Desert island biogeography: vertebrate dynamics after fire-induced fragmentation of habitat in central Australia

最近在辛普森沙漠的野火已经烧毁了超过300万公顷的丘陵草原，在大片裸露的沙子中形成了一个由未烧毁的三齿刺群岛。小型哺乳动物和爬行动物现在仅限于这些避难所。该项目旨在研究陆生脊椎动物在三齿属岛屿中的斑块分布模式，并通过实验评估影响群落恢复的因素（放牧、捕食者、食物）。该项目利用一个广泛的火灾前数据库，提供了一个独特的和新颖的机会来绘制和模拟陆生脊椎动物对野火的反应，并为澳大利亚中部生物多样性的可持续利用提供指导。

Recent wildfires in the Simpson Desert have burnt over three million hectares of hummock grassland, creating an archipelago of unburnt spinifex islands amid extensive areas of bare sand. Small mammals and reptiles are now confined to these refugia. This project seeks to characterise the patchy distributional pattern of terrestrial vertebrates among spinifex islands, and to experimentally evaluate factors (grazing, predators, food) influencing community recovery. Using an extensive prefire database, the project provides an unique and novel opportunity to chart and model responses of terrestrial vertebrates to wildfire, and to provide guidance for sustainable use of biodiversity in central Australia.