The potential importance of unburned islands as refugia for the persistence of wildlife species in fire-prone ecosystems.

ABSTRACT: The persistence of wildlife species in fire-prone ecosystems is under increasing pressure from global change, including alterations in fire regimes caused by climate change. However, unburned islands might act to mitigate negative effects of fire on wildlife populations by providing habitat in which species can survive and recolonize burned areas. Nevertheless, the characteristics of unburned islands and their role as potential refugia for the postfire population dynamics of wildlife species remain poorly understood.We used a newly developed unburned island database of the northwestern United States from 1984 to 2014 to assess the postfire response of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a large gallinaceous bird inhabiting the sagebrush ecosystems of North America,

SUBMITTER: Steenvoorden J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6686341 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature