Fire mediated patterns of population densities in mountain big sagebrush bird communities

We employed a chronosequence approach to evaluate patterns of bird abundance in relation to post-fire vegetation recovery in mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata vaseyana). We estimated population density for 12 species of birds within the perimeters of 4 fires that had undergone 8–20 years of vegetation recovery and on adjacent unburned areas in the northwestern Great Basin, USA. Six species showed negative responses to fire persisting up to 20 years. Two species showed positive responses with effects persisting for <20 years. Understory vegetation was similar between burned and unburned areas irrespective of recovery time, and shrub canopy cover was similar between burned and unburned sites after 20 years of recovery. Persistent reductions in bird densities lead us to conclude that shrub canopy cover alone is not a sufficient metric for predicting recovery of songbird abundances following disturbance in mountain big sagebrush. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.     

Joint distribution of first exit times of a two dimensional Wiener process with jumps with application to a pair of coupled neurons

Motivated by a neuronal modeling problem, a bivariate Wiener process with two independent components is considered. Each component evolves independently until one of them reaches a threshold value. If the first component crosses the threshold value, it is reset while the dynamics of the other component remains unchanged. But, if this happens to the second component, the first one has a jump of constant amplitude; the second component is then reset to its starting value and its evolution restarts. Both processes evolve once again until one of them reaches again its boundary. In this work, the coupling of the first exit times of the two connected processes is studied.     

The Fire Refuge Value of Patches of a Fire‐Sensitive Tree in Fire‐prone Savannas: Callitris intratropica in Northern Australia

Patches of fire‐sensitive vegetation often occur within fire‐prone tropical savannas, and are indicative of localized areas where fire regimes are less severe. These may act as important fire refugia for fire‐sensitive biota. The fire‐sensitive tree Callitris intratropica occurs in small patches throughout the fire‐prone northern Australian savannas, and is widely seen as an indicator of low‐severity fire regimes and of good ecosystem health. Here, we address the question: to what extent do Callitris patches act as refuges for other fire‐sensitive biota, and therefore play a broader conservation role? We contrast floral and faunal species composition between Callitris patches and surrounding eucalypt savanna, using three case studies. In the first case study, a floristic analysis of 47 Callitris patches across Western Australia's Kimberley region showed that woody species in these patches were overwhelmingly widespread, fire‐tolerant savanna taxa. No species of special conservation concern occurred disproportionately within Callitris patches. Similarly, there was no concentration of fire‐sensitive fauna or flora in five Callitris patches in the East Kimberley. Finally, there was no difference in ant species composition among 12 Callitris patches and surrounding eucalypt savannas in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, and there were no fire‐sensitive ant species in Callitris patches. Our three case studies from throughout the northwestern Australia provide no evidence that Callitris patches act as important refuges for fire‐sensitive flora or fauna within fire‐prone eucalypt savannas. This calls into question the notion that Callitris is a strong indicator of general ecosystem health.     

火后泥石流研究进展

林火次生灾害的发生对环境质量和人类的健康与安全具有重要影响.火后泥石流是最危险的林火次生灾害之一,了解其发生条件、掌握其发生状况,是火后灾害风险评估的重要基础.本文从植被、降雨阈值、物源3方面阐述了火对泥石流的影响,分析了火后泥石流起动的地形地质、降雨、坡面条件以及浅层滑坡与地表径流引发火后泥石流的起动机制,并综述了火后泥石流预测预报与治理措施的研究进展.最后提出了在未来的研究中应该着重关注4个方面:量化火行为及环境因子与火后泥石流的关系;火后泥石流起动、运动过程的定量分析;火后泥石流机理模型研究;火后泥石流快速高效治理措施研究.     

Impact of the invasion of the imported fire ant

The impact of the imported fire ant (IFA) is complex, in large part, because several very different species of “Fire Ants” have invaded and one of these has two forms, all of which are hard to separate by the public, as well as, some investigators not focused on the ant. Each of these different “IFA” species and forms differ in their impact. Further, these ants impact a number of “things” ranging from the environment and wildlife (plants and animals) as well as people, their environment and infrastructure. In addition, they can not only lead to death of living things (including people), but they can destroy many aspects of our environment and infrastructure at the cost of millions of dollars. But there are some beneficial aspects and some people can make many thousands of dollars due to their presence. This is an attempt to look at these issues.     

Contributions to the Flora of Spitsbergen,especially of Red bay,from the Collections of W. S. Bruce,F.R.S.G.S., Naturalist to the Prince of Monaco's Expeditions of 1898 and 1899

Background: Prescribed burning in peatlands is controversial due to concerns over damage to their ecological functioning, particularly regarding their key genus Sphagnum. However, empirical evidence is scarce.

Aims: The aim of the article is to quantify Sphagnum recovery following prescribed burns.

Methods: We completed nine fires at a raised bog in Scotland, achieving a range of fire severities by simulating drought in some plots. We measured Sphagnum cover and chlorophyll fluorescence F_v/F_m ratio (an estimate of photosynthetic capacity) up to 36 months post-fire.

Results: Cover of dominant Sphagnum capillifolium was similar in unburnt and burnt plots, likely due to its high moisture content which prevented combustion. Burning decreased S. capillifolium F_v/F_m 5 months after fire from 0.67 in unburnt plots to 0.44 in low fire severity plots and 0.24 in higher fire severity (drought) plots. After 22 months, F_v/F_m in burnt plots showed a healthy photosynthetic capacity of 0.76 and no differences between severity treatments. Other Sphagnum species showed similar post-fire recovery though their low overall abundance precluded formal statistical analysis.

Conclusions: S. capillifolium is resilient to low–moderate fire severities and the same may be true for a number of other species. This suggests that carefully applied managed burning can be compatible with the conservation of peatland ecosystem function.     

The Guianese population of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima is unicolonial

In this study, conducted in French Guiana, a part of the native range of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima, we compared the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of media workers with previous results based on intraspecific aggressiveness tests. We noted a strong congruence between the two studies permitting us to delimit 2 supercolonies extending over large distances (up to 54 km), a phenomenon known as unicoloniality. Solenopsis geminata workers, taken as an out‐group for cluster analyses, have a very different cuticular hydrocarbon profile. Because S. saevissima has been reported outside its native range, our conclusion is that this species has the potential to become invasive because unicoloniality (i.e., the main attribute for ants to become invasive) was shown at least for the Guianese population.     

Does Fire Trigger Seed Germination in the Neotropical Savannas? Experimental Tests with Six Cerrado Species

The Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) is a biodiversity hotspot with a history of fire that goes back as far as 10 million years. Fire has influenced the evolution of several aspects of the vegetation, including reproduction and life cycles. This study tested how fire by‐products such as heat and smoke affect the germination of six species common to two Cerrado open physiognomies: wet grasslands and the campo sujo (grassland with scattered shrubs and dwarf trees). We subjected seeds collected in northern Brazil to heat shock and smoke treatments, both separately and combined, using different temperatures, exposure times, and smoke concentrations in aqueous solutions. High temperatures and smoke did not break seed dormancy nor stimulate germination of the Cerrado study species. However, seeds were not killed by high temperatures, indicating that they are fire‐tolerant. Our findings differed from those of other fire‐prone ecosystems (mostly of Mediterranean vegetation), where fire stimulates germination. Moreover, we provide important information regarding germination strategies of non‐woody Cerrado plants, showing the importance of considering the tolerance of seeds to high temperatures when evaluating fire‐related traits in fire‐prone ecosystems.     

Impacts of climate variability on tree demography in second growth tropical forests: the importance of regional context for predicting successional trajectories

Naturally regenerating and restored second growth forests account for over 70% of tropical forest cover and provide key ecosystem services. Understanding climate change impacts on successional trajectories of these ecosystems is critical for developing effective large‐scale forest landscape restoration (FLR) programs. Differences in environmental conditions, species composition, dynamics, and landscape context from old growth forests may exacerbate climate impacts on second growth stands. We compile data from 112 studies on the effects of natural climate variability, including warming, droughts, fires, and cyclonic storms, on demography and dynamics of second growth forest trees and identify variation in forest responses across biomes, regions, and landscapes. Across studies, drought decreases tree growth, survival, and recruitment, particularly during early succession, but the effects of temperature remain unexplored. Shifts in the frequency and severity of disturbance alter successional trajectories and increase the extent of second growth forests. Vulnerability to climate extremes is generally inversely related to long‐term exposure, which varies with historical climate and biogeography. The majority of studies, however, have been conducted in the Neotropics hindering generalization. Effects of fire and cyclonic storms often lead to positive feedbacks, increasing vulnerability to climate extremes and subsequent disturbance. Fragmentation increases forests’ vulnerability to fires, wind, and drought, while land use and other human activities influence the frequency and intensity of fire, potentially retarding succession. Comparative studies of climate effects on tropical forest succession across biogeographic regions are required to forecast the response of tropical forest landscapes to future climates and to implement effective FLR policies and programs in these landscapes.     

Alternative hypotheses for mammalian herbivore preference of burned areas in a savannah ecosystem

Mammalian herbivores prefer burned areas and this attraction has largely been attributed to the increased nutrient content of the postfire green flush and more recently to the avoidance of predators. However, alternative reasons for this attraction could be: (i) to avoid disease carrying and behaviour changing invertebrates; (ii) because burned areas are warmer microclimates; or (iii) to obtain minerals from the ash. This study tests for differences in tick and fly (Diptera) numbers between burned and unburned areas in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. It also tests for differences in ground and air column temperatures between burned and unburned areas and for differences in the mineral content of ash in burned areas compared to the mineral content of green leaves in unburned areas. We found no difference in the abundance of either type of invertebrate between burned and unburned areas. Only ground temperature was higher in burned areas and this was only during the middle of the day, when increases in temperature would be less important than at night. Ash was higher in Al, Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn and P than nearby green leaves from unburned vegetation. Thus, obtaining minerals from ash is the only alternative reason for attraction to burned areas that maybe supported by this study.