Fire regime (recency, interval and season) changes the composition of spinifex (Triodia spp.)-dominated desert dunes

Between 2000 and 2002, central Australia experienced the largest. re season in three decades when similar to 500 000 km(2) burned. The effects of these and preceding wild. res in the 1980s on spinifex (Triodia spp.) sand-ridge plant communities were examined at 38 sites in central Australia. We used both multivariate and univariate techniques to assess floristic differences among sites of contrasting time-since-fire, fire season and fire interval. Time-since-fire had a consistent floristic influence across the landscape, with increased abundances of ephemeral grasses and forbs and Triodia seedlings, and species richness soon after. re but decreasing long after. re. Fire season had little effect on most functional groups of plants, although seedlings of woody species were significantly more abundant following summer than winter. res. Likewise, recent short. re intervals appeared to have little impact on the population dynamics of most functional groups, although some transient effects were observed on abundances of ephemeral forbs, Triodia seedlings and herbaceous clonal species. Long-term woody species abundances appeared to be affected by short. re intervals in the 1980s when repeated. res seemed to stimulate recruitment of some resprouting species. The present study highlighted the relative stability of spinifex vegetation types in the face of landscape-scale pyric perturbation, but emphasised that localised shifts in the composition and structure of the plant community may occur under certain. re regimes.