Journal article
Do thinning and burning sites revegetated after bauxite mining improve habitat for terrestrial vertebrates?
Restoration Ecology, Vol.18(3), pp.300-310
2010
Abstract
Thinning and burning forests established on revegetated mine pits in jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests of south-west Australia is being considered as a management option to accelerate succession in sites with excessive tree densities. To assess the impact of thinning and burning on reptiles and small mammals, we installed trapping grids in eight thinned and burned sites, each paired with untreated controls. Of the eight pairs, four were in rehabilitated sites (planted with nonlocal species) and four were in restored sites (seeded with local species). Thinning and burning had no significant impact on the small mammal community, although Cercatetus concinnus was more abundant in rehabilitated sites. In contrast, thinning and burning significantly increased reptile abundance and species richness, with two species (Morethia obscura and Menetia greyii) only recorded in thinned and burned sites. We concluded that thinning and burning was a successful management option in revegetated mine pits in jarrah forests, particularly because reptile communities created by thinning and burning were more similar to those in unmined forest. Although published studies for comparison are few, we expect thinning and burning to have generally positive effects on reptile communities in forest ecosystems where fire is an important disturbance agent. Our study emphasizes the importance of monitoring revegetated areas over time periods sufficient to detect deviations from desired successional trajectories, so that management options, such as thinning and burning, can be implemented if required.
Details
- Title
- Do thinning and burning sites revegetated after bauxite mining improve habitat for terrestrial vertebrates?
- Authors/Creators
- M.D Craig (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityR.J. Hobbs (Author/Creator) - The University of Western AustraliaA.H. Grigg (Author/Creator) - Alcoa (Australia)M.J. Garkaklis (Author/Creator) - Swan Regional Services, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Kensington, WA 6151, AustraliaC.D. Grant (Author/Creator)P.A. Fleming (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityG.E.St.J. Hardy (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
- Publication Details
- Restoration Ecology, Vol.18(3), pp.300-310
- Publisher
- Blackwell Publishing Inc
- Identifiers
- 991005542060907891
- Copyright
- © 2009 Society for Ecological Restoration International
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Phytophthora Science and Management; School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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Source: InCites
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- Collaboration types
- Industry collaboration
- Domestic collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
- 3.35.683 Reptile Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Ecology
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology