Fire and invertebrate biodiversity
The Issue
Fire is a dominant feature of the tropical savanna landscapes of northern Australia, and there is considerable public concern over the effects of fire on savanna biodiversity. CSIRO’s previous work at Kapalga in Kakadu National Park demonstrated that although most of the savanna fauna is highly resilient to fire, a range of animal groups favour habitat experiencing lower fire frequencies than that prevailing over most of the Top End. However, the optimum fire frequency for these groups remains unclear.
 
© Alex Wild www.myrmecos.net |
A leafhopper (Hemiptera: Membracidae) and Blister beetle (Coleoptera: Meloidae), Northern Australia |
CSIRO Research
CSIRO is documenting the effects of fire on invertebrate biodiversity as part of the ‘Burning for Biodiversity’ project at the Territory Wildlife Park. Invertebrates are being sampled at experimental plots subject to a range of fire regimes. The research aims to document the responses of invertebrate assemblages to different fire regimes, and to gain an understanding of the mechanisms driving these responses.
| International Collaboration |
We have close links with scientists in Kruger National Park, South Africa and are collaborating on invertebrate and fire projects with Hendrik Sithole (Invertebrate research manager) and Navashni Govender (Program manager: fire ecology).
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Image: © Alex Wild www.myrmecos.net
Collaborators
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