Jervis Bay Booderee National Park Plot Network: Temporal Trends in Mammal Responses to Fire Reveals the Complex Effects of Fire-regime Attributes, 2003-2013

Abstract: This terrestrial mammal trapping and spotlighting data package comprises time series data for 11 mammal species at 97 long-term sites in south-eastern Australia. Observations were made between 2003 and 2013. The objectives of this research were to identify which fire regime attributes affect temporal change in the presence and abundance of Australian native mammals. In the associated research publication, the researchers explored how temporal aspects of fire regimes influenced both the presence and the conditional abundance of species. The key fire regime components examined as part of the research were: (i) severity of a major fire in 2003, (ii) the interval between the last major fire (2003) and the fire prior to that, and (iii) number of past fires. This long-term dataset has enabled quantification of the interactions between survey year and each fire regime variable, an ecological relationship notably missing from temporally-restricted studies.

In summary, multiple aspects of fire regimes influenced temporal variation in the presence and abundance of mammals. The best models indicated that 6 of the 11 species responded to two or more fire regime variables, with two species influenced by all three fire regime attributes. Almost all species responded to time since fire, either as an interaction with survey year or as a main effect. Fire severity or its interaction with survey year was important for most terrestrial rodents. The number of fires at a site was significant for species of terrestrial rodents and several other species. Key findings contain evidence of the effects on native mammals of heterogeneity in fire regimes. Refer to the relevant research paper for more detail.

The Jervis Bay Plot Network study forms part of the collection of data packages by this plot network. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Jervis Bay Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c3c070a5ee94 Project funding: Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN), a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. This research has also been funded by means of an ARC Linkage Grant.
Type
collection
Title
Jervis Bay Booderee National Park Plot Network: Temporal Trends in Mammal Responses to Fire Reveals the Complex Effects of Fire-regime Attributes, 2003-2013
Alternate Title
Jervis Bay Booderee National Park Plot Network: Temporal Trends In Mammal–responses To Fire Reveals The Complex Effects Of Fire–regime Attributes, 2003–2013
Collection Type
Dataset
Access Privileges
Long Term Ecological Research Network
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
10.25911/5c414f3d0ba6a
Metadata Language
English
Data Language
English
Brief Description
This terrestrial mammal trapping and spotlighting data package comprises time series data for 11 mammal species at 97 long-term sites in south-eastern Australia. Observations were made between 2003 and 2013. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Jervis Bay Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c3c070a5ee94.
Full Description
Abstract: This terrestrial mammal trapping and spotlighting data package comprises time series data for 11 mammal species at 97 long-term sites in south-eastern Australia. Observations were made between 2003 and 2013. The objectives of this research were to identify which fire regime attributes affect temporal change in the presence and abundance of Australian native mammals. In the associated research publication, the researchers explored how temporal aspects of fire regimes influenced both the presence and the conditional abundance of species. The key fire regime components examined as part of the research were: (i) severity of a major fire in 2003, (ii) the interval between the last major fire (2003) and the fire prior to that, and (iii) number of past fires. This long-term dataset has enabled quantification of the interactions between survey year and each fire regime variable, an ecological relationship notably missing from temporally-restricted studies.

In summary, multiple aspects of fire regimes influenced temporal variation in the presence and abundance of mammals. The best models indicated that 6 of the 11 species responded to two or more fire regime variables, with two species influenced by all three fire regime attributes. Almost all species responded to time since fire, either as an interaction with survey year or as a main effect. Fire severity or its interaction with survey year was important for most terrestrial rodents. The number of fires at a site was significant for species of terrestrial rodents and several other species. Key findings contain evidence of the effects on native mammals of heterogeneity in fire regimes. Refer to the relevant research paper for more detail.

