@article {BF-3095,
	title = {Prescribed burning: how can it work to conserve the things we value?},
	journal = {International Journal of Wildland Fire},
	volume = {20},
	year = {2011},
	month = {2011},
	pages = {721},
	abstract = {Prescribed burning is a commonly applied management tool, and there has been considerable debate over the efficacy of its application. We review data relating to the effectiveness of prescribed burning in Australia. Specifically, we address two questions: (1) to what extent can fuel reduction burning reduce the risk of loss of human life and economic assets posed from wildfires? (2) To what extent can prescribed burning be used to reduce the risk of biodiversity loss? Data suggest that prescribed burning can achieve a reduction in the extent of wildfires; however, at such levels, the result is an overall increase in the total area of the landscape burnt. Simulation modelling indicates that fuel reduction has less influence than weather on the extent of unplanned fire. The need to incorporate ecological values into prescribed burning programmes is becoming increasingly important. Insufficient data are available to determine if existing programs have been successful. There are numerous factors that prevent the implementation of better prescribed burning practices; most relate to a lack of clearly defined, measurable objectives. An adaptive risk management framework combined with enhanced partnerships between scientists and fire-management agencies is necessary to ensure that ecological and fuel reduction objectives are achieved.},
	doi = {10.1071/WF09131},
	author = {Trent Penman and Christie, Fiona J. and Andersen, A. N. and Ross Bradstock and Geoffrey J. Cary and Henderson, M. K. and Owen Price and Tran, C. and Wardle, G. M. and Williams, RJ and York, Alan}
}
@article {BF-2495,
	title = {Variation in fire interval sequences has minimal effects on species richness and composition in fire-prone landscapes of south-west Western Australia},
	journal = {Forest Ecology and Management},
	volume = {261},
	year = {2011},
	month = {01/2011},
	pages = {965-978},
	abstract = {Prescribed burning is used in many fire-prone ecosystems for wildfire mitigation and conservation of biodiversity. However, there is limited information about how biota responds to long-term fire management, especially at a whole-of-community level. We studied community responses to different fire interval sequences resulting from planned and unplanned fires in Mediterranean-climate ecosystems in the Warren bioregion of south-west Western Australia (SWA) to determine the resilience of the biota to contrasting fire regimes. Fire history data were used to identify contrasting fire interval sequences in forest and shrubland communities for the period 1972{\textendash}2004. We surveyed vascular plants, ants, beetles, vertebrates and macrofungi at 30 sites to investigate community-level responses to consecutive short (SS: <=5 years), consecutive long (LL: >=10 years), one very long (VL: 30 years), or mixed/moderate (M: 6{\textendash}9 years) fire interval(s). All sites had a common time-since-fire of not, vert, similar4 years at the commencement of sampling which was conducted over two years. Species richness and composition differed between forest and shrubland communities, but the influence of fire interval sequences on taxonomic groups was minimal and difficult to detect. There was weak evidence of compositional differences between SS and LL/VL regimes for plants, ants, beetles and macrofungi but no difference between these regimes and the intermediate disturbance M-regime. These results demonstrate the resilience of the biota in open forests and shrublands of SWA to contrasting fire interval sequences over the past 30 years. We conclude that occasional short (3{\textendash}5 years) intervals between fires are unlikely to have a persistent effect on community composition, though maintaining a regime of short or long intervals may alter species composition and/or abundance. We suggest that variability in fire intervals is important for long-term conservation of the biota. For the Warren Region, prescribed burning at an intermediate level of disturbance and incorporating variability in interval length is recommended to achieve the dual objectives of wildfire mitigation and biodiversity conservation.},
	doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2010.10.037},
	author = {Wittkuhn, Roy and Lachlan W. McCaw and Wills, Allan J. and Robinson, Richard and Andersen, A. N. and Van Heurck, Paul and Farr, Janet and Liddelow, Graeme and Cranfield, Ray}
}
@article {BF-2314,
	title = {Fire tolerance of perennial grass tussocks in a savanna woodland},
	journal = {Austral Ecology},
	volume = {35},
	year = {2010},
	month = {12/2010},
	pages = {858 - 861},
	abstract = {Grass populations in tropical savannas are highly resilient in relation to different fire regimes, but the
mechanisms conferring such resilience have been poorly studied. Here we examine one such mechanism, high adult
survival during fire, for three perennial grass species in an Australian savanna: Eriachne triseta Nees ex Steud,
Eriachne avenacea R.Br and Chrysopogon latifolius S.T.Blake.The study examined survivorship after 3 years, at plots
subject to experimental fire regimes (experiencing 0, 1, 2 or 3 fires over the study period) at theTerritory Wildlife
Park near Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. Mean survivorship was 79.9\%, 64.3\% and 62.0\% for E.
