Changes on soundscapes reveal impacts of wildfires in the fauna of a Brazilian savanna

Duarte, MHL; Sousa-Lima, RSS; Young, RJ; Vasconcelos, MF; Bittencourt, E; Scarpelli, MDA; Farina, A; Pieretti, N

Abstract

Wildfire is a natural process in Brazilian savannas, but human activities alter fire regimes and threaten biodiversity. In this study, we used an ecoacoustics approach to assess fauna responses and recovery after wildfire in a Brazilian savanna. Six passive acoustic monitoring devices were used to record soundscapes before and after a wildfire a at burned and non-burned sites for one year and one month (September 2012 to September 2013). Power Spectral Density and the Acoustic Complexity Index were used to track biophony. Before the fire, the two sites had similar biophonic patterns (PSD: T = 1136, Z = 1.52, P = 0.12; ACI: T = 1117, Z = 1.10, P = 0.26) and soniferous species richness (Site 1 = 52 and Site 2 = 49). However, in the first two sessions of recordings after the fire, biophony became higher at the burned site during the day (PSD: T = 211 and 233; Z = 4.13 and 6.41; ACI: T = 120 and 469, Z = 5.14 and 7.07; all P < 0.00). During the night, biophony was usually higher at the non-burned site until May 2013 (PSD: T = 0 to 453; Z = 3.30 to 5.90; ACI: T = 333 to 491, Z = 3.80 to 4.93; all P < 0.00). Biophony became similar (P = 0.17 to 0.38) at the two sites or higher (P = 0.00 to 0.01) at the burned site from July to September 2013 (PSD: T = 55 to 1167; Z = 1.35 to 6.89; ACI: T = 719 to 1365, Z = 0.87 to 3.04). After the fire, a reduction of soniferous species at the burned site was observed for insects and bats. Both biophonic activity and soniferous species showed a tendency to recover one year after the fire, but there were still less species in September 2013 (non-burned = 43 and burned = 37) when compared to September 2012 at both sites (Site 1 = 52 and Site 2 = 49). Our results showed that changes in the natural regimes of fire can negatively impact the biodiversity and reinforce the need for monitoring protocols and inspection of wildfires. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.]

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 30, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jan 18, 2021
• Publication Date: May 15, 2021
• Deposit Date: Apr 19, 2021
• Journal: Science of the Total Environment
• Print ISSN: 0048-9697
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Volume: 769
• Pages: 144988
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.144988
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.144988
• Related Public URLs: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/science-of-the-total-environment
• Additional Information: Additional Information : ** From PubMed via Jisc Publications Router **Journal IDs: eissn 1879-1026 **Article IDs: pubmed: 33486180; pii: S0048-9697(21)00054-1 **History: accepted 30-12-2020; revised 29-12-2020; submitted 01-10-2020; Funders : Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES);Research Support Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG);Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq); Grant Number: PNPD20131384; Grant Number: CRA RDP-00079-10; Grant Number: 001; Grant Number: 312763/2019-0