The Jervis Bay Plot Network study forms part of the collection of data packages by this plot network. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Jervis Bay Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c3c070a5ee94 Project funding: Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN), a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. This research has also been funded by means of an ARC Linkage Grant.
Methods
Plot Setup
1
ArcGIS, GPS, star picket markers.
The 97 sites in the study at Booderee National Park were drawn from a pool of 110 permanent sites which were first established in 2002. These study area was stratified into 7 vegetation types of which 2, sedgelands and swamps, were excluded on the basis of rarity.
A stratified randomized and replicated process was employed to ensure that the 97 survey sites were widely distributed throughout Booderee National Park in order to limit the potential for geographic bias in the results. Sites were replicated within each vegetation type resulting in the number of samples being generally proportional to the total area occupied by each vegetation class.
A 100 metre long transect was sited entirely in a single vegetation type at each of the 97 sites. The length of each transect was influenced by the substantial heterogeneity in vegetation cover at Booderee National Park Transects where major changes in vegetation type often occur over a short distance and transect lengths in excess of 100 metres would have resulted in many transects spanning two vegetation types.
Spatial coordinates for each transect were recorded using a global positioning system.
Delineation of fire regime attributes
2
(1) Number of fires refers to the number of fire events at a site from 1968 to 2003. These data were derived from extensive on-the-ground fire mapping of the location and size of each of the 198 fires known to have occurred in Booderee National Park since 1968 (Westgate et al. 2012).
(2) Fire interval corresponded to the time elapsed between the 2003 fire and the preceding fire at a site.
(3) The severity of the 2003 fire. For the purposes of this study, the fire severity variable was based on a fire severity category assigned to each one of the 97 long-term sites using on-the-ground field observations of the direct effects of the 2003 fire on vegetation cover and completed within 10 days of the conflagration: (i) No fire (43 sites). (ii) Moderate severity fire (36 sites) in which > 75% of the understorey and midstorey were burned but not killed and > 75% of the overstorey remained unburned. And, (iii) High severity fire (18 sites) in which > 75% of the midstorey was killed and > 75% of the overstorey was burned.
Westgate, M., D. Driscoll, and D. B. Lindenmayer. 2012. Can the intermediate disturbance hypothesis and information on species traits predict anuran responses to fire? Oikos 121:1516-1524.
Field surveys of terrestrial and scansorial mammals
3
Elliot cage traps and wire cage traps
Star picket markers were used at 0 m, 20 m, 40 m, 60 m, 80 m and 100 m points along each transect. The trapping infrastructure established at each site involved the use of:
- a single Elliott aluminium box trap (10 cm x 10cm x 30 cm; Elliott Scientific Equipment, Upwey, Victoria) at 10 m intervals along the transect.
- a small wire cage trap (20 x 20 x 50 cm) at 20 m intervals along the transect.
- a large wire cage trap (30 x 30 x 60 cm) at the 0 m and 100 m points of the transect.
Trapping protocols at each site involved opening Elliott traps and cage traps for four consecutive days in 2003 and three consecutive days in subsequent surveys years. All traps were baited with a mixture of peanut butter and rolled oats. Elliott traps and cage traps in which an animal had been captured were wiped clean, re-baited, and re-positioned where the initial capture had taken place. Trapping surveys for all 97 sites were completed in the summer of all years between late 2003 (immediately after the fire in that year) and 2013, although not all sites were surveyed in all years due to logistical issues associated with trapping effort.
Field surveys of arboreal marsupials
4
Arboreal marsupials were counted by means of repeated spotlighting along each permanent transect at each of the 97 sites used in the study. In any given survey year, each transect was surveyed twice by a different observer on a different night. Spotlighting surveys were completed in each of eight years over a ten year period - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013 but was not undertaken on nights of poor weather (rain, high wind, fog or heavy cloud cover).
Species targeted for detailed analysis
5
Notably, invasive mammals such as the House Mouse (Mus musculus), Black Rat (Rattus rattus), and the Feral Cat (Felis cattus) and the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) are extremely uncommon in Booderee National Park. The latter species in particular is targeted by an intensive poison baiting program that has been conducted throughout Booderee National Park for more than a decade (Lindenmayer, D. B., C. McGregor, N. Dexter, and M. Fortescue. 2014b. Booderee National Park: The Jewel of Jervis Bay. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne).
Native mammal species detected in the study fall into five broadly different groups characterized by marked differences in life history and other attributes (Hume 1999, Tyndale-Biscoe 2005, Breed and Ford 2007) (see Appendix 2) including body size, diet, mating system, fecundity, longevity, social organization, habitat requirements and other characteristics. The study focussed on 11 of the more commonly recorded species of mammals that were representative of six broad groups of taxa. These were: terrestrial rodents (Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes, Swamp Rat Rattus lutreolus, and Eastern Chestnut Mouse Pseudomys gracilicaudatus), terrestrial marsupial omnivores (Long-nosed Bandicoot, Perameles nasuta), terrestrial herbivorous macropods (Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus and Black Wallaby Wallabia bicolor), scansorial marsupial carnivores (Brown Antechinus Antechinus stuartii), arboreal marsupial omnivores (Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps, Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus, and Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula), and arboreal marsupial folivores (Greater Glider Petauroides volans).
File Descriptions
ljbb_mammal_spotlighting_2015_p608t880.csv
broad_veg_class
definitionVegetation type (warm temperate rainforests, forests, woodlands, heathlands, shrublands)
nominal text definitionCharacter
burn_sev
definitionThe severity of 2003 fire (site level)
nominal enumeration codes
1No fire
2Moderate severity fire in which > 75% of the understorey and midstorey were burned but not killed and > 75% of the overstorey remained unburned.
