanisms that are reinforced by landscape factors. Severe erosive episodes following fire tend to be local and uncertain rather than global and inevitable. Redistribution of soil and nutrients may reinforce habitat variation in some cases. Signals of fire are highly variable over prehistoric and historic eras, and, in some cases, contemporary and pre-European signal levels are equivalent. The most important effects of large fires in these diverse ecological communities and landscapes stem from their recurrence rate. Adaptive management of fire regimes rather than fire events is required, based on an understanding of risks posed by particular regimes to biota.

Indigenous and modern biomaterials derived from Triodia (‘spinifex’) grasslands in Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harshi K. Gamage ◽  
Subrata Mondal ◽  
Lynley A. Wallis ◽  
Paul Memmott ◽  
Darren Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Financial Benefits ◽  
Future Management

Plant-derived fibres and resins can provide biomaterials with environmental, health and financial benefits. Australian arid zone grasses have not been explored as sources of modern biomaterials including building materials. Triodia grasslands are a dominant vegetation type in the arid and semiarid regions of Australia covering a third of the continent. Of the 69 identified Triodia species, 26 produce resin from specialised cells in the outer leaf epidermis. In Aboriginal culture, Triodia biomass and resin were valued for their usefulness in cladding shelters and as a hafting agent. Since European settlement, Triodia grasslands have been used for cattle grazing and burning is a common occurrence to improve pasture value and prevent large-scale fires. Although Triodia grasslands are relatively stable to fires, more frequent and large-scale fires impact on other fire sensitive woody and herbaceous species associated with Triodia and invasion of exotic weeds resulting in localised changes in vegetation structure and composition. The extent and change occurring in Triodia grasslands as a result of altered land-use practices, fire regimes, and changing climate warrant careful consideration of their future management. Localised harvesting of Triodia grasslands could have environmental benefits and provide much needed biomaterials for desert living. Research is underway to evaluate the material properties of Triodia biomass and resin in the context of Indigenous and western scientific knowledge. Here, we review uses of Triodia and highlight research needs if sustainable harvesting is to be considered.

Unprecedented long-distance transport of macroscopic charcoal from a large, intense forest fire in eastern Australia: Implications for fire history reconstruction

The Holocene ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 947-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Woodward ◽  
Heather Ann Haines
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Long Distance Transport ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Distance Transport ◽  
Macroscopic Charcoal

Macroscopic charcoal records from wetland sediment cores are used to reconstruct long-term records of fire frequency. A central premise for the use of this tool is that macroscopic charcoal (>125 μm) represents local fires involving local vegetation. Several records reveal that there may often be exceptions to these guidelines. Previous studies have shown that particles larger than 1 cm long can travel at least 20 km from the location of a fire. We present observations of unprecedented long-distance transport of large (⩽5 cm long) charcoal particles at least 50 km from a fire west of Sydney, Australia. Factors that contribute to long-distance transport of large charcoal particles are fire intensity, upper level wind speed and landscape topography. The fires west of Sydney were large and intense, upper level (~10 km) winds exceeded 90 km h-1, and the topography east of the fire was flat or undulating. Smoke plumes from intense fires like this can reach an altitude of at least 15 km. Charcoal morphology also contributed to long-distance transport in this case. Eucalyptus trees can produce large quantities of aerodynamically efficient particles; from paper thin, smooth, decorticating bark and large sclerophyllous leaves. The presence of large macroscopic charcoal particles in wetland sediments does not automatically indicate local fires and could result from distant, large, intense fires. Large, intense fires can occur in Australia, the grasslands of Kazakhstan, Namibia, the Sahel and Patagonia. High intensity fires also occur in the forested areas of the western United States and Boreal North America. Fires in these regions could result in long-distance transport of large macroscopic charcoal particles under the right circumstances. Local charcoal flux studies are therefore critical for the interpretation of macroscopic charcoal records. We cannot rely on information from areas with different fire regimes, fire intensities or vegetation types.

scholarly journals Fire in Semi-Arid Shrublands and Woodlands: Spatial and Temporal Patterns in an Australian Landscape

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eddie J. B. van Etten ◽  
Robert A. Davis ◽  
Tim S. Doherty
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Fire Hazard ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Eucalypt Woodlands ◽  
Fire Extent ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Over Time

