Perfect storm: Demographic responses of an irruptive desert mammal to prescribed burns following flooding rain

摘要: Extreme climatic events are expected to increase in frequency and magnitude future have powerful effects on the organisms ecological communities that experience them. In arid Australia flooding rains trigger flushes primary productivity allow ephemeral irruptions of consumer organisms, but they also provide conditions for 'perfect storms': wildfires carried by flood-stimulated increases fuel load. Here we describe demographic responses long-haired rat Rattus villosissimus flood prescribed burns Mitchell grass downs central Queensland, Australia, during a broad-scale irruption this species 2011. Populations were sampled three trapping grids two occasions before after control April 2011, compared with populations at same times further remained unburnt. Rat declined temporarily just fires, survival, sex ratio, body condition, reproduction other parameters unaffected burn treatment. The temporary declines numbers burnt probably caused resource shortages, subsequent suggest these impacts not severe. If small-scale reduce chance landscape-wide taking hold, should effectively rats weather perfect storms future. © 2013 Authors.