A cryptic elapid snake persists in the wake of catastrophic wildfires

Hodgson, MJ; Ross, AK; Lapwong, Y; Cuartas, S; Roberts, B; Price, O; Webb, J; Sentinella, N; Lee, J; Laffan, SW; Burley, HM; McIntosh, F; Letnic, M

A cryptic elapid snake persists in the wake of catastrophic wildfires

Hodgson, MJ Ross, AK Lapwong, Y Cuartas, S Roberts, B Price, O Webb, J

Sentinella, N Lee, J Laffan, SW Burley, HM McIntosh, F Letnic, M

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Publisher:: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: ORYX, 2024, pp. 1-10
Issue Date:: 2024-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Hodgson, MJ
dc.contributor.author	Ross, AK
dc.contributor.author	Lapwong, Y
dc.contributor.author	Cuartas, S
dc.contributor.author	Roberts, B
dc.contributor.author	Price, O
dc.contributor.author	Webb, J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4822-6829
dc.contributor.author	Sentinella, N
dc.contributor.author	Lee, J
dc.contributor.author	Laffan, SW
dc.contributor.author	Burley, HM
dc.contributor.author	McIntosh, F
dc.contributor.author	Letnic, M
dc.date.accessioned	2024-12-12T22:09:19Z
dc.date.available	2024-12-12T22:09:19Z
dc.date.issued	2024-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	ORYX, 2024, pp. 1-10
dc.identifier.issn	0030-6053
dc.identifier.issn	1365-3008
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/182506
dc.description.abstract	The increased severity and frequency of bushfires accompanying human-induced global warming have dire implications for biodiversity conservation. Here we investigate the response of a cryptic, cool-climate elapid, the mustard-bellied snake Drysdalia rhodogaster, to the extensive Black Summer fires of 2019/2020 in south-eastern Australia. The species is categorized as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (last assessed in 2017), but because a large part of its range was burnt during the Black Summer and little was known about its ecology, D. rhodogaster was identified as a priority species for post-fire impact assessment. We evaluated three lines of evidence to assess the impact of the Black Summer fires on D. rhodogaster. Habitat suitability modelling indicated that c. 46% of the predicted range of the species was affected by bushfire. Field surveys conducted 9–36 months post-fire and collation of records from public databases submitted 0–24 months post-fire indicated that D. rhodogaster persisted in burnt landscapes. Fire severity and proportion of the landscape that was burnt within a 1,000-m radius of survey sites were poor predictors of site occupancy by D. rhodogaster. Although conclusions regarding the effects of fire on D. rhodogaster are limited because of the lack of baseline data, it is evident that the species has persisted across the landscape in the wake of extensive bushfires. Our work highlights the need for baseline knowledge on cryptic species even when they are categorized as Least Concern, as otherwise assessments of the impacts of catastrophic events will be constrained.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Cambridge University Press (CUP)
dc.relation.ispartof	ORYX
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1017/S0030605324000048
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0502 Environmental Science and Management, 0602 Ecology, 0608 Zoology
dc.subject.classification	Ecology
dc.subject.classification	3103 Ecology
dc.subject.classification	3109 Zoology
dc.subject.classification	4104 Environmental management
dc.title	A cryptic elapid snake persists in the wake of catastrophic wildfires
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	0502 Environmental Science and Management
utslib.for	0602 Ecology
utslib.for	0608 Zoology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2024-12-12T22:09:16Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

The increased severity and frequency of bushfires accompanying human-induced global warming have dire implications for biodiversity conservation. Here we investigate the response of a cryptic, cool-climate elapid, the mustard-bellied snake Drysdalia rhodogaster, to the extensive Black Summer fires of 2019/2020 in south-eastern Australia. The species is categorized as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (last assessed in 2017), but because a large part of its range was burnt during the Black Summer and little was known about its ecology, D. rhodogaster was identified as a priority species for post-fire impact assessment. We evaluated three lines of evidence to assess the impact of the Black Summer fires on D. rhodogaster. Habitat suitability modelling indicated that c. 46% of the predicted range of the species was affected by bushfire. Field surveys conducted 9–36 months post-fire and collation of records from public databases submitted 0–24 months post-fire indicated that D. rhodogaster persisted in burnt landscapes. Fire severity and proportion of the landscape that was burnt within a 1,000-m radius of survey sites were poor predictors of site occupancy by D. rhodogaster. Although conclusions regarding the effects of fire on D. rhodogaster are limited because of the lack of baseline data, it is evident that the species has persisted across the landscape in the wake of extensive bushfires. Our work highlights the need for baseline knowledge on cryptic species even when they are categorized as Least Concern, as otherwise assessments of the impacts of catastrophic events will be constrained.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/182506