Wet sclerophyll forests were one of the most impacted plants communities types after the 2019 2020 Bushfires. This project led by Ruby Paroissien, investigated the recovery trajectories of wet sclerophyll forest across a gradient of fire severity.
Project lead Ruby Paroissien. Supervised by Mark Ooi, Ryan Tangney, Cathy Offord
Ruby is focusing on multiple aspects of plant community recovery following fire including by quantifying changes in species diversity both above ground and within the soil seedbank and seed dispersal capacity. The focal communities are Upland Basalt Eucalypt Forest and Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion, both listed as threatened.
Ruby is also investigating the importance of terminology surrounding the key fire response trait of resprouting.
This project has evolved in collaboration with the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, and Western Australia Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions.
Link to paper:
Paroissien, R., Tangney, R., Thomsen, A. M., Offord, C. A., & Ooi, M. K. (2025). Shifts in functional group community diversity of threatened mesic forests with changing fire regimes. Forest Ecology and Management, 594, 122938. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112725004463
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