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https://theconversation.com/more-than-60-billion-leaf-litter-invertebrates-died-in-the-black-summer-fires-heres-what-that-did-to-ecosystems-207032>
"The Black Summer megafires engulfing south-eastern Australia in 2019–2020 were
so intense they burned habitats rarely exposed to fire, such as southern warm
temperate rainforest.
These rainforests range from East Gippsland in Victoria up to just south of
Sydney. Usually, they stay moist enough to prevent major fires. But in that
unprecedented summer of fire, 80,000 hectares burned. Our new research
estimates more than 60 billion invertebrates in the soil and leaf litter died
too.
While our hearts went out to the burned koalas and kangaroos, this was a silent
tragedy. These tiny creatures are enormously important in ecosystems. They eat
dead leaves, create rich soil, and provide a key food source for bandicoots and
lyrebirds. Many species have very small ranges, putting them at real risk of
decline or even extinction from fire.
As renowned naturalist E. O. Wilson once said, invertebrates are the “the
little things that run the world”. But because they are small and out of sight,
we still underestimate their significance in ecosystems and their contribution
to Australia’s biodiversity. They’re all but forgotten when ecological
disasters strike."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
