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• W178129637 abstract "Disturbances influence the structure of many ecosystems, determining environmentaland biological heterogeneity. Human-mediated disturbances, including introduced plantspecies and fire, have the ability to alter ecosystem-level processes and properties,modify habitat structure and, as a consequence, influence faunal assemblages. Thisthesis examines the impacts of introduced plant species and fire management practiceson vertebrate assemblages in grazed tropical savannas in northern Queensland.Invasive introduced plant species pose a major threat to native environments. Rubbervine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) is an environmental weed that invades native riparianhabitats in northern Australia. Small ground-dwelling lizards may be negativelyaffected as rubber vine replaces and fragments native habitat. Field observations ofreptiles in habitat invaded by rubber vine recorded only a single lizard in rubber vinevegetation, compared to 131 lizards in nearby native vegetation. As rubber vinevegetation contains features that superficially resemble native habitat, such as leaf litter,the avoidance of rubber vine suggests that rubber vine has underlying characteristicsthat create a suboptimal environmental for lizards.Two species of native skinks (Carlia munda and C. pectoralis) and the invasive plantrubber vine were used as a model system to determine possible underlying mechanismsdriving avoidance of non-native plants by fauna. In semi-natural enclosures, lizardsdiscriminated between leaf litter types: 85% of C. pectoralis and 80% of C. mundachose native leaf litter over rubber vine, indicating a clear preference for native habitat.In comparison to native habitat, rubber vine provided a suboptimal environment forlitter-dwelling lizards with lower ambient temperatures, reduced availability of prey anda reduction in camouflage from predators (dissimilar leaf and lizard shapes). Thus,three possible mechanisms were identified by which an introduced plant species canalter the availability of resources in an environment, making it less attractive to nativefauna. As rubber vine is a Weed of National Significance, management of this speciesis a priority.Fire plays a pivotal role in structuring ecosystems and often occurs as a humanmediateddisturbance for land management purposes, including management ofintroduced plants. Rubber vine is susceptible to fire, and burning for weed control maybe implemented in riparian zones of tropical savannas where rubber vine is prevalent.Although tropical savannas are considered fire-adapted ecosystems, riparian vegetationand associated fauna may be less resilient to the effects of fire. Variations in fireregimes alter the environment in different ways, and the type of fire may govern theresponse of faunal assemblages. Using replicated experimental fire treatments, imposedon two habitats (riparian and adjacent woodland), I examined the responses of reptilesand birds in the short- and longer-term to a range of fire management practices used tocontrol rubber vine.An important component of fire regime is the season of burn. In tropical savannas,most fire management occurs during the dry season; however, wet season burning isoften used for pastoral management and may be useful for controlling introduced plantspecies. Initially, only one species of reptile responded strongly to burning, with fewdifferences detected between burning seasons. Abundances of the skink C. munda werehigher in burnt sites and may reflect temporary changes in food availability, or areduction in rubber vine. However, the overall structure of the reptile community wasdriven by habitat type (riparian versus woodland) rather than burning, suggesting mostreptiles were responding to broader environmental factors. Within three years ofburning, reptiles were least abundant in dry season burnt sites, a result mostly driven bythe abundance of the small terrestrial gecko, Heteronotia binoei, which was commonlyobserved in unburnt and wet season burnt sites. In addition, litter-associated species,including the skink C. pectoralis, were rarely observed in burnt habitat and fewerspecies were detected in the wet season burnt sites.Both season of burn and time since fire also significantly influenced bird assemblageresponses. Within 12 months of fire, burning tended to benefit several bird species andfeeding groups, with higher overall abundances of birds observed in the sites, althoughspecies that favoured dense vegetation (e.g. red-backed fairy-wren, Malurusmelanocephalus) were rarely observed in burnt habitat. Responses of feeding groups,including insectivores, nectarivores and carnivores, suggest that burning may havetemporarily increased food resources. In the short-term, assemblage of birds tended toreflect whether or not a site was burnt, rather than burning season. However, four yearsfollowing burning, dry season burnt sites were composed of a different bird assemblagethan unburnt and wet season burnt sites. In addition, dry season burnt treatments werecharacterised by lower bird abundances, especially nectarivore and granivore feedinggroups and the insectivorous white-throated honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis). Asdry season burning removed more vegetation than wet season burning, birds may beresponding to a reduction in habitat complexity, and subsequent changes in foodresources.The frequency with which a habitat is burnt is another critical component of fire regime,and may ultimately determine faunal assemblage responses. Using a fully replicatedBefore-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design I examined the impacts of repeatedburning on bird assemblages. In contrast to unburnt or singularly burnt sites, therepeated burning significantly reduced bird abundance and species richness. Repeatburning also altered the feeding group structure of sites. In particular, frugivorous andinsectivorous birds were adversely affected by the second fire. Vegetation complexitywas lower in both burning treatments, but the repeatedly burnt sites contained lessnative fruiting shrubs, especially currant bush (Carissa ovata), which was an importantfood and shelter source for several species. Repeatedly burning an area in a short timeframe may reduce key resources, other than vegetation complexity, such as foodavailability or foraging opportunities.The use of fire is considered necessary for the maintenance of tropical savannas.However, high impact individual fires may detrimentally affect habitat structure andfaunal assemblages at a local scale. In particular, my results suggest that overall birdand reptile assemblages are strongly influenced by management burning, includingvariations in burning season and fire frequency. In an attempt to overcome potentialnegative impacts of burning, ecologists have suggested implementing mosaic burning,where a variety of burning regimes are employed. Although mosaic burningtheoretically provides a diversity of habitat types that consequently maintain high faunaldiversity, my results suggest that some measures of diversity (e.g. species evenness)may be compromised by mosaic burning.In summary, this study provides evidence that introduced invasive plants andmanagement burning play a key role in shaping landscapes and associated faunalcommunities. Fauna respond to disturbance-induced changes in microhabitat andvegetation structure, food availability or foraging opportunities, and habitatrequirements (e.g. temperature). The role of multiple human-mediated disturbances ininfluencing faunal responses in my study is of particular importance. My research wasconducted in landscapes already disturbed by grazing and invasive species, and theresponses of fauna may be caused by cumulative impacts. In areas where multipledisturbances already influence landscapes, the resilience of faunal assemblages to firemanagement practices may be lower than previously predicted." @default.
• W178129637 created "2016-06-24" @default.
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• W178129637 date "2006-01-01" @default.
• W178129637 modified "2023-09-27" @default.
• W178129637 title "The impacts of human-mediated disturbances on birds and reptiles in tropical savannas" @default.
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