Barton, Ikin, Smith, MacGregor, Lindenmayer. (2014).Vegetation structure moderates the effect of fire on bird assemblages in a heterogeneous landscape. Landscape Ecology.

SUPPLEMENTARY material

Figure S1. Ordination of principal components scores of sites grouped by vegetation type. Principal component 1 (PC 1) explained 44% of variance and had positive loadings for overstorey and leaf litter cover, representing a gradient of increasing canopy density, i.e. increasing vertical structure. Principal component 2 (PC2) explained 29% of variance and had positive loadings for understorey cover, representing a gradient of increasing shrub density, i.e. increasing horizontal structure.

Figure S2. Mean (± SE) PC1 (a, b) and PC2 (c, d) scores of sites in burnt and unburnt vegetation at one and six years after fire.

Table S1. Summary of the three vegetation types considered in this study, including dominant species, area and number of burnt and unburnt sites used in our analyses.

Vegetation type / Dominant species / Area (ha) / # Sites (burnt, unburnt)
Forest / Eucalyptus pilularis, Eucalyptus botryoides, Eucalyptus paniculata / 2,311.17 / 11, 9
Woodland / Eucalyptus gummifera, Eucalyptus sclerophylla, Eucalyptus sieberi / 795.39 / 12, 7
Heath / Allocasuarina distyla, Banksia ericifolia, Sprengelia incarnata / 839.84 / 15, 2

Table S2. Summary of principal components analysis performed on six vegetation structural attributes across three vegetation types and both years of surveys. Component loadings were rotated to assist interpretation. High loadings are shown in bold.

PC1 / PC2
Percentage over-storey cover / 0.580 / -0.086
Percentage mid-storey cover / 0.277 / -0.033
Percentage under-storey cover / -0.171 / 0.602
Percentage bare ground cover / -0.350 / -0.670
Percentage grass cover / -0.142 / 0.424
Percentage leaf litter cover / 0.644 / -0.019
Percentage variation explained / 44.180 / 29.260

Table S3. Results of the linear mixed model analysis examining the effects of fire, vegetation type, and time on principal component scores representing gradients in vertical (PC1) and horizontal (PC2) vegetation structure.

PC1 / Fixed effect / Wald / d.f. / P
Vegetation type / 158.52 / 2 / < 0.001
Burnt / 0.03 / 1 / 0.874
Time / 9.45 / 1 / 0.003
Vegetation type*Burnt / 2.49 / 2 / 0.296
Vegetation type*Time / 1.47 / 2 / 0.484
Burnt*Time / 1.38 / 1 / 0.246
Burnt*Vegetation type*Time / 11.61 / 2 / 0.005
PC2 / Fixed effect / Wald / d.f. / P
Vegetation type / 0.05 / 2 / 0.975
Burnt / 16.13 / 1 / < 0.001
Time / 179.11 / 1 / < 0.001
Vegetation type*Burnt / 1.35 / 2 / 0.514
Vegetation type*Time / 6.16 / 2 / 0.055
Burnt*Time / 51.40 / 1 / < 0.001
Burnt*Vegetation type*Time / 1.97 / 2 / 0.380

Table S4. List of bird species recorded from our 2004 and 2009 surveys in forest, woodland and heath vegetation types in Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay Territory, Australia.

Common name / Scientific name / Family / Forest / Woodland / Heath
Australian King-Parrot / Alisterus scapularis / PSITTACIDAE / 15 / 14 / 3
Australian Magpie / Cracticus tibicen / ARTAMIDAE / 3 / 0 / 2
Australian Raven / Corvus coronoides / CORVIDAE / 3 / 5 / 0
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike / Coracina novaehollandiae / CAMPEPHAGIDAE / 7 / 6 / 1
Black-faced Monarch / Monarcha melanopsis / DICRUDIDAE / 4 / 1 / 0
Brown Cuckoo-dove / Macropygia amboinensis / COLUMBIDAE / 2 / 0 / 1
Brown Gerygone / Gerygone mouki / PARDALOTIDAE / 34 / 7 / 0
Brown Goshawk / Accipiter fasciatus / ACCIPITRIDAE / 2 / 1 / 0
Brown Thornbill / Acanthiza pusilla / PARDALOTIDAE / 177 / 127 / 38
Brown-headed Honeyeater / Melithreptus brevirostris / MELIPHAGIDAE / 7 / 10 / 0
Brush Bronzewing / Phaps elegans / COLUMBIDAE / 0 / 1 / 4
Brush Cuckoo / Cacomantis variolosus / CUCULIDAE / 0 / 0 / 1
Chestnut-rumped Heathwren / Hylacola pyrrhopygia / PARDALOTIDAE / 0 / 2 / 1
Common Bronzewing / Phaps chalcoptera / COLUMBIDAE / 0 / 2 / 0
Crested Pigeon / Ocyphaps lophotes / COLUMBIDAE / 0 / 1 / 0
Crimson Rosella / Platycercus elegans / PSITTACIDAE / 115 / 53 / 9
Eastern Bristlebird / Dasyornis brachypterus / PARDALOTIDAE / 3 / 40 / 116
Eastern Spinebill / Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris / MELIPHAGIDAE / 113 / 91 / 80
Eastern Whipbird / Psophodes olivaceus / CINCLOSOMATIDAE / 66 / 36 / 42
Eastern Yellow Robin / Eopsaltria australis / PETROICIDAE / 44 / 11 / 2
Fan-tailed Cuckoo / Cacomantis flabelliformis / CUCULIDAE / 15 / 18 / 5
Gang-gang Cockatoo / Callocephalon fimbriatum / CACATUIDAE / 4 / 3 / 0
Golden Whistler / Pachycephala pectoralis / PACHYCEPHALIDAE / 35 / 13 / 6
Golden-headed Cisticola / Cisticola exilis / SYLVIIDAE / 0 / 0 / 1
Grey Butcherbird / Cracticus torquatus / ARTAMIDAE / 7 / 0 / 0
Grey Fantail / Rhipidura albiscapa / DICRUDIDAE / 122 / 121 / 43
Grey Shrike-thrush / Colluricincla harmonica / PACHYCEPHALIDAE / 16 / 28 / 9
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo / Chalcites baslis / CUCULIDAE / 1 / 4 / 4
Laughing Kookaburra / Dacelo novaeguineae / HALCYONIDAE / 8 / 4 / 2
Leaden Flycatcher / Myiagra rubecula / DICRUDIDAE / 6 / 3 / 0
Lewin's Honeyeater / Meliphaga lewinii / MELIPHAGIDAE / 40 / 0 / 0
Little Lorikeet / Glossopsitta pusilla / PSITTACIDAE / 3 / 0 / 0
Little wattlebird / Anthochaera chrysoptera / MELIPHAGIDAE / 78 / 17 / 25
Musk Lorikeet / Glossopsitta concinna / PSITTACIDAE / 4 / 6 / 2
New Holland Honeyeater / Phylidonyris novaehollandiae / MELIPHAGIDAE / 77 / 100 / 155
Noisy Friarbird / Philemon corniculatus / MELIPHAGIDAE / 48 / 4 / 2
Olive-backed Oriole / Oriolus sagittatus / ORIOLIDAE / 17 / 5 / 0
Pied Currawong / Strepera graculina / ARTAMIDAE / 29 / 7 / 0
Rainbow Lorikeet / Trichoglossus haematodus / PSITTACIDAE / 24 / 26 / 1
Red Wattlebird / Anthochaera carunculata / MELIPHAGIDAE / 116 / 7 / 4
Red-browed Finch / Neochmia temporalis / PASSERIDAE / 3 / 6 / 4
Red-browed Treecreeper / Climacteris erythrops / CLIMACTERIDAE / 2 / 0 / 0
Rose Robin / Petroica rosea / PETROICIDAE / 1 / 0 / 0
Rufous Whistler / Pachycephala rufiventris / PACHYCEPHALIDAE / 19 / 61 / 2
Satin Bowerbird / Ptilonorhynchus violaceus / PTILONORHYNCHIDAE / 16 / 0 / 1
Scarlet Honeyeater / Myzomela sanguinolenta / MELIPHAGIDAE / 1 / 0 / 0
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo / Chalcites lucidus / CUCULIDAE / 19 / 16 / 5
Silvereye / Zosterops lateralis / ZOSTEROPIDAE / 208 / 30 / 35
Southern Emu-wren / Stipiturus malachurus / MALURIDAE / 0 / 2 / 19
Spotted Pardalote / Pardalotus punctatus / PARDALOTIDAE / 104 / 44 / 2
Striated Pardalote / Pardalotus striatus / PARDALOTIDAE / 1 / 0 / 0
Striated Thornbill / Acanthiza lineata / PARDALOTIDAE / 84 / 38 / 5
Superb Fairy-wren / Malurus cyaneus / MALURIDAE / 13 / 6 / 28
Tawny Frogmouth / Podargus strigoides / PODARGIDAE / 2 / 0 / 0
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater / Glyciphila melanops / MELIPHAGIDAE / 1 / 0 / 9
Topknot Pigeon / Lopholaimus antarcticus / COLUMBIDAE / 1 / 1 / 0
Tree Martin / Petrochelidon nigricans / HIRUNDINIDAE / 0 / 0 / 1
Varied Sittella / Daphoenositta chrysoptera / NEOSITTIDAE / 2 / 0 / 0
Variegated Fairy-wren / Malurus lamberti / MALURIDAE / 30 / 75 / 56
Welcome Swallow / Hirundo neoxena / HIRUNDINIDAE / 1 / 0 / 17
White-browed Scrubwren / Sericornis frontalis / PARDALOTIDAE / 156 / 66 / 61
White-cheeked Honeyeater / Phylidonyris niger / MELIPHAGIDAE / 2 / 0 / 7
White-eared Honeyeater / Lichenostomus leucotis / MELIPHAGIDAE / 2 / 0 / 0
White-naped Honeyeater / Melithreptus lunatus / MELIPHAGIDAE / 5 / 0 / 0
White-throated Treecreeper / Cormobates leucophaea / CLIMACTERIDAE / 64 / 22 / 3
Willie Wagtail / Rhipidura leucophrys / DICRUDIDAE / 0 / 1 / 0
Yellow-faced Honeyeater / Lichenostomus chrysops / MELIPHAGIDAE / 180 / 45 / 11
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo / Calyptorhynchus funereus / CACATUIDAE / 5 / 0 / 2

Table S5. Summary of the number of observed species and estimated ‘true’ species richness, in each vegetation type from two separate years of sampling.

YEAR / Vegetation type / Number of sites (burnt, unburnt) / Observed number of species / Estimated species richness
ACE / Chao 1
2004 / Heath / 17 (15, 2) / 31 / 44.99 / 47.61
Woodland / 19 (12, 7) / 40 / 45.42 / 55.97
Forest / 20 (11, 9) / 45 / 47.56 / 46.14
2009 / Heath / 17 (15, 2) / 37 / 38.87 / 39.08
Woodland / 19 (12, 7) / 37 / 38.42 / 38.12
Forest / 20 (11, 9) / 52 / 58.08 / 58.74

Table S6. Results from the generalised linear mixed model analysis examining the effects of vegetation type, fire, and year on bird species richness in each site.

d.f. / Wald / P
Vegetation type / 2 / 35.97 / < 0.001
Burnt / 1 / 4.43 / 0.041
Year / 1 / 3.16 / 0.082
Vegetation*Burnt / 2 / 1.29 / 0.529
Vegetation*Year / 2 / 5.80 / 0.064
Burnt*Year / 1 / 2.40 / 0.127
Vegetation*Burnt*Year / 2 / 1.93 / 0.387

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