Anna E. Richards

Bark thickness determines fire resistance of selected tree species from fire-prone tropical savanna in north Australia

We investigated the fire resistance conferred by bark of seven common tree species in north Australian tropical savannas. We estimated bark thermal conductance and examined the relative importance of bark thickness, density and moisture content for protecting the cambium from lethal fire temperatures. Eucalypt and non-eucalypt species were contrasted, including the fire-sensitive conifer Callitris intratropica. Cambial temperature responses to bark surface heating were measured using a modified wick-fire technique, which simulated a heat pulse comparable to surface fires of moderate intensity. Bark thickness was a better predictor of resistance to cambial injury from fires than either bark moisture or density, accounting for 68% of the deviance in maximum temperature of the cambium. The duration of heating required to kill the cambium of a tree (τc) was directly proportional to bark thickness squared. Although species did not differ significantly in their bark thermal conductance (k), the thinner barked eucalypts nevertheless achieved similar or only slightly lower levels of fire resistance than much thicker barked non-eucalypts. Bark thickness alone cannot account for the latter and we suggest that lower bark moisture content among the eucalypts also contributes to their apparent fire resistance. Unique eucalypt meristem anatomy and epicormic structures, combined with their bark traits, probably facilitate resprouting after fire and ensure the dominance of eucalypts in fire-prone savannas. This study emphasises the need to take into account both the thermal properties of bark and the mechanism of bud protection in characterising the resprouting ability of savanna trees.

Complementary resource use by tree species in a rain forest tree plantation.

Mixed-species tree plantations, composed of high-value native rain forest timbers, are potential forestry systems for the subtropics and tropics that can provide ecological and production benefits. Choices of rain forest tree species for mixtures are generally based on the concept that assemblages of fast-growing and light-demanding species are less productive than assemblages of species with different shade tolerances. We examined the hypothesis that mixtures of two fast-growing species compete for resources, while mixtures of shade-tolerant and shade-intolerant species are complementary. Ecophysiological characteristics of young trees were determined and analyzed with a physiology-based canopy model (MAESTRA) to test species interactions. Contrary to predictions, there was evidence for complementary interactions between two fast-growing species with respect to nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency, and nutrient cycling. Fast-growing Elaeocarpus angustifolius had maximum demand for soil nutrients in summer, the most efficient internal recycling of N, and low P use efficiency at the leaf and whole-plant level and produced a large amount of nutrient-rich litter. In contrast, fast-growing Grevillea robusta had maximum demand for soil nutrients in spring and highest leaf nutrient use efficiency for N and P and produced low-nutrient litter. Thus, mixtures of fast-growing G. robusta and E. angustifolius or G. robusta and slow-growing, shade-tolerant Castanospermum australe may have similar or even greater productivity than monocultures, as light requirement is just one of several factors affecting performance of mixed-species plantations. We conclude that the knowledge gained here will be useful for designing large-scale experimental mixtures and commercial forestry systems in subtropical Australia and elsewhere.

Managing sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in Australia's rangelands and tropical savannas.

Abstract Rangelands and savannas occupy 70% of the Australian continent and are mainly used for commercial grazing of sheep and cattle. In the center and north, where there are extensive areas of indigenous land ownership and pastoral production is less intensive, savanna burning is frequent. Greenhouse gas emissions from rangelands have been overwhelmingly from land clearing and methane production by livestock. Reductions in the rate of land clearing have substantially reduced Australias greenhouse gas emissions, but these have been controversial with the reduced potential pasture production being of concern to many land managers. Reductions in direct livestock emissions are possible through manipulation of the genetics, rumen flora, or diet of animals. However, the greatest potential benefit is a whole-property approach with improved animal husbandry and attention to other aspects of property management such as fossil fuel consumption. Focus on emissions per unit of land area is likely to have other ecological benefits for land condition and to capture the effects of changes in carbon stocks in vegetation and soils. In much of northern and central Australia, changes in settlement patterns have led to more frequent and intense fires than under indigenous management regimes before European settlement. The implementation of more benign regimes of savanna burning has great potential benefit for greenhouse abatement, biodiversity, and livelihoods of indigenous people in remote settlements.

