In the summer of 2019/2020, New South Wales experienced a wildfire which burnt over seven million hectares of native forest. Whilst Australia has a rich fire history, our understanding of how flowering plants and the organisms that rely upon the floral resources they produce is a highly under-represented area of research. In particular, its somewhat surprising that very little is known about the impact of fire on the flowering of Eucalyptus trees which are dominant in numerous ecosystems and which many nectivorous animals depend upon. To address this significant research gap, an experiment was designed to elucidate the relationship between fire severity and the flowering of Corymbia maculata, a dominant canopy tree of forests along the south east coast of Australia which is known to have a mass flowering event every 2-3 years. Specifically this research aimed to 1) determine the impact of fire severity on the timing and abundance of flowers, 2) whether fire severity and flowering abundance influenced the diversity or abundance of vertebrate flower visitors, and 3) In years when C. maculata doesn’t flower, how does the diversity and abundance of understory flowering plants change with fire severity? In total, three study locations within Nowra state forest (34º55'13"S, 150º35'52"E), Meroo National Park (-35°26'32"S, 150°23'29"E), and Murramarang National Park (35°36'04"S, 150°19'52"E) were selected. By using repeated observations throughout May – September in 2022 and 2023 performed across three study sites within each of three fire severities classes (canopy burnt, understory burnt and unburnt areas). By studying flowering plant communities, especially those that have a known cyclical pattern of flowering, important information into post-fire recovery in terms of reproduction can be gained. With this information it can be better understood how C. maculata and the surrounding understory plants are affected by fires, and what impacts this has on the animals that feed on them.
The effect of fire and severity on the flowering phenology of Corymbia maculata forests and the consequences to flower-visitors
Williamson, A. A. (Author). 2023
Western Sydney University thesis: Master's thesis