DOI: 10.5061/dryad.x69p8czrs
title: Data from: Invasive predator management can mitigate the impacts of fire and low rainfall for some herpetofauna

description: Effective wildlife conservation relies on understanding how threats and
 associated management actions can interact to affect biodiversity.
 However, the impacts of concurrent disturbances on wildlife can be complex
 and difficult to predict. Altered fire regimes, invasive predators, and
 reduced rainfall are major threats to herpetofauna, but no research has
 investigated their interactive effects on any reptile or amphibian species
 to date. We employed a multi-year, crossed, control-impact design
 in southern Australia to examine the combined and independent effects of
 prescribed fire, invasive red fox (Vulpes vulpes) management, and low
 rainfall on reptile and amphibian richness and abundance. We found
 negative effects of prescribed fire on reptile species richness and the
 capture rates of four (out of five) herpetofauna species. Fox management
 had a positive main effect on one skink species, and there was some
 evidence for a negative association with a frog species. In addition, our
 results demonstrate important interactions for some species. For example,
 low rainfall exacerbated the negative effects of prescribed fire for two
 species, while fox management mitigated the negative effects of prescribed
 fire and low rainfall for two species. This is the first study
 investigating the interactive effects of these three key threats on
 herpetofauna. Our discoveries demonstrate that investigating interactive
 effects can help explain why species have spatially and temporally
 variable responses to disturbances. Our results suggest that it may be
 beneficial to avoid prescribed fires and increase invasive predator
 management during climatically stressful periods.
description: # Data from: Invasive predator management can mitigate the impacts of fire
 and low rainfall for some herpetofauna
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x69p8czrs](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x69p8czrs) ### Files and variables #### File: EE_Data_Jan_2025.csv **Description:** Amphibian and reptile richness and capture rates for monthly sampling periods at each field site. ##### Variables * EVC: ecological vegetation class (LF: Lowland forest, HRF: Herb-rich forest) * site: name of site * cluster: identifier for spatial clustering of sites * baiting: fox management (baited, unbaited) * F_sev: fire severity of site (unburnt, low severity, moderate severity) * F_stat: fire status of site (unburnt, burnt) * month: month of survey * trap_group: category-based identifying sites surveyed concurrently (A, B, C, D) * survey_effort: number of nights the site was trapped for during the survey period * year: field season for site/survey (Year1: 2019/20), Year2: 2021/22) * rainfall: category based on local average annual rainfall (low rainfall, average rainfall) * survey_period: identifier for unique sampling periods (month-trap_group-year) * date_range: date range of survey * av_temp: mean maximum daily temperatures of survey period (excluding days when traps were closed) * A_total: amphibian captures * L_total: lizard captures * A_rich: number of amphibian species * R_rich: number of reptile species * Acritoscincus.duperreyi: number of individuals caught of this species * Anepischetosia.maccoyi: number of individuals caught of this species * Eulamprus.tympanum: number of individuals caught of this species * Lampropholis.guichenoti: number of individuals caught of this species * Lissolepis.coventryi: number of individuals caught of this species * Pseudemoia.entrecasteauxii: number of individuals caught of this species * Tiliqua: number of individuals caught of this species * Austrelaps.superbus: number of individuals caught of this species * Drysdalia.coronoides: number of individuals caught of this species * Notechis.scutatus: number of individuals caught of this species * Geocrinia.laevis: number of individuals caught of this species * Limnodynastes.dumerilii: number of individuals caught of this species * Limnodynastes.peronii: number of individuals caught of this species * Limnodynastes.tasmaniensis: number of individuals caught of this species * Litoria.ewingii: number of individuals caught of this species * Neobatrachus.sudellae: number of individuals caught of this species * Pseudophryne.bibronii: number of individuals caught of this species * Crinia.species: number of individuals caught of this species * Sminthopsis.leucopus: number of individuals caught of this species * Mus.musculus: number of individuals caught of this species * Cercartetus.nanus: number of individuals caught of this species ## Code/software EE_Code_Oct_2025.R: This script analyzes how fire, predator baiting, rainfall, and temperature influence reptile and amphibian species richness and capture rates using generalized linear mixed models. It compares null and global models, performs model selection and diagnostics, and uses estimated marginal means to generate statistical summaries and publication-ready plots for multiple species.