Carbon storage in a Ferrosol under subtropical rainforest, tree plantations, and pasture is linked to soil aggregation

Soil is a large sink for carbon (C), with the potential to significantly reduce the net increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration. However, we previously showed that subtropical tree plantations store less C into long-term soil pools than rainforest or pasture. To explore reasons for differences in C storage between different land-use systems, we examined the relationships between soil aggregation, iron and aluminium oxide and hydroxide content, and soil organic C (SOC) under exotic C4 pasture (Pennisetum clandestinum), native hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) plantations, and rainforest. We measured SOC concentrations of water-stable and fully dispersed aggregates to assess the location of soil C. Concentrations of dithionite- and oxalate-extractable iron and aluminium were also determined to assess their role in SOC sequestration. Soil under rainforest and pasture contained more C in intra-aggregate particulate organic matter (iPOM, >53 mm) than hoop pine plantations, indicating that in rainforest and pasture, greater stabilisation of SOC occurred via soil aggregation. SOC was not significantly correlated with dithionite- and oxalate-extractable Fe and Al in these systems, indicating that sorption sites of Fe and Al oxides and hydroxides were saturated. We concluded that soil C under rainforestandpasture isstabilisedbyincorporationwithin soilaggregates, whichresultsingreater storageof Cinsoilunder pasture than plantations following land-use change. The reduced storage of C as iPOM in plantation soil contributes to the negative soil C budget of plantations compared with rainforest and pasture, even 63 years after establishment. The results have relevance for CO2 mitigation schemes based on tree plantations.

Facultative and Obligate Trees in a Mesic Savanna: Fire Effects on Savanna Structure Imply Contrasting Strategies of Eco-Taxonomic Groups.

Fire is a major determinant of savanna tree communities and, as such, manipulation of fire frequency is an important management tool. Resolving the effects of fire management on tree size class distributions can help managers predict and plan for short-term ecological and economic outcomes, reveal different strategies by which woody plants cope with frequent fire, and help us predict vegetation changes under future fire scenarios. Savanna structure and size class distribution are strongly influenced by the ability of suppressed tree resprouts to escape stem death by frequent fire. A widespread assumption is that resprouts have an imperative to escape fire to reach sexual maturity in the canopy and thereby ensure long-term species viability. We use a census of Australian mesic savanna tree communities subjected to annual, triennial, and fire exclusion (unburnt) fire treatments to ask how fire frequency affects size class distributions within and between eco-taxonomic groups of species. Total tree densities did not significantly differ, but were highest in the triennial (7,610 ± se 1,162 trees ha−1) and unburnt fire treatments (7,051 ± se 578 trees ha−1) and lowest in the annual fire treatment (6,168 ± se 523 trees ha−1). This was caused by increased sapling densities in the triennial and unburnt fire treatments, predominantly of Acacia and pantropical genera. Eucalypts (Eucalyptus and Corymbia spp.) dominated the canopy across all fire treatments indicating relatively greater success in recruiting to larger sizes than other species groups. However, in the sub-canopy size classes eucalypts co-dominated with, and in some size classes were outnumbered by, pantropicals and Acacia, regardless of fire treatment. We hypothesize that such results are caused by fundamental differences in woody plant strategies, in particular sexual reproduction, that have not been widely recognized in Australian savannas.

Rapid response of habitat structure and aboveground carbon storage to altered fire regimes in tropical savanna

Rapid response of habitat structure and aboveground carbon storage to altered fire regimes in tropical savanna Shaun R. Levick1,2,3, Anna E. Richards2, Garry D. Cook2, Jon Schatz2, Marcus Guderle1, Richard J. Williams2, Parash Subedi3, Susan E. Trumbore1, and Alan N. Andersen3 1Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knoell-Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany 2CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 44, Winnellie, 0822 NT, Australia 3Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, NT 0909, Australia Correspondence: Shaun R. Levick (shaun.levick@csiro.au)