3High severity fire (18 sites) in which > 75% of the midstorey was killed and > 75% of the overstorey was burned.
easting
definitionSite location AGD66 Zone 56H
interval number typewhole
interval standard unitmeter
fauna_descriptor
definitionSpecies observed
nominal text definitionCharacter
northing
definitionSite location AGD66 Zone 56H
interval number typewhole
interval standard unitmeter
number of records3855
number_fires
definitionNumber of fires at the site prior to 2003
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
number_of_observations
definitionNumber of observations
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
site
definitionSite label
nominal text definitionCharacter
sprich
definitionSpecies richness at the site including minor species
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
survey_year
definitionYear of survey (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013)
interval number typenatural
interval standard unitnominalYear
yrs_since_last_fire_2003
definitionNumber of years since last fire prior to 2003
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitdimensionless
ljbb_mammal_trapping_2015_p608t881.csv
broad_veg_class
definitionVegetation type (warm temperate rainforests, forests, woodlands, heathlands, shrublands)
nominal text definitionCharacter
burn_sev
definitionThe severity of 2003 fire (site level)
nominal enumeration codes
1No fire
2Moderate severity fire in which > 75% of the understorey and midstorey were burned but not killed and > 75% of the overstorey remained unburned.
3High severity fire in which > 75% of the midstorey was killed and > 75% of the overstorey was burned
easting
definitionSite location AGD66 Zone 56H
interval number typewhole
interval standard unitmeter
fauna_descriptor
definitionSpecies observed
nominal text definitionCharacter
no_cage_traps
definitionNumber of cage traps used
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
no_elliott_traps
definitionNumber of Elliot Traps used
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
northing
definitionSite location AGD66 Zone 56H
interval number typewhole
interval standard unitmeter
number of records5472
number_fires
definitionNumber of fires at the site prior to 2003
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
number_of_observations
definitionNumber of observations
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
site
definitionSite label
nominal text definitionCharacter
sprich
definitionSpecies richness at the site including minor species
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
survey_year
definitionYear of survey (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013)
interval number typewhole
interval standard unitnominalYear
total_traps
definitionTotal number of traps used
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitdimensionless
yrs_since_last_fire_2003
definitionNumber of years since last fire prior to 2003
ratio number typereal
ratio standard unitdimensionless
Contact Email
david.lindenmayer@anu.edu.au
Contact Address
Fenner School of Environment & Society ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment Frank Fenner Building 141 Linnaeus Way CANBERRA, ACT, 0200 Australia
Contact Phone Number
+61 2 612 50654; +61 427 770 593
Contact Fax Number
+61 2 6125 0746
Principal Investigator
David Lindenmayer
Supervisors
David Lindenmayer
Collaborators
Christopher MacGregor; Australian Government Parks Australia; Sachiko Okada; Australian Government Department of Defence; Daniel Florance; Damien Michael; Malcolm Gill; Philip Barton; Sam Banks; Laurence Berry; Mason Crane; Wade Blanchard; Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council
Fields of Research
0602 - Ecology; 0608 - Zoology
Keywords
GCMD:Biological Classification > Animals/Vertebrates > Mammals; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Mammals; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Fire regime variables; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Temporal responses to fire; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Fire-time interaction; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Invisible mosaic; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Hurdle models; LTERN Monitoring Theme:South-eastern Australia; Jervis Bay Booderee National Park; Temporal Trends In Mammal–responses To Fire Reveals The Complex Effects Of Fire–regime Attributes
Type of Research Activity
Strategic basic research
Date Coverage
2013
2003
Geospatial Location
Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay Territory, New South Wales, Australia.
text
northlimit = -35.11862; southlimit = -35.1837; westlimit = 150.525375; eastLimit = 150.75751
iso19139dcmiBox
Date of data creation
2016-05-12
Year of data publication
2016
Creator(s) for Citation
Lindenmayer
David
Publisher for Citation
Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN), ANU Data Commons, The Australian National University
Publications
10.1890/15-0575
Lindenmayer, D. B., Blanchard, W. , MacGregor, C. , Barton, P. , Banks, S. , Crane, M. , Michael, D. , Okada, S. , Berry, L. , Florance, D. and Gill, M. (2016), Temporal trends in mammal responses to fire reveals the complex effects of fire regime attributes. Ecol Appl, 26: 557-573. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0575
Temporal trends in mammal responses to fire reveals the complex effects of fire regime attributes.
doi
9781486300433 (online)
Lindenmayer, D. B., C. McGregor, N. Dexter, and M. Fortescue. 2014. Booderee National Park: The Jewel of Jervis Bay. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Booderee National Park: The Jewel of Jervis Bay.
isbn
Related Websites
ANU Open Research. Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) collection.
https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/130861
Other Related Identifiers
MorphoId:ltern2.1044; PackageId:608
Access Rights
Co-authorship with the data provider (Professor David Lindenmayer) of any publication of research utilising this data is an expected outcome. The data provider requests consultation, including a summary of the proposed research and intended use before publication of research utilising this data if possible.
Access Rights Type
Restricted
Rights held in and over the data
AusGoal Restrictive Licence - This licence has been developed specifically for material that may contain personal or other confidential information. It may also be used for other reasons, including material to be licenced under some form of limiting or restrictive condition
Licence Type
AusGoalRestrictive - AusGoal Restrictive Licence
Licence
LTERN Deed: 42 Restrictions: All spatial data and all background data (i.e. data collected prior to 2012) is to be published with mediated access.
Retention Period
Indefinitely
Data Management Plan
No
Status: Published
Published to:
  • Australian National University
  • Australian National Data Service
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