2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Effects of Fire Burn Severity on Wildlife Diversity and Recolonization in the Sagebrush Steppe

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Amy Ulappa

Abstract

The sagebrush ecosystem is a keystone habitat in the west and home to a variety of wildlife. Disturbance events alter the habitat and change the composition of species that occupy an area. Our study system in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area experiences a fire in portions of the habitat in 2025 in varying degrees of serenity (intense to medium burning). We measured whether different vertebrate species are found in areas post burn in a high, medium intensity, and bordering a burn compared to an unburned site. We hypothesize that after a fire, the more intense burns would have fewer species populating or utilizing the site. To evaluate our sites, we planted three cameras on each of four different sites impacted by fire at different levels (1) severe burn, (2) medium burn, (3) bordering a burn, and a control site that was far from a fire. We found the unburnt site and unburnt site bordering a fire had similar diversity and these were both higher than sites that had experienced high and medium intensity burns. We found the largest number of species and individuals present in unburnt areas and, conversely, the least number of species and individuals are seen within the high burn sites. The results show a negative impact of fire on habitat use of several species post fire in the short term. This project is the first step in monitoring species diversity post fire in the sage steppe and can contribute to future data for these sites.

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