Fire and Wildlife Habitat Restoration Johanna Freeman, PhD student Johanna Freeman UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Is this good wildlife habitat?

Medium/large herbivorous mammals Large-seeded grasses Small omnivorous and herbivorous mammals Omnivorous birds Invertebrates Large omnivorous mammals Squirrels Tortoises/Turtles Bats Small carnivorous mammals Carnivorous/ insectivorous birds Carnivorous/ Insectivorous reptiles Large carnivorous mammals Amphibians Forbs Dwarf Shrubs Legumes Longleaf Pine Wiregrass Fire-maintained understory

What is a functional group? Analysis of vegetation often requires that the great diversity of plant species be reduced to a much smaller number of logical categories. Mast-producing shrubs Large-seeded grasses LegumesForbs Example 1 – Wildlife food emphasis Plant Functional Group (or guild) is a general term that groups plants according to their function in ecosystems and their use of resources Can be based on taxonomy (i.e. family), size (i.e. tree vs. shrub), or specific traits (i.e. herbaceous vs. woody), depending on the interests of the researcher Herbaceous plants PinesOaksShrubs Example 2 – Fire emphasis

LLP restoration: The Reference System C4 bunchgrasses C3 graminoids Legumes Dwarf shrubs Forbs These functional groups coexist by exploiting different niches both above and belowground Restoration goal: create a similar assemblage of species, by restoring the necessary environmental conditions (e.g. fire) and/or the species themselves

Functional groups important in LLP restoration: Legumes Replace N lost to volatilization during fires Protein-rich seeds in pods N-rich foliage Most have associations with symbiotic N-fixing bacteria Members of the Fabaceae family

Functional groups important in LLP restoration: C4 grasses Members of the Poaceae family Fire-carrying fine fuels (best known is wiregrass) Some have large seeds, important food for birds Many are bunchgrasses, which leave bare ground for seedling recruitment and wildlife movement, and provide nesting cover for small wildlife C4 photosynthetic pathway = adaptation to heat and water stress

Functional groups important in LLP restoration: Dwarf shrubs Members of various families Resprout vigorously after fire, but small size does not disrupt fine fuel structure Mast-producing, key wildlife foods Examples include numerous blueberry species, huckleberries, runner oak, pawpaw, gopher apple

Community Assembly Theory …attempts to explain the existence of environmentally similar sites with differing assemblages of species. Site ASite B Environment T0T0 Community formation due to random variation in colonization, migration, and extinction rates Assumes species have similar niche requirements

Community Assembly Theory …attempts to explain the existence of environmentally similar sites with differing assemblages of species. Site ASite B S1S2S3S1S2S3 Environment T1T1 S1S4S5S1S4S5 Site ASite B Environment T2T2 Community formation due to random variation in colonization, migration, and extinction rates Assumes species have similar niche requirements

Community Assembly Theory Site ASite B S3S4S3S4 Order is important Composition of seed mixes Planting order Year of planting S1S2S1S2 T1T1 Site ASite B S3S4S3S4 S1S2S1S2 T2T2

Community Assembly Theory Site ASite B S1S2S1S2 S3S4S3S4 T1T1 Site ASite B T3T3 Site ASite B S3S4S3S4 S1S2S1S2 T2T2 Order is important Composition of seed mixes Planting order Year of planting Do altered communities have the ability to repair themselves? Or does history allow for many (infinite?) number of communities?

Community Assembly Theory Environmental filters: suite of factors influencing seed germination, seedling emergence, and species establishment (Harper 1977) Environment 1 Environment 2 S1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8S9SnS1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8S9Sn S1S2S4S1S2S4 S3S7S8S3S7S8 Species Pool Trait Matrix Community filter Unable to tolerate drought Unable to tolerate fire Weak competitors

Community assembly on restored LLP sites Species traits (i.e. N-fixing, Wind-dispersed) Niche factors Stochastic factors Local seed pool (Mostly ruderal? Reference sites nearby?) Environmental filters (i.e. fire regime, rainfall) Species interactions (i.e. competition, facilitation) Legumes Forbs C4 grasses C3 graminoids Factors hypothesized to influence community assembly

Community assembly on restored LLP sites: Study #1 Plot 1: All functional groups in Yr 1 Subplot 1A: Fire Only Subplot 1B: Fire + Irrigation Subplot 1C: Irrigation Only Subplot 1D: No Treatment 4m Plot 2: C4 grasses Yr 1, other groups Yr 2 Subplot 2A: Fire Only Subplot 2B: Fire + Irrigation Subplot 2C: Irrigation Only Subplot 2D: No Treatment 4m Plot 3: Other groups Yr 1, C4 grasses Yr 2 Subplot 3A: Fire Only Subplot 3B: Fire + Irrigation Subplot 3C: Irrigation Only Subplot 3D: No Treatment Plot 4: C4 Grasses Only Subplot 4A: Fire Only Subplot 4B: Fire + Irrigation Subplot 4C: Irrigation Only Subplot 4D: No Treatment Plot 5: Unplanted, volunteers only Subplot 5A: Fire Only Subplot 5B: Fire + Irrigation Subplot 5C: Irrigation Only Subplot 5D: No Treatment

Community assembly on restored LLP sites: Study #1 The treatment plots will be established on four Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sites: Half Moon, Three Lakes, Caravelle Ranch, and Hilochee Wildlife Management Areas The pre-treatment condition at each study site is bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) pasture All four pastures occur on Spodosols that historically supported longleaf pine flatwoods vegetation FWC’s Wildlife Management Area system includes over 100,000 acres of abandoned pasture. The agency is interested in restoring these pastures because they are poor habitat for native wildlife.

Community assembly on restored LLP sites: Study #2 “If you build it, they will come…?”

Community assembly on restored LLP sites: Study #2 Beneficial effects of fuel treatments on understory structural parameters (i.e. decreased woody cover/increased herbaceous cover) have been documented by several researchers in longleaf pine systems…. But it appears that certain plant functional groups important to wildlife may be chronically underrepresented on restored sites (Provencher et al 2001, Kirkman et al. 2004, Kreye et al. 2013). Few studies have isolated and examined the functional group composition of restored longleaf pine understories, and those that have addressed these parameters have been experimental studies at a single location The proposed project will offer a new perspective by surveying plant communities on numerous restored sites across a wide geographic area

Community assembly on restored LLP sites: Study #2 List of study sites so far:

Community assembly on restored LLP sites: Study #2 All of the plant species found in this study will be classified according to - functional group (legume, shrub, grass, or forb), - seed dispersal type (wind, gravity, animal, or ant), - seed bank longevity (persistent vs. not persistent), - reproductive strategy (seed, vegetative, or both), - life span (annual vs. perennial) and - life history strategy Site variables will include: -pre-treatment fire-free interval; -type, frequency, and seasonality of treatment; -time since treatment; and -proximity to reference sites

Medium/large herbivorous mammals Large-seeded grasses Small omnivorous and herbivorous mammals Omnivorous birds Invertebrates Large omnivorous mammals Squirrels Tortoises/Turtles Bats Small carnivorous mammals Carnivorous/ insectivorous birds Carnivorous/ Insectivorous reptiles Large carnivorous mammals Amphibians Forbs Dwarf Shrubs Legumes Longleaf Pine Wiregrass Fire-maintained understory