As our climate changes and the risk of wildfire increases, a research project is underway to learn more about the impacts of fire on an iconic West Australian plant.
With its striking shape and leathery leaves, Hakea Victoria, or Royal Hakea, has become a much-loved feature of the Fitzgerald River National Park and a drawcard for tourists to the South West.
Locals have noticed a drop in the number of Royal Hakea in the national park – a fire-prone area that is the only place on Earth where the plant can be found.
Until now, relatively little has been published about the shrub and its ability to survive changing fire patterns.
That is now set to change thanks to a University of Notre Dame Australia research project that will provide a better understanding of the life cycle of the plant.
Understanding the life cycle of a fire-sensitive plant will help predict its response to more frequent fires and guide management practices, such as controlled burns.
The project, sponsored by Friends of the Fitzgerald River National Park, is led by Honours student Tasmin Lancaster under the supervision of Associate Professor Dylan Korczynskyj from the School of Arts and Sciences.
When Royal Hakea is burnt the mother plant dies, but the woody fruit from the shrubs splits open to release seeds that have been protected from the fire and can grow into new plants.
If fires become too frequent the new plants are at risk of not having enough time to mature and build a ‘seed bank’, potentially causing local extinction.
Infrequent fires could potentially lead to the degradation of stored seeds.
Tasmin and Associate Professor Korczynskyj predict there will be an ideal window of time when enough seeds have accumulated and a burn would support the natural recovery of a healthy population of plants.
Associate Professor Korczynskyj said the research project would provide a better understanding of the Tuesday, 7 March 2023 biology of the charismatic species and would help inform fire managements practices for the park.
“We are in biodiversity hotspot in the south-west of WA,” he said. “The more we understand about our biodiversity and the threats to it, the better position we will be in to protect it for future generations.”
