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For the last few months, Australia has been tormented by natural disasters caused by extreme weather, from destructive fires worsened by drought, to flash flooding that occurred when that drought suddenly ended. You can see photos of the damage that the bushfires have already done to wildlife and communities here and here. While the southern states of Victoria and New South Wales aren’t out of the woods yet and many fires are still raging, photos show that life goes on in the areas that the fire already passed through.

Plants that have evolved to shield their buds from fire so they can quickly resprout after being burnt at the surface, or even take advantage of the nutrients in ash, are called pyrophytic plants. It’s not uncommon to see them blooming en masse after a devastating fire, and the brilliant greens and reds against the blackened landscape have a stunning visual effect. But even though the cycle of being burnt and growing back again is normal for Australia’s vegetation, the plant and animal survivors still face challenges.

In 2011, following a 2009 fire that was the most deadly to humans in Australia’s history, it was observed that previously unknown and rare plants had emerged in Victoria’s Kinglake National Park. When fire clears out the vegetation cover preventing light from reaching the forest floor, dormant seeds lying in wait in the soil have a chance to flourish, allowing the ecosystem to start off on a new foot.

The current disaster completely eclipses that fire or any yearly fire season since then in terms of the amount of land consumed, though, and just because Australia’s ecosystem has the ability to bounce back from fires, that doesn’t soften the blow of the human and animal suffering that have taken place as immediate consequences. Worse yet, scientists say that more intense summer temperatures and droughts in recent years are making large-scale fires more likely as well as increasing the duration of the fire season.

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In addition to all the animals killed in the blaze, many more that live in the forest understory or have specific diets have had their habitat destroyed, so casualties may continue even among the survivors after the fire has cleared out of an area. This aspect of the ecosystem won’t rebuild as easily and some of the affected animals are already endangered or close to extinction. Scientists have estimated that 30% of the koala population may have already died.

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Carol Emory
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok..someone from Australia please explain what this is...

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Pumbaa
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are Banksia seed pods, they need fire to open. https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/heat-triggered-release-opening-banksia-seed-pod/

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Jason M
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So there are plants which have a "fire-safe" full of backups of itself...wow.

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Robert Reynolds
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fire is so common in Australia that most of the plants have evolved to regenerate after fire.

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Edith Joy
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seed pods burst open from the intense heat from the fire . Would not have happened otherwise .

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Mack-doodle
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even while burning, Australia manages to be cool and creepy as f**k.

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Pseudo Puppy
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The pods in this pic, are banksia seed pods. :) Eucalyptus seed pods a waaaaaay smaller than this. Most commonly, they're about the size of the tip of someone's pinky finger.

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Edith Joy
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seed pods bursting following the intense heat from the fire . Would not happen otherwise.

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Leanne Lawgall
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This photo is for sale if you wish to buy. Please contact Jenny Beck Images on Facebook

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Joanne Hudson
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia About half of Banksia species are killed by bushfire, but these regenerate quickly from seed, as fire also stimulates the opening of seed-bearing follicles and the germination of seed in the ground. The remaining species usually survive bushfire, either by resprouting from a woody base known as a lignotuber or, more rarely, epicormic buds protected by thick bark.

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Viki Banaszak
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those are seed pods. Many species need a fire before they will sow their seeds.

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John Seidel
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Feed me, Seymour! So happy to see life returning. I'm worried about the smaller critters, though. Reptiles, amphibians, and bugs that had no chance of running from the fires. Bats and birds, also. I hope to visit Australia someday and see the fantastic wildlife thriving.

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Organizations working to rebuild communities have had to send a word of caution to people abroad who want to help, though. Some organizations have received so many boxes of blankets and mittens for recuperating animals that they no longer have a place to store them and also aren’t too pleased with the environmental impact of international shipping.

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People like to donate material goods because they feel like they know exactly what they’re being used for, but Juanita Rilling of the US Center for International Disaster Information urges people to realize that it is tremendously more practical to identify and send financial donations to organizations providing assistance to the animals and people that have lost their homes.

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Australia-Forests-After-Wildfires-Photo

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N G
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I heard that grass evolved to burn, so it kills off other vegetation and grows back quick and stronger

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