Biological impacts of the 2005 wildfire on southern Eyre Peninsula: monitoring post-fire recovery within three years using Biological Survey of South Australia sites. P.J. Lang, P.D. Canty & R. Brandle Science Resource Centre, Information Science & Technology Department for Environment & Heritage. September 2009 Cover photo: Site KOP00201 in Wanilla Conservation Park, taken post-fire in September 2007. 2 Biological impacts of the 2005 wildfire on southern Eyre Peninsula: monitoring post-fire recovery within three years using Biological Survey of South Australia sites P.J. Lang, P.D. Canty & R. Brandle INDEX Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 1: Survey sites sampled for the post-fire study .. 9 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 12 Methods .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 Results & Discussion...................................................................................................................................... 13 Site attributes and comparisons between sites ........................................................................................ 13 Physical and geographical characteristics................................................................................................ 13 Rainfall patterns....................................................................................................................................... 14 Context within broader Eyre Peninsula vegetation classifications .......................................................... 15 Vertebrate fauna responses ...................................................................................................................... 17 Mammals ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Reptiles .................................................................................................................................................... 18 Vascular plant floristics ............................................................................................................................ 20 Rare and threatened plants....................................................................................................................... 20 Feathery Wattle (Acacia imbricata) ........................................................................................................ 21 Dogwood Haeckeria (Haeckeria cassiniiformis)..................................................................................... 21 Cleland's Beard-heath (Leucopogon clelandii)........................................................................................ 21 Pigmy Clubmoss (Phylloglossum drummondii) ...................................................................................... 22 Ironstone Mulla Mulla (Ptilotus beckerianus)......................................................................................... 22 Evidence supporting the hybrid origin of Streaked Hop-bush (Dodonaea tepperi) ................................ 23 Effect of fire on plant community structure............................................................................................ 24 Changes in dominant species and structural formations.......................................................................... 24 Changes in lifeform /structural layers of the vegetation assemblage ...................................................... 26 Changes in overstorey crown cover......................................................................................................... 27 Effect of fire on plant species composition .............................................................................................. 29 Changes in total native and alien species richness .................................................................................. 29 Changes in site species richness, gains and losses................................................................................... 29 Changes in life form representation......................................................................................................... 31 Plant species responses .............................................................................................................................. 35 Determination of plant regeneration modes............................................................................................. 35 Incidence of regeneration modes ............................................................................................................. 36 Observations on regeneration of major tree and shrub species ............................................................ 39 Sugar Gum (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) ....................................................................................................... 39 Coastal White Mallee (Eucalyptus diversifolia ssp. diversifolia)............................................................ 42 Coast Ridge-fruited Mallee (Eucalyptus angulosa)................................................................................. 42 Sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata)......................................................................................................... 42 Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata)........................................................................................................ 43 3 Desert Banksia (Banksia ornata) .............................................................................................................45 Native Pine (Callitris gracilis).................................................................................................................47 Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha)..........................................................................................................47 Broombush (Melaleuca uncinata) ...........................................................................................................48 Rock Wattle (Acacia rupicola) ................................................................................................................50 Gill's Wattle (Acacia gillii) ......................................................................................................................50 Yacca (Xanthorrhoea semiplana) ............................................................................................................50 Regeneration observations for some other woody shrubs...................................................................... 52 Resilience to fire of some small perennial species ................................................................................... 57 Regeneration response of sedges............................................................................................................... 59 Weed responses .......................................................................................................................................... 62 South African Daisy (Senecio pterophorus) ............................................................................................62 Bridal Creeper (Asparagus asparagoides)...............................................................................................62 Cape Weed (Arctotheca calendula) .........................................................................................................62 Strawberry Clover (Trifolium fragiferum) ...............................................................................................62 Fuel hazard assessment ............................................................................................................................. 63 Management implications of fire responses............................................................................................. 65 Value of the Biological Survey methodology for monitoring fire impacts and recovery..................... 67 Values and limitations of pre-existing sampling......................................................................................67 Sampling error .........................................................................................................................................68 Modifications and additions to standard methodology ............................................................................68 General observations................................................................................................................................68 Appendix 1: Vascular plant records from fire study survey ................................................................... 70 Appendix 2: Regeneration records for plant species in quadrats ........................................................... 79 Appendix 3: Mammal captures at sites ................................................................................................... 100 Appendix 4: Reptile captures at sites....................................................................................................... 101 Appendix 5: Site photographs (pre- and post-fire)................................................................................. 103 References................................................................................................................................................