avenacea, E. triseta and C. latifolius respectively. For the two species of Eriachne, mean survivorship was highest (E.
avenacea, 94.6\%; E. triseta, 77.1\%) in unburnt plots, whereas survivorship of C. latifolius was highest (71.7\%) under
highest fire frequency. However, variation in survivorship among fire regime treatments was not statistically
significant for any of the study species. This negligible difference in survivorship among regimes points to fire
tolerance (sprouting ability) as an important mechanism contributing to the resilience and persistence of perennial
grasses in these savannas.},
	issn = {14429985},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.02091.x},
	author = {Scott, Ken and Setterfield, SA and Douglas, MM and Andersen, A. N.}
}
@article {BF-2500,
	title = {Indigenous Wetland Burning: Conserving Natural and Cultural Resources in Australia{\textquoteright}s World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park},
	journal = {Human Ecology},
	volume = {38},
	year = {2010},
	month = {12/2010},
	pages = {721 - 729},
	doi = {10.1007/s10745-010-9362-y},
	author = {McGregor, Sandra and Lawson, Violet and Christophersen, Peter and Kennett, Rod and Boyden, James and Bayliss, Peter and Liedloff, Adam and McKaige, BJ and Andersen, A. N.}
}
@article {BF-1137,
	title = {Soil seed banks confer resilience to savanna grass-layer plants during seasonal disturbance},
	journal = {Acta Oecologica},
	year = {2010},
	url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL\&_udi=B6VR3-4Y82N9B-1\&_user=10\&_coverDate=01\%2F27\%2F2010\&_rdoc=1\&_fmt=high\&_orig=search\&_sort=d\&_docanchor=\&view=c\&_searchStrId=1216111599\&_rerunOrigin=google\&_acct=C000050221\&_version=1\&_urlVersion=0\&_us},
	author = {Scott, Ken and Setterfield, SA and Douglas, MM and Andersen, A. N.}
}
@article {BF-2417,
	title = {Correlates of grass-species composition in a savanna woodland in northern Australia},
	journal = {Australian Journal of Botany},
	volume = {57},
	year = {2009},
	month = {2009},
	pages = {10},
	abstract = {Environmental features associated with the distribution of grass species are poorly known in tropical savannas, particularly at smaller spatial scales. The present study aimed to determine the relative influence of 11 environmental characteristics on grass-species composition in a savanna woodland in northern Australia. Environmental characteristics relating to woody-vegetation structure and soil, plus the long-term (14-year) fire frequency, were documented along an environmental gradient and compared with grass-species composition. Differences in grass-species composition, as well as richness and evenness, were related to differences in vegetation structure and edaphic characteristics. In particular, grass-species composition was most strongly related to plant-available moisture, the density of woody plants in the midstorey (2.0{\textendash}9.99 m height), and canopy and litter cover. Grass-species richness and evenness were extremely low in areas where midstorey density, canopy cover and litter cover were high, and where soil moisture content in the root zone of grasses was low. Differences in fire frequency also influenced grass-species composition, with areas that had experienced lower fire frequency during the previous 14 years having lower density of the annual grass Sorghum intrans (F.Muell. ex Benth.) and the perennial grass Heteropogon triticeus (R.Br.) Stapf, and increased dominance of the perennial Eriachne triseta Nees ex Steud. The results of the present study demonstrate a complex interplay between bottom-up environmental factors and top-down processes such as fire, as determinants of grass-species composition in tropical savannas},
	doi = {10.1071/BT08120},
	author = {Scott, Ken and Setterfield, SA and Andersen, A. N. and Douglas, MM}
}
@article {BF-2385,
	title = {Fire resilience of ant assemblages in long-unburnt savanna of northern Australia},
	journal = {Austral Ecology},
	volume = {33},
	year = {2008},
	month = {11/2008},
	pages = {830 - 838},
