
%0 Journal Article
%A York, Alan 
%T Invertebrates and fire&#x2014;challenges and opportunities for conserving biodiversity
%J Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria
%D 2012/12/01
%V 124
%N 1
%P 47-55
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/RS12047
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/RS12047 
%X Fires, whether planned or unplanned, impact upon a suite of organisms in natural ecosystems. Direct (short-term) and indirect (longer term) effects influence the composition and structure of invertebrate communities through the interaction of site history, characteristics of individual fire events and species life-history traits. Prediction of fire responses based on vascular plant species life-history traits, and the development of a functional classification based on shared traits, underpins current fire management in south-eastern Australia. Can a similar approach be developed for terrestrial invertebrates, or should we focus on utilising a framework based on surrogates developed around vegetation composition and structure, or taxonomic alternatives? This paper considers whether the use of surrogates offers promise as a strategy of dealing with the complexity of invertebrate biodiversity and associated issues surrounding fire management. It proposes a functional approach, based on species&#x2019; life-history traits, that can complement existing strategies; and identifies opportunities that have potential for resolving existing challenges in biodiversity conservation in fire-prone environments. 
