Key questions and understandings
- When to burn, why does it matter?
- What adaptations do some plants have to fire?
- How do plants and animals respond in different ways to
fire?
- How does research and technology help us to understand the
impact of fire and manage it for conservation?
Plants have adaptations (survival strategies) to resist and
respond to fire. Some plants depend on fire in their environment to
reproduce. Some animals take advantage of fire to provide
prey.
Different fire regimes (i.e. size, frequency, intensity and
patchiness) effect plants and animals in different ways depending
on the species. Patch burning / mosaic approach helps maintain
diversity in a landscape or ecosystems. Introduced plant species
such as Gamba grass effect ecosystems through changed fire
regimes.
Scientific models like the Flames Model, enable us to understand
how the timing and frequency of fire influences ecosystems in the
long-term.
Simulation models integrate all the current scientific
understanding and simulate management scenarios in a way that
wouldn't be possible with field trials or using historic
data.
It is recommended that students have a basic understanding of
the potential impacts of invasive grasses before exploring the
Flames model simulation by "meeting" Dr Samantha Setterfield (in Savanna Walkabout module).
Students could:
- identify and compare features and attributes between fire
tolerant and fire-sensitive plant species;
- identify the impact of fire on animal species (e.g. partridge
pigeon, frill-neck lizard, Leichhardt's grasshopper)
- use the Flames Model to observe, predict and explain what
happens with different burning frequencies on specific plant
species - e.g. woollybutt, stringbark and Gamba grass;
- explain why fire can be a destructive force or a useful
tool.
