Burning issues for conservation: A critique of faunal fire research in Southern Africa

摘要: Fire is a key ecological process in several biomes worldwide. Although many conservation agencies have the protection of biodiversity as at least one their major goals, information on effects fire fauna these fragmentary. Here we provide an overview published research undertaken to date using examples from Southern Africa. We found that few studies examined amphibians or reptiles, and work invertebrates likewise sparse. The majority been are observational reports, experimental regime, over appropriately long time intervals. Replication was often not reported where this done, it generally inadequate. failed report area which were sampling unit size reported. Despite importance duration, ignition method, season day fire, investigated variables. conclude present Africa fragmentary and, consequently, informed management decisions regarding consequences burning policies both within outside protected areas problematic. recommend future studies, elsewhere, be based suite large-scale approaches (the latter firmly grounded principles sound design), use non-classical statistics explore unreplicated fires, possible include baseline such gathered fragmentation experiments.