Just Accepted
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Between a rock and a hot place: do surface shelters facilitate survivable conditions for small vertebrates during prescribed fire?
Abstract
Background Natural and anthropogenic fires are increasing in frequency and intensity, and we know little of the conditions that animals experience during fire. Quantifying survival of skinks exposed to fire is impractical, but measuring temperatures across relevant shelter types can reveal the probable conditions they experience during fire. Aims To determine the thermal extremes imposed by prescribed fire, identify buffering capacity of natural shelter types, and assess whether these conditions threaten survival of skinks. Methods Temperatures at several shelter types, including rocks and vegetation, were measured during prescribed fires in South Australia. Peak temperatures and duration of lethal conditions were evaluated against lizard critical thermal limits. Key results Ambient and maximum temperatures during fire were positively associated. Logs and rocks reduced exposure of lizards to extreme temperatures, but mean temperatures were still lethal. Duration of lethal temperatures was exacerbated by increasing ambient temperature for all species. Conclusions Skinks sheltering beneath logs and rocks are afforded more protection from extreme temperatures during fire than that provided by other shelter types. Implications If required, prescribed burning should be undertaken when ambient conditions are mild. To prioritise biodiversity conservation, the availability of protective shelter types needs to be considered before burning.
WF24184 Accepted 08 May 2025
© CSIRO 2025
