Fire is widespread across the Australian landscape. Plant
species have a variety of traits to survive under different fire
regimes. The most striking contrast in the response of plants to
fire is between species killed by fire, and species which resprout
after fire. Species also vary in their ability to regenerate from
seed post-fire. The composition of plant communities, in terms of
the proportion of species which have these different traits, varies
considerably.
This project will investigate the major factors influencing the
composition of plant communities in Australia’s high
country.
Understanding the relative roles of the fire regime, climate and
productivity in influencing where particular types of species occur
will contribute substantially to managing vegetation communities
sustainably.
