How an unprecedented wildfire shaped tree hollow occurrence and abundance—implications for arboreal fauna

IF 3.6 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q1 ECOLOGY Fire Ecology Pub Date : 2024-05-03 DOI:10.1186/s42408-024-00274-y
Benjamin Wagner, Patrick J. Baker, Craig R. Nitschke
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Abstract

Tree hollows are an important habitat resource used by arboreal fauna for nesting and denning. Hollows form when trees mature and are exposed to decay and physical damage. In the absence of excavating fauna, hollow formation can take up to 200 years in Australian temperate Eucalyptus forests, making tree hollows a critical but slow forming habitat feature. The increasing frequency and severity of wildfires due to climate change has led to increased concern about the landscape-scale loss of nesting space for arboreal fauna, including endangered species such as the folivorous southern greater glider (Petauroides volans). To understand patterns of nesting resource availability, we assessed drivers of hollow occurrence in southeastern Australian mixed-species Eucalyptus forests and quantified the effects of an unprecedented large-scale wildfire, the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires, on hollow occurrence and abundance. Tree size and shape, as well as site productivity and topography, were important predictors for hollow occurrence both before and after the fires. The occurrence of the southern greater glider was strongly dependent on high proportions of hollow-bearing trees. While high fire severities had a negative impact on southern greater glider occurrence, the number of hollow-dependent arboreal species was not affected. While the wildfires significantly reduced hollow abundance, we did not find significant effects on hollow occurrence. Fires altered the relationship between tree size and hollow occurrence expressed as a change in the probability of hollow occurrence, with a higher likelihood at smaller tree sizes after the fires. Our findings suggest that post-fire nesting space may be reduced at the tree-scale, while at the stand-scale, hollow-bearing trees persist as biological legacies. These persisting trees can support the recovery of hollow-dependent arboreal fauna, such as the endangered southern greater glider by providing denning and nesting space. Hollow-bearing trees that survived the fires have the potential to form new hollows faster compared to undisturbed mature trees.
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一场史无前例的野火如何影响树洞的出现和丰度--对树栖动物的影响
树洞是树栖动物筑巢和穴居的重要栖息地资源。树洞是在树木成熟并受到腐烂和物理损坏时形成的。在澳大利亚温带桉树林中,如果没有挖掘动物,树洞的形成可能需要长达 200 年的时间,因此树洞是一种重要但形成缓慢的栖息地特征。气候变化导致野火发生的频率和严重程度不断增加,使人们越来越担心树栖动物(包括食叶的南方大滑翔机(Petauroides volans)等濒危物种)的筑巢空间会在景观范围内消失。为了了解筑巢资源的可用性模式,我们评估了澳大利亚东南部桉树混交林中空洞出现的驱动因素,并量化了一场史无前例的大规模野火(2019/2020年黑夏丛林大火)对空洞出现和丰度的影响。大火前后,树木的大小和形状以及现场生产力和地形都是预测空洞出现的重要因素。南方大滑翔机的出现与高比例的空心树密切相关。虽然火灾的严重程度对南方大袋鼯的出现产生了负面影响,但依赖空心树的树栖物种数量却没有受到影响。虽然野火大大降低了空心树的丰度,但我们并没有发现野火对空心树的出现有明显影响。大火改变了树木大小与空洞发生率之间的关系,表现为空洞发生概率的变化,大火后树木大小越小,空洞发生概率越高。我们的研究结果表明,火灾后树木尺度上的筑巢空间可能会缩小,而在林分尺度上,空心树作为生物遗产会持续存在。这些持续存在的树木可以通过提供巢穴和筑巢空间,支持依赖空心树栖动物(如濒危的南方大滑翔机)的恢复。与未受干扰的成熟树木相比,在火灾中幸存下来的空心树有可能更快地形成新的空心。
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来源期刊
Fire Ecology
Fire Ecology ECOLOGY-FORESTRY
CiteScore
6.20
自引率
7.80%
发文量
24
审稿时长
20 weeks
期刊介绍: Fire Ecology is the international scientific journal supported by the Association for Fire Ecology. Fire Ecology publishes peer-reviewed articles on all ecological and management aspects relating to wildland fire. We welcome submissions on topics that include a broad range of research on the ecological relationships of fire to its environment, including, but not limited to: Ecology (physical and biological fire effects, fire regimes, etc.) Social science (geography, sociology, anthropology, etc.) Fuel Fire science and modeling Planning and risk management Law and policy Fire management Inter- or cross-disciplinary fire-related topics Technology transfer products.
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