This link contains the data and r scripts necessary to replicate the analysis undertaken in the published manuscript 'Unburnt areas in subtropical woodlands contain distinct reptile communities after extensive wildfire'.

Extensive wildfires can have profound impacts on fauna communities by altering vegetation structure and resource availability. However, unburnt areas within a fire mosaic may be important habitat for wildlife while the surrounding area recovers after fire. To understand the importance of unburnt vegetation for reptiles, we studied community assemblages at 15 burnt and 15 unburnt sites in a subtropical woodland 12 months after a 25,000 ha wildfire. We tested the relative importance of unburnt areas and structural attributes on reptile abundance, richness, and community composition across this landscape. Unburnt areas had higher species richness and diversity, but not overall abundance. Reptile community composition differed significantly between burnt and unburnt areas. Woody debris, which was retained in unburnt areas but depleted in burnt areas, was positively associated with increased reptile diversity and richness. Our results suggest that unburnt areas are vital for maintaining reptile diversity and richness within a woodland landscape after wildfire. These findings demonstrate the importance of ensuring fire management programs retain unburnt patches of vegetation in fire-prone landscapes to sustain reptile communities.

大规模野火可通过改变植被结构与资源可获得性，对动物群落造成深远影响。然而，在火烧交错镶嵌的景观中，未燃区域可成为野生动物的重要栖息地，以待周边过火区域逐步恢复。为探明未燃植被对爬行动物的重要性，我们在一场2.5万公顷野火发生12个月后，于亚热带林地的15个过火点位与15个未燃点位开展了爬行动物群落组配研究。本研究评估了该景观内未燃区域与植被结构特征对爬行动物多度、物种丰富度及群落组成的相对重要性。未燃区域的物种丰富度与多样性更高，但整体爬行动物多度并无显著提升。过火区域与未燃区域的爬行动物群落组成存在显著差异。枯木残体在未燃区域得以保留，而在过火区域被消耗殆尽，其与爬行动物多样性及丰富度的提升呈显著正相关。本研究结果表明，野火过后的林地景观中，未燃区域对维持爬行动物多样性与物种丰富度至关重要。上述研究结果证实，在火灾频发的景观中，火灾管理方案需保留未燃植被斑块，以维持爬行动物群落的存续。