Semi-arid landscapes are of interest to fire ecologists because they are generally located in the climatic transition zone between arid lands (where fires tend to be rare due to lack of fuel, but are enhanced following large rainfall episodes) and more mesic regions (where fire activity tends to be enhanced following severe rainfall deficits). Here we report on the characteristics of the contemporary fire regimes operating in a semi-arid region of inland south-western Australia with rainfall averaging around 300 mm per annum. To characterize fire regimes, we analyzed a geodatabase of fire scars (1960–2018) to derive fire preferences for each major vegetation type and fire episode and used known fire intervals to model fire hazard over time and calculate typical fire frequencies. We also used super epoch analysis and correlations to explore relationships between annual fire extent and rainfall received before the fire. We found fires strongly favored sandplain shrublands, and these tended to experience hot crown fires once every 100 years (median fire interval), with fire hazard increasing linearly over time. In contrast, fires were rare in eucalypt woodland and other vegetation types, with a median interval of 870 years and broadly consistent fire hazard over time. Annual fire extent was most strongly linked with high rainfall in the year prior to fire, and this was particularly so for eucalypt woodlands. Large-scale fires in shrublands tended to favor areas burnt in previous large fires, whereas in woodlands they favored edges. In conclusion, we found divergent fire regimes across the major vegetation types of the region. Sandplain shrublands were similar to Mediterranean shrublands in that they experienced intense stand-replacing wildfires which recovered vigorously although slowly, meaning burnt shrublands did not experience fires again for at least 25 and 100 years on average. In contrast, eucalypt woodlands were fire sensitive (trees readily killed by fire) and experienced fires mostly around the edges, spreading into core areas only after large rainfall events elevated fuel levels. Overall, both vegetation types subscribed to typical arid-zone fire regimes where elevated rainfall, and not drought, promoted fires, although the role of fuel accumulation over time was more important in the shrublands.

Modelling the potential for prescribed burning to mitigate carbon emissions from wildfires in fire-prone forests of Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 629 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Bradstock ◽  
M. M. Boer ◽  
G. J. Cary ◽  
O. F. Price ◽  
R. J. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Burning Rates ◽  
Fuel Dynamics ◽  
Eucalypt Forests ◽  
In Fire

Prescribed fire can potentially reduce carbon emissions from unplanned fires. This potential will differ among ecosystems owing to inherent differences in the efficacy of prescribed burning in reducing unplanned fire activity (or ‘leverage’, i.e. the reduction in area of unplanned fire per unit area of prescribed fire). In temperate eucalypt forests, prescribed burning leverage is relatively low and potential for mitigation of carbon emissions from unplanned fires via prescribed fire is potentially limited. Simulations of fire regimes accounting for non-linear patterns of fuel dynamics for three fuel types characteristic of eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia supported this prediction. Estimated mean annual fuel consumption increased with diminishing leverage and increasing rate of prescribed burning, even though average fire intensity (prescribed and unplanned fires combined) decreased. The results indicated that use of prescribed burning in these temperate forests is unlikely to yield a net reduction in carbon emissions. Future increases in burning rates under climate change may increase emissions and reduce carbon sequestration. A more detailed understanding of the efficacy of prescribed burning and dynamics of combustible biomass pools is required to clarify the potential for mitigation of carbon emissions in temperate eucalypt forests and other ecosystems.

Less fuel for the fire: malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) nesting activity affects fuel loads and fire behaviour

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Smith ◽  
Sarah C. Avitabile ◽  
Steven W. J. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Minimum Diameter ◽  
Behaviour Modelling ◽  
Fuel Loads ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Nesting Activity ◽  
Mound Sites

Context Fire is an important driver of species distributions globally. At the same time, biota also influence fire regimes. Animal activities that modify fuel characteristics may influence fire regimes and hence ecosystem function. However, apart from herbivory, animal effects on fuels and fire behaviour have rarely been studied. Aims We examined the effect of nest building by malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) on litter fuel loads and fire behaviour in the fire-prone, semiarid mallee ecosystem of south-eastern Australia. Malleefowl nests consist of mounds constructed by raking large amounts of leaf litter from the surrounding area. Mound-building activity is likely to affect fuel loads and potentially affect fire behaviour in this environment. Methods Litter cover and mass were compared between paired mound and non-mound sites. Fire behaviour modelling was used to determine whether differences in fuel load were likely to translate into differences in fire behaviour. Additionally, in an area recently burnt by wildfire, the minimum diameter of burnt stems was compared between mound and non-mound sites to determine the effects of malleefowl activity on fire intensity. Key results Malleefowl nesting activity reduced litter fuel loads around mounds. Fire behaviour modelling and post-fire minimum stem diameter measurements showed this led to reduced fire intensity around mounds, even under extreme fire weather conditions. Conclusions The likelihood and intensity of fire is reduced around active malleefowl mounds. Malleefowl nesting contributes to more heterogeneous burn patterns in mallee vegetation. This in turn may contribute to the formation of fire refuges. Implications Few studies have examined the effects of animal activities on fire. This study demonstrates that non-trophic interactions of fauna with fuels may influence fire regimes. Species that reduce or disrupt the continuity or connectivity of fuels could have similar effects to malleefowl in fire-prone regions. Further examination of the interactions of animals and fire regimes will contribute to a better understanding and conservation management of fire-prone ecosystems.