	abstract = {Tropical savannas and rainforests contrast in their flammability and the fire resilience of their associated species. While savanna species generally exhibit high resilience to burning, there is much debate about the fire resilience of forest-associated species, and the persistence of forest patches in a flammable savanna matrix. Where fire has been excluded, savanna tends on a trajectory towards forest, with an increase in forest-associated plants and animal species. This study tested the idea that given the high proportion of forest-associated taxa in long-unburnt savanna, the fauna of these areas would be expected to exhibit less resilience to fire than the fauna in frequently burnt savannas. The study investigated the immediate and short-term effects on ant assemblages of re-introducing fire into long-unburnt savanna in northern Australia. The ant fauna exhibited high resistance to fires, with no significant short-term change in mean abundance or species richness; instead, seasonality had a far stronger influence on overall ant activity. Fire caused dramatic declines in dominance of the patchily distributed forest-associated species Oecophylla smaragdina and Papyrius sp., but had no effect on overall dominance by open savanna species of Iridomyrmex. Dominance by Iridomyrmex pallidus declined, but this was compensated for by increases in I. reburrus, while two other species of Iridomyrmex showed no change. This indicates a high level of functional redundancy among dominant species of Iridomyrmex, which universally dominate open savanna communities, but not of dominant forest-associated species. Overall, our findings demonstrate a high degree of fire-resilience of the long-unburnt savanna ant fauna. Despite the occurrence of forest-associated species, the high proportion of savanna species persisting in this habitat means that long-unburnt savanna retains the general response characteristics of frequently burnt savanna.},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01848.x},
	author = {Parr, CL and Andersen, A. N.}
}
@article {BF-2352,
	title = {Contrasting fire-related resilience of ecologically dominant ants in tropical savannas of northern Australia},
	journal = {Diversity and Distributions},
	volume = {13},
	year = {2007},
	month = {07/2007},
	pages = {438 - 446},
	abstract = {This paper examines the role of fire in mediating the relative abundance of two of the world{\textquoteright}s major ecologically dominant ant genera, Iridomyrmex and Oecophylla, where they coexist across the tropical savanna landscapes of northern Australia. These taxa have contrasting biogeographical histories, which are predicted to lead to contrasting responses to fire. Iridomyrmex is an autochthonous Australian genus that has radiated primarily in the arid zone; as such, its abundance is predicted to be promoted by frequent fire because this maintains an open habitat. In contrast, Oecophylla is a genus of leaf-nesting ants occurring in the canopies of Old World tropical rainforest, and is a recent arrival to Australia in geological time; the abundance of these ants is predicted to decline under frequent fire. We test these predictions using results from a landscape-scale fire experiment, where three experimental fire regimes (including no fire) were applied to replicated subcatchments over a 5-year period. Using sweep nets, ants were sampled in the grass layer (the habitat layer of greatest overlap between Iridomyrmex and Oecophylla) in eucalypt woodland (canopy cover < 30\%) and open eucalypt forest (canopy cover about 50\%) habitats. A total of 27 species from 11 genera were collected during the study; eight were common enough for statistical analysis, and the abundances of four of these were significantly affected by fire treatment. As predicted, the abundance of Iridomyrmex was promoted by fire, whereas that of Oecophylla declined. These changes occurred only under late-season (relatively high intensity) fires, and for Oecophylla occurred only in open forest (not woodland) habitat. This fire-mediated relationship between Iridomyrmex and Oecophylla mirrors the much broader, ecosystem-wide dynamic between eucalypt-dominated savanna and rainforest in tropical Australia, with savannas dominated by fire-resistant sclerophyll elements of Australian origin, and rainforest dominated by fire-sensitive mesophyll elements of South-East Asian origin.},
