Neil Burrows - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Neil Burrows
Conservation of Australia's Forest Fauna, 2004
![Research paper thumbnail of Regeneration of Eucalyptus wandoo following fire [Western Australia]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/42448143/thumbnails/1.jpg)
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ABSTRACT Organic matter in soils will accumulate according to a series of interrelated factors, n... more ABSTRACT Organic matter in soils will accumulate according to a series of interrelated factors, namely the climate (particularly temperature), topography, moisture of the soil, the rate of litter fall, the role played by soil micro flora and microfauna, the soil protective capacity (including mineralogy) and the local fire regime. In simple terms, with more organic matter, surface moisture will increase, hence the likelihood that micro climates can influence, even 'edaphically' control, fires. The reverse holds too: the drier the soil the more likely it will be to ignite when exposed to fire. Organic matter can thereby influence locally the fire regime by regulating soil moisture. In places where organic matter is likely to accumulate at the soil surface and contribute significantly to the development of the soil, such as shaded areas, depressions or other cool, moist places, wetland characteristics follow. Water quality associated with such wetland soils has a tendency towards stained, slightly acidic, stratified, dystrophic water, with bottom layers depleted in oxygen. Individual organic-rich wetlands or wetland systems have their own unique suite of invertebrate and vertebrate animals, and vascular and non-vascular plants. These biota are likely to be dependent upon local hydrology and physico-chemical characteristics regulated by the relationship between climate and the presence and condition of organic matter. Our hypothesis is that the dynamic biophysical characteristics and states of these local organic-rich systems can be altered permanently or at least disrupted by the application of an inappropriate fire regime. With frequent hot fires, or any frequent regime designed to systematically remove organic matter, fire can become a geomorphological agent by burning the soil, altering water quality by exposing anaerobic soils to air (i.e. acidification following the exposure of iron sulphides), and threatening elements of biodiversity dependent on the organic matter/moisture relationship. We support this hypothesis with evidence from several recent and on-going studies .and in doing so construct a partial bio-geography of south-west Western Australia (WA) , emphasizing the relictual nature of organic-rich, moist places, and the edaphic control of fire.
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2015
Wildlife Research, 2012
ABSTRACT Context: Exclosure fences are widely used to reintroduce locally extinct animals. These ... more ABSTRACT Context: Exclosure fences are widely used to reintroduce locally extinct animals. These fences function either as permanent landscape-scale areas free from most predators, or as small-scale temporary acclimatisation areas for newly translocated individuals to be ‘soft released’ into the wider landscape. Existing research can help managers identify the best design for their exclosure fence, but there are currently no methods available to help identify the optimal location for these exclosures in the local landscape (e.g. within a property).
The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2012
Journal of Arid Environments, 2003
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2013
Conservation of Australia's Forest Fauna, 2004
ABSTRACT Organic matter in soils will accumulate according to a series of interrelated factors, n... more ABSTRACT Organic matter in soils will accumulate according to a series of interrelated factors, namely the climate (particularly temperature), topography, moisture of the soil, the rate of litter fall, the role played by soil micro flora and microfauna, the soil protective capacity (including mineralogy) and the local fire regime. In simple terms, with more organic matter, surface moisture will increase, hence the likelihood that micro climates can influence, even 'edaphically' control, fires. The reverse holds too: the drier the soil the more likely it will be to ignite when exposed to fire. Organic matter can thereby influence locally the fire regime by regulating soil moisture. In places where organic matter is likely to accumulate at the soil surface and contribute significantly to the development of the soil, such as shaded areas, depressions or other cool, moist places, wetland characteristics follow. Water quality associated with such wetland soils has a tendency towards stained, slightly acidic, stratified, dystrophic water, with bottom layers depleted in oxygen. Individual organic-rich wetlands or wetland systems have their own unique suite of invertebrate and vertebrate animals, and vascular and non-vascular plants. These biota are likely to be dependent upon local hydrology and physico-chemical characteristics regulated by the relationship between climate and the presence and condition of organic matter. Our hypothesis is that the dynamic biophysical characteristics and states of these local organic-rich systems can be altered permanently or at least disrupted by the application of an inappropriate fire regime. With frequent hot fires, or any frequent regime designed to systematically remove organic matter, fire can become a geomorphological agent by burning the soil, altering water quality by exposing anaerobic soils to air (i.e. acidification following the exposure of iron sulphides), and threatening elements of biodiversity dependent on the organic matter/moisture relationship. We support this hypothesis with evidence from several recent and on-going studies .and in doing so construct a partial bio-geography of south-west Western Australia (WA) , emphasizing the relictual nature of organic-rich, moist places, and the edaphic control of fire.
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2015
Wildlife Research, 2012
ABSTRACT Context: Exclosure fences are widely used to reintroduce locally extinct animals. These ... more ABSTRACT Context: Exclosure fences are widely used to reintroduce locally extinct animals. These fences function either as permanent landscape-scale areas free from most predators, or as small-scale temporary acclimatisation areas for newly translocated individuals to be ‘soft released’ into the wider landscape. Existing research can help managers identify the best design for their exclosure fence, but there are currently no methods available to help identify the optimal location for these exclosures in the local landscape (e.g. within a property).
The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2012
Journal of Arid Environments, 2003
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2013