• recovery
• mice
• diet
• prey selection
• habitat use
• activity
• perturbation
• wild boar
• prey
• red fox
• stone marten
• rodents
• successions
• habitat accommodation model
• colonization
• interactions
• predators
• Monte Pisano
• disturbance
• wildfires
• fires
• faecal sampling
• hairs
• hair tubes
• recordings
• bioacoustic
• Tawny owl

Wildfires have a profound impact on ecosystems worldwide, affecting wildlife in both direct and indirect ways. Direct effects include death or injury of individuals, whereas indirect effects include changes in vegetation structure and composition, with implications for food availability, microhabitat, and shelter. After a fire, the ecosystem undergoes a process of secondary ecological succession through which, over time, the disturbed ecosystem is restored. Despite their relevance, knowledge of the effects of fires on predator-prey relationship is very fragmented, especially in the Mediterranean basin, an area that is expected to become increasingly fire-prone, providing an impetus to conduct this work in this location.
The aim of my research was to elucidate effects of fires on predator-prey relationship. A comprehensive literature search led to a scoping review that identified critical gaps in current knowledge, which are particularly evident in the Mediterranean basin (Chapter 3). This was the impetus for the original research in my PhD project (Chapters 4, 5 and 6).
Firstly, I investigated effects of fire and post-fire ecological succession on small mammals’ assemblage in a burnt area, using hair tubes as a sampling method (Chapter 4).
I also used hair tubes to estimate small mammals availability for one of their predators, the red fox Vulpes vulpes, which, together with their faecal samples, allowed me to analyse small mammal’s selection. Faecal samples were also used to assess the fox actual food habits in relation to ecological changes in the burned area (Chapter 5).
In addition, I used camera trapping to investigate how the small mammal assemblage, in conjunction with fire and post-fire ecological succession, affected the habitat and temporal use of fox and stone marten Martes foina, two of their predators. I also assessed impacts of these carnivores on the small mammal assemblage through continued camera trapping (Chapter 6).
All studies were conducted in Monte Pisano (Tuscany, Italy), a hilly-mountainous area with a Mediterranean ecosystem. In September 2018, a fire burned ~12 km2 of vegetation. The fire was classified as a mixed-severity fire and considered the most extensive fire event affecting Tuscany in the last 25 years.
By integrating findings from the various chapters of my dissertation, I uncovered that, overall, the Monte Pisano fire and its successions heavily influenced small mammals’ and carnivores’ habitat and time use, their food habits, and mammalian predator-prey relationships.
The assemblage of small mammals in this study was strongly influenced by fire and post-fire ecological succession. However, this influence varied considerably among functional groups. For example, ground-foraging herbivorous and granivorous species heavily utilized burnt areas, probably due to increased food availability and anti-predator strategies (Chapter 4).
The diet of red foxes was consistent with that of other Mediterranean areas, with fruits, seeds, invertebrates and small mammals being the most commonly eaten groups. Some ground-feeding small mammal species were negatively selected, although Apodemus spp. were positively selected. Arboreal-foraging species were subject to neutral selection. We concluded that this mesocarnivore showed great dietary plasticity, using a variety of resources based on availability and catchability (Chapter 5).
The fox adapted its hunting strategy to features of the environment, such as the undergrowth cover, although this response was mediated by prey relative abundance. In time, the fox overlapped its locomotory activity with that of its prey; however, this species could optimize its activity in burnt and unburnt areas according to the brightness of the night. In contrast, stone marten occurrence was more closely related to habitat suitability than prey abundance. Live trees with canopies were identified as a key resource for this species. As fires are expected to increase in frequency and severity in the future, habitat-specialised species such as the stone marten may become increasingly vulnerable (Chapter 6).
The findings of this PhD dissertation have provided new data to fill the knowledge gap of the impacts of fires on wildlife and predator-prey relationships.
Through the research conducted, we have gained insights into mechanisms driving specific fire responses in animal communities. It is crucial to prioritize the study of the effects of fires on ecosystems, particularly in areas where the risk of fires is high, and knowledge is limited. Conservation efforts should also focus on researching threatened forest specialist species in fire-prone regions. As fires become more frequent and severe, it is essential to continue investigating their effects on ecosystems to effectively manage these ecological disturbances.