	issn = {1366951614724642},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00353.x},
	author = {Andersen, A. N. and Parr, CL and Lowe, LM and M{\"u}ller, Warren J.}
}
@article {BF-1138,
	title = {A rain forest ant fauna in the tropical savanna landscape of northern Australia.},
	journal = {Australian Journal of Zoology},
	year = {2007},
	author = {Andersen, A. N. and van Ingen, LT and Campos, RI}
}
@article {BF-2366,
	title = {Savanna fires increase rates and distances of seed dispersal by ants},
	journal = {Oecologia},
	volume = {151},
	year = {2007},
	month = {1/2007},
	pages = {33 - 41},
	abstract = {Myrmecochory (seed dispersal by ants) is a prominent dispersal mechanism in many environments, and can play a key role in local vegetation dynamics. Here we investigate its interaction with another key process in vegetation dynamics{\textemdash}fire. We examine ant dispersal of seeds immediately before and after experimental burning in an Australian tropical savanna, one of the world{\textquoteright}s most fire-prone ecosystems. Specifically, our study addressed the effects of burning on: (1) the composition of ants removing seeds, (2) number of seed removals, and (3) distance of seed dispersal. Fire led to higher rates of seed removal post-fire when compared with unburnt habitat, and markedly altered dispersal distance, with mean dispersal distance increasing more than twofold (from 1.6 to 3.8 m), and many distance dispersal events greater than the pre-fire maximum (7.55 m) being recorded. These changes were due primarily to longer foraging ranges of species of Iridomyrmex, most likely in response to the simplification of their foraging landscape. The significance of enhanced seed-removal rates and distance dispersal for seedling establishment is unclear because the benefits to plants in having their seeds dispersed by ants in northern Australia are poorly known. However, an enhanced removal rate would enhance any benefit of reduced predation by rodents. Similarly, the broader range of dispersal distances would appear to benefit plants in terms of reduced parent{\textendash}offspring conflict and sibling competition, and the location of favourable seedling microsites. Given the high frequency of fire in Australian tropical savannas, enhanced benefits of seed dispersal by ants would apply for much of the year.},
	doi = {10.1007/s00442-006-0570-5},
	author = {Parr, CL and Andersen, A. N. and Chastagnol, C and Duffaud, C}
}
@article {BF-1139,
	title = {Burning for biodiversity in the Top End},
	journal = {Australasian Plant Conservation},
	number = {14},
	year = {2006},
	pages = {3-May},
	author = {Andersen, A. N. and Parr, CL and McKaige, BJ}
}
@article {BF-1142,
	title = {Do tropical savanna skink assemblages show a short-term response to low intensity fire?},
	journal = {Wildlife Research},
	number = {33},
	year = {2006},
	pages = {331-338},
	author = {Nicholson, E and Lill, A and Andersen, A. N.}
}
@article {BF-1150,
	title = {Living in a land of fire},
	year = {2006},
	url = {www.deh.gov.au/soe/2006/integrative/fire/index},
	author = {Whelan, Beth and Kanowski, K and Gill, A. Malcolm and Andersen, A. N.}
}
@article {BF-1147,
	title = {Long-term fire exclusion and ant community structure in an Australian tropical savanna: congruence with vegetation succession.},
	journal = {Journal of Biogeography},
	number = {33},
	year = {2006},
	pages = {823-832},
	author = {Andersen, A. N. and Hertog, T and Woinarski, JCZ}
}
@article {BF-2339,
	title = {Patch Mosaic Burning for Biodiversity Conservation: a Critique of the Pyrodiversity Paradigm},
	journal = {Conservation Biology},
	volume = {20},
	year = {2006},
	month = {12/2006},
	pages = {1610 - 1619},
