Effects of a large wildfire on the community composition of medium and large mammals in a neotropical savannah

Abstract

Background The Cerrado is a neotropical savannah with high mammalian diversity where wildfires are rather common and highly relevant to its ecological patterns and processes. The effects of fire on Cerrado mammals, however, are poorly understood. Aims We investigated the effects of an unplanned large wildfire (burned area ~66 000 ha) on medium and large mammals in a Cerrado area in Brazil, focusing on fire-driven changes in community composition up to 3 years after fire. Methods We evaluated burned and unburned sites before and after the wildfire, using 54 camera traps between 2017 and 2020. Total trap effort was 6334 days (unburned areas) and 7670 days (burned areas). Key results We recorded 25 species in burned and 19 in unburned areas. Fire markedly affected the community up to 3 years after burning. A canonical correspondence analysis indicated that herbivores (tapirs and pampas deer) were common in the burned areas, with an increase in the relative abundance of carnivores the second year after fire. Conclusions Community-level responses were complex, with guild-dependent changes and effects still detected 3 years after fire. Implications Management strategies that include patch mosaic burns (with areas unburned and burned 1 and 2 years earlier) could contribute to maintenance of local mammal diversity.