scholarly journals BiPSim: a flexible and generic stochastic simulator for polymerization processes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Fischer ◽  
Marc Dinh ◽  
Vincent Henry ◽  
Philippe Robert ◽  
Anne Goelzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Stochastic Simulation Algorithm ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Simulation Speed ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Cell Simulation ◽  
Stochastic Simulator ◽  
Modeling Formalisms ◽  
Stochastic Phenomena

AbstractDetailed whole-cell modeling requires an integration of heterogeneous cell processes having different modeling formalisms, for which whole-cell simulation could remain tractable. Here, we introduce BiPSim, an open-source stochastic simulator of template-based polymerization processes, such as replication, transcription and translation. BiPSim combines an efficient abstract representation of reactions and a constant-time implementation of the Gillespie’s Stochastic Simulation Algorithm (SSA) with respect to reactions, which makes it highly efficient to simulate large-scale polymerization processes stochastically. Moreover, multi-level descriptions of polymerization processes can be handled simultaneously, allowing the user to tune a trade-off between simulation speed and model granularity. We evaluated the performance of BiPSim by simulating genome-wide gene expression in bacteria for multiple levels of granularity. Finally, since no cell-type specific information is hard-coded in the simulator, models can easily be adapted to other organismal species. We expect that BiPSim should open new perspectives for the genome-wide simulation of stochastic phenomena in biology.

scholarly journals A Matheuristic Approach Combining Local Search and Mathematical Programming

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Lagos ◽  
Guillermo Guerrero ◽  
Enrique Cabrera ◽  
Stefanie Niklander ◽  
Franklin Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Programming ◽  
Local Search ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Search Algorithm ◽  
Facility Location Problem ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Local Search Algorithm ◽  
Capacitated Facility Location Problem ◽  
Capacitated Facility Location ◽  
Installation Cost

A novel matheuristic approach is presented and tested on a well-known optimisation problem, namely, capacitated facility location problem (CFLP). The algorithm combines local search and mathematical programming. While the local search algorithm is used to select a subset of promising facilities, mathematical programming strategies are used to solve the subproblem to optimality. Proposed local search is influenced by instance-specific information such as installation cost and the distance between customers and facilities. The algorithm is tested on large instances of the CFLP, where neither local search nor mathematical programming is able to find good quality solutions within acceptable computational times. Our approach is shown to be a very competitive alternative to solve large-scale instances for the CFLP.

scholarly journals A late-Holocene multiproxy fire record from a tropical savanna, eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362098803
Author(s):  
Emma Rehn ◽  
Cassandra Rowe ◽  
Sean Ulm ◽  
Craig Woodward ◽  
Michael Bird
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Optical Methods ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Tropical Savanna ◽  
Anthropogenic Fire ◽  
Pyrogenic Carbon ◽  
Arnhem Land

Fire has a long history in Australia and is a key driver of vegetation dynamics in the tropical savanna ecosystems that cover one quarter of the country. Fire reconstructions are required to understand ecosystem dynamics over the long term but these data are lacking for the extensive savannas of northern Australia. This paper presents a multiproxy palaeofire record for Marura sinkhole in eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. The record is constructed by combining optical methods (counts and morphology of macroscopic and microscopic charcoal particles) and chemical methods (quantification of abundance and stable isotope composition of pyrogenic carbon by hydrogen pyrolysis). This novel combination of measurements enables the generation of a record of relative fire intensity to investigate the interplay between natural and anthropogenic influences. The Marura palaeofire record comprises three main phases: 4600–2800 cal BP, 2800–900 cal BP and 900 cal BP to present. Highest fire incidence occurs at ~4600–4000 cal BP, coinciding with regional records of high effective precipitation, and all fire proxies decline from that time to the present. 2800–900 cal BP is characterised by variable fire intensities and aligns with archaeological evidence of occupation at nearby Blue Mud Bay. All fire proxies decline significantly after 900 cal BP. The combination of charcoal and pyrogenic carbon measures is a promising proxy for relative fire intensity in sedimentary records and a useful tool for investigating potential anthropogenic fire regimes.

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