	abstract = {Fire management is increasingly focusing on introducing heterogeneity in burning patterns under the assumption that {\textquotedblleft}pyrodiversity begets biodiversity.{\textquotedblright} This concept has been formalized as patch mosaic burning (PMB), in which fire is manipulated to create a mosaic of patches representative of a range of fire histories to generate heterogeneity across space and time. Although PMB is an intuitively appealing concept, it has received little critical analysis. Thus we examined ecosystems where PMB has received the most attention and has been the most extensively implemented: tropical and subtropical savannas of Australia and Africa. We identified serious shortcomings of PMB: the ecological significance of different burning patterns remains unknown and details of desired fire mosaics remain unspecified. This has led to fire-management plans based on pyrodiversity rhetoric that lacks substance in terms of operational guidelines and capacity for meaningful evaluation. We also suggest that not all fire patterns are ecologically meaningful: this seems particularly true for the highly fire-prone savannas of Australia and South Africa. We argue that biodiversity-needs-pyrodiversity advocacy needs to be replaced with a more critical consideration of the levels of pyrodiversity needed for biodiversity and greater attention to operational guidelines for its implementation.},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00492.x},
	author = {Parr, CL and Andersen, A. N.}
}
@article {BF-1149,
	title = {Savanna fires increase rate of myrmecochory and dispersal distance by ants.},
	journal = {Oecologia},
	number = {151},
	year = {2006},
	pages = {33-41},
	author = {Parr, CL and Andersen, A. N. and Chastagnol, C and Duffaud, C}
}
@article {BF-2321,
	title = {Constraint and Competition in Assemblages: A Cross-Continental and Modeling Approach for Ants},
	journal = {The American Naturalist},
	volume = {165},
	year = {2005},
	month = {04/2005},
	pages = {481 - 494},
	abstract = {The mechanisms leading to structure in local assemblages are controversial. On the one hand, assemblage structure is thought to be the outcome of local interactions determined by the properties of species and their responses to the local environment. Alternatively, this structure has been shown to be an emergent property of assemblages of identical individuals or of random sampling of a regional assemblage. In ants at baits, a combination of environmental stress and interspecific competition is widely held to lead to a unimodal relationship between the abundance of dominant ants and species richness. It is thought that in comparatively adverse environments, both abundance and richness are low. As habitats become more favorable, abundance increases until the abundance of dominant ants is so high that they exclude those that are subordinate and so depress richness. Here we demonstrate empirically that this relationship is remarkably similar across three continents. Using a null model approach, we then show that the ascending part of the relationship is largely constrained to take this form not simply as a consequence of stress but also as a result of the shape of abundance frequency distributions. While the form of the species-abundance frequency distribution can also produce the descending part of the relationship, interspecific competition might lead to it too. Scatter about the relationship, which is generally not discussed in the literature, may well be a consequence of resource availability and environmental patchiness. Our results draw attention to the significance of regional processes in structuring ant assemblages.},
	doi = {10.1086/428292},
	author = {Parr, CL and Sinclair, Brent~J. and Andersen, A. N. and Gaston, Kevin~J. and Chown, Steven~L.}
}
@article {BF-1143,
	title = {Fire frequency and biodiversity conservation in Australian tropical savannas: implications from the Kapalga fire experiment.},
	journal = {Austral Ecology },
	number = {30},
	year = {2005},
	pages = {155-167},
	author = {Andersen, A. N. and Garry D. Cook and Corbett, Lk and Douglas, MM and Eager, RW and Jeremy Russell-Smith and Setterfield, SA and Williams, RJ and Woinarski, JCZ}
}
