Abstract
Wildfires can completely obliterate above-ground vegetation, yet some small terrestrial mammals survive during and after fires. As knowledge about the physiological and behavioural adaptations that are crucial for post-wildfire survival is scant, we investigated the thermal biology of a small insectivorous marsupial (Antechinus flavipes) after a severe forest fire. Some populations of antechinus survived the fire in situ probably by hiding deep in rocky crevices, the only fire-proof sites near where they were trapped. We hypothesised that survival in the post-fire landscape was achieved by decreasing daytime activity and using torpor frequently to save energy. Indeed, daytime activity was less common and torpor expression was substantially higher (≥2-fold) at the post-fire site than observed in an unburnt control site and also in comparison to a laboratory study, both when food was provided ad libitum and withheld. Basking in the post-fire site was also recorded, which was likely used to further reduce energy expenditure. Our data suggest that torpor and basking are used by this terrestrial mammal to reduce energy and foraging requirements, which is important in a landscape where food and shelter are limited and predation pressure typically is increased.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Peter Berney, Artiom Bondarenco, Stuart Cairns, and Anna Doty for help with the project. Funding for this research was provided by a University of New England Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award to CS and the Australian Research Council to FG.
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Communicated by I.D. Hume.
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Matthews, J.K., Stawski, C., Körtner, G. et al. Torpor and basking after a severe wildfire: mammalian survival strategies in a scorched landscape. J Comp Physiol B 187, 385–393 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-016-1039-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-016-1039-4