Effects of fire on biodiversity

Question 1

how can the rate of fire be affected

Answer 1

speed of fire can be affected by -

• wind speed
• moisture content of the fuel
• fuel particle size
• vegetation height
• fuel bulk density
• the percentage of dead fuels
• topography

Question 2

what does fire cause to biodiversity

Answer 2

Losses of habitat and food sources decline the level of global biodiversity

Question 3

what happened during a bushfire

Answer 3

During photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then store it as carbohydrates. As the bush is burned carbon dioxide re-enters the atmosphere meaning it will take a longer for plants to reabsorb the greenhouse gases released

Question 4

what is prescribed burning

Answer 4

is the process of planning and applying fire to a predetermined area under specific environmental conditions, to lower fuel loads and reduce the severity and size of bushfires.

Question 5

when is the best time to burn the land

Answer 5

between late June and early September when cooler weather conditions create moisture in the vegetation. This causes the fire to burn cooler and for a shorter period of time.

Question 6

positive impacts of fire

Answer 6

• can remove slow-growing dominant trees
• create space for grasses, bushes
• ashes return nutrients to the soil
• releases some seeds

Question 7

what are the benefits of prescribed burning

Answer 7

In prescribed burning fire is used as a management tool. Fire can positively affect a community by -

• removing dominant plants
• opening up space for other living things
• returning nutrients from plant biomass to the soil

Question 8

What are fire regimes determined by

Answer 8

• the season in which fire occurs
• the intensity of the fires
• most importantly, how frequently do fires occur

Question 9

what is fire stick farming?

Answer 9

Aboriginal peoples burned sections of the bush to aid hunting and stimulate new plant growth

Question 10

what did fire stick farming cause in the environment

Answer 10

Firestick farming resulted in a rise of vegetation that relied on regular burning which disrupted succession patterns to have a grassland state

Question 11

what type of plants became more common fire stick burned areas

Answer 11

Plant with underground tubers and other adaptations for serving fire become more common including bark

Question 12

describe the long term effect on the biodiversity of prescribed burning

Answer 12

If burning is done too often then plants will not have enough time to produce seeds and reproduce, resulting in species going extinct

Question 13

Relate to the regeneration of a community after a fire to a name’s type of succession. Explain why this specific type of succession occurs after a fire

Answer 13

Fires can open up spaces and create a nutrient-rich seedbed, resulting in secondary succession. Fire can stimulate regrowth in plants.

Question 14

what negative biotic factors does fire have on an environment

Answer 14

• loss of vegetation
• reduction of leaf litter
• increased animal suffering
• may kill seeds in the soil
• reduced biodiversity

Question 15

what negative abiotic factors does fire have on an environment

Answer 15

• increased global warming due to released greenhouse gases and reduced carbon sink