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Effects of fire regimes on lizards in the wet-dry tropics of Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Richard W. Braithwaite
Richard W. Braithwaite
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Rangelands Research, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, PMB 44, Winnellie, NT 5789, Australia,
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Abstract

A quantitative analysis of the effect of fire regime on the abundance of common lizard species and genera and the species richness of two lizard groups in Kakadu National Park (12° S) is presented. A surprising range of relationships between species abundance and components of fire regimes was revealed. Carlia amax, Heteronotia binoei and Carlia gracilis appear to be fire-sensitive, Diporiphora bilineata and Carlia triacantha are favoured by early hot fires, Cryptoblepharus plagiocephalus seems relatively unaffected, Carlia foliorum seems very tolerant of fires, while Ctenotus and Sphenomorphus spp. are favoured by low intensity, patchy fires with high intensity spots.

Lizard species experiencing the high-frequency fire regimes of the savannas and dry forests of the Australian wet-dry tropics are not able to select habitat at different stages of regeneration after fire but select habitat produced by fires of different types. The implication for management is that no one fire regime is optimal for the fauna as a whole. A range of fire regimes within a park should be maintained in order to retain the whole fauna.

Keywords

Australiafire intensityfire managementhabitat selectionhigh-frequency fireslizardsReptilia
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 3 , Issue 3 , August 1987 , pp. 265 - 275
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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