Testing the assumptions of the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis for termites in semi-arid Australia

Fire shapes the composition and functioning of ecosystems globally. In many regions, fire is actively managed to create diverse patch mosaics of fire-ages under the assumption that a diversity of post-fire age classes will provide a greater variety of habitats, thereby enabling species with differing habitat requirements to coexist, and enhancing species diversity (the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis). However, studies provide mixed support for this hypothesis. Here, using termite communities in a semi-arid region of southeast Australia, we test four key assumptions of the pyrodiversity begets biodiversity hypothesis (1) that fire shapes vegetation structure over sufficient time frames to influence species’ occurrence, 2) that animal species are linked to resources that are themselves shaped by fire and that differ at different times since fire, 3) that species’ probability of occurrence of abundance peaks at varying times since fire, and 4) that providing a diverse set of ...