Bandicoots
These little critters are ecosystem engineers punching way above their weight. While digging little pits in the ground in search of invertebrates and fungi, a single bandicoot can turn over as much as 13.1 kgs of soil per night, translating to 4.8 tonnes of soil turned over per year. All of this soil turnover has profound and measurable effects on the biotic and abiotic communities. Diggings increase soil conductivity and respiration, they improve moisture retention and reduce hydrophobicity. They promote beneficial fungi, and fungal diversity which increases nutrient availability to plants, promoting plant growth and increasing resistance to pathogens.
The organic matter that bandicoots dig into the soil promotes growth of other soil biota such as micro invertebrates, bacteria, nematodes, protozoa, and actinomycetes. Bandicoots diggings also promote the breakdown of leaf litter which reduces fuel loads and has been shown to demonstrate reduce the intensity of fires. And their diggings around trees clear vegetation, helping prevent fire from damaging trunks and lower branches. Bandicoots and cultural fire are perfect companions they work together in the landscape to produce mosaic landscapes which benefit bandicoots and other animals and plants which in turn benefits people.
MEGAPODE
BIRDS
Brush-turkeys and malleefowl can have profound effects on forest floors. The mounds that these birds build to incubate eggs require a tremendous amount of leaf litter. In the case of Brush turkeys a mound can be up to 5 m in diameter weighing as much as four medium-size cars. In constructing these mounds Brush turkeys scratch leaf litter and woody plant material from around the forest floor which would otherwise constitute fuel load.
This leaf litter is broken down by aerobic bacteria, creating heat and incubating the turkey’s eggs. Among first Nations groups on the east coast of New South Wales brush turkey has the responsibility for caring for parts of the forest. It is also the case that places where brush to his ability mounds are considered ‘no-burn’ country. In this way people are guided by the actions of Brush turkeys in applying fire to the landscape because brush turkeys choose where to put the mounds.
Monitor
lizards
These reptiles play various roles in cultural burning practices. In digging burrows they create shelters that can be used by small mammals such as bandicoots in the event of fire. Without these burrows, bandicoots who build nests above ground would perish in a hot fire. And if the bandicoots are removed it means the loss of another ecosystem engineer who contributes to reducing fuel loads and an increased likelihood of more serious fires. Where monitor lizards are still hunted they also dictate people’s burning practices.
Monitor lizards prefer to burrow among Spinifex it that is regularly burnt. So people who hunt monitor lizards burn Spinifex in a patch mosaic fashion in order to encourage populations of these animals. The way in which people burn for monitor lizards in turn has ecological effects creating mosaic patch diversity.
MACROPODS
The ecological role of macropods such as kangaroos and wallabies is not as pronounced as with bandicoots and megapode birds. They do browse on seedlings and saplings reducing low-level vegetation which in turn reduces the risk of fire spreading to the forest canopy. The holes that they create for resting also remove vegetation and breakdown leaf litter which reduces fuel load. And their trails create little fire breaks that make it easier to control low intensity fires. The primary role that can macropods play in cultural burning, though, is a cultural one. They provide the motivation to create open grassy habitats. this is because where cultural fire is applied, grasses are encouraged.
And macropods are very enthusiastic about the new growth, happily chewing on the green pick available. It is this preference for new growth that compels people to burn landscapes in order to encourage it.
RAPTORS
Birds such as kites and hawks play an ambivalent, uncertain role in cultural burning practices. Where cultural fire is applied these birds arrive and fly around the fire front looking for opportunities to eat small animals and invertebrates that are escaping the flames. Not just passive recipients of cultural burning practices, raptors take it upon themselves to encourage the fires. They pick up burning sticks and fly them to other areas where they start fires a new in order to feed from animals that are escaping those flames. This can be helpful in that if they spread fires to the right places they are reducing the amount of effort required by the people. However, this can also be problematic in that they can spread fires to places where fires are not wanted. This shows us how the relationship between animals and cultural burning is not just symbiotic and not just beneficial. It is a complex relationship in which the interests, motivations, and actions of the animals are not always aligned with those of the people.