Between a rock and a hot place: do surface shelters facilitate survivable conditions for small vertebrates during prescribed fire?

Shawn Scott; Brett A Goodman; Joan Gibbs; Sophie Petit

doi:10.1071/WF24184

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Next Contents Vol 34(7)

Between a rock and a hot place: do surface shelters facilitate survivable conditions for small vertebrates during prescribed fire?

Shawn Scott ^A ^B ^C ^* , Brett A Goodman ^D ^E , Joan Gibbs ^A ^C ^F and Sophie Petit ^A ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia.

^B Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

^C Kangaroo Island Research Station, Penneshaw, SA, Australia.

^D School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

^E Ecology Australia, Thomastown, Vic, Australia.

^F Mid Torrens Catchment Group, Cudlee Creek, SA, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: shawn.scott@unisa.edu.au

International Journal of Wildland Fire 34, WF24184 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF24184

Submitted: 29 October 2024 Accepted: 8 May 2025 Published: 13 June 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

Natural and anthropogenic fires are increasing in frequency and intensity, and we know little of the conditions that animals experience during fire. Quantifying survival of skinks exposed to fire is impractical, but measuring temperatures across relevant shelter types can reveal the probable conditions they experience during fire.

Aims

To determine the thermal extremes imposed by prescribed fire, identify buffering capacity of natural shelter types, and assess whether these conditions threaten survival of skinks.

Methods

Temperatures at several shelter types, including rocks and vegetation, were measured during prescribed fires in South Australia. Peak temperatures and duration of lethal conditions were evaluated against lizard critical thermal limits.

Key results

Ambient and maximum temperatures during fire were positively associated. Logs and rocks reduced exposure of lizards to extreme temperatures, but mean temperatures were still lethal. Duration of lethal temperatures was exacerbated by increasing ambient temperature for all species.

Conclusions

Skinks sheltering beneath logs and rocks are afforded more protection from extreme temperatures during fire than that provided by other shelter types.

Implications

If required, prescribed burning should be undertaken when ambient conditions are mild. To prioritise biodiversity conservation, the availability of protective shelter types needs to be considered before burning.

Keywords: critical thermal maximum, fuel reduction burn, lizards, microhabitat, protective cover, refugia, reptile, shelter, skink, surface, temperatures, thermal buffering, vegetation.

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