Fig. 3. Geographic ranges and characteristics of vