Effects of prescribed fire on body condition, injury frequency, and recapture of reptiles in Mediterranean-type eucalypt forests

Abstract

Changing fire regimes in forests, including increases in prescribed burning, are likely to affect animal health. We studied the effects of prescribed fire on body condition, injury frequency, and recapture frequency of reptiles in native forests of a southern Australian biodiversity hotspot. We conducted 6375 trap days and processed 1750 individuals of eight species. Three species accounted for 96 % of captures, and we found that body condition for Lampropholis guichenoti, the most common species, was lowest immediately after burning and highest in sites exceeding 20 years since fire. Body condition improved after six months and varied across seasons. Frequency of caudal injuries and time since fire were not related, but condition was poorer in injured individuals in two species. Recapture frequency of L. guichenoti was highest in unburnt sites, suggesting higher mortality or emigration in sites burnt within 20 years. Our study demonstrated that body condition and, potentially, site fidelity and survival in this species are poorer immediately after fire. The unchanged condition of two species and the rapid recovery of body condition of L. guichenoti after fire and across seasons may reflect species-specific behaviour, food availability, and/or predator exposure. Future studies should focus on post-fire interactions among survival, movement, and individual health characteristics to evaluate fully the ongoing consequences of fire, particularly for species occupying frequently burnt or threatened ecosystems or those subject to successional change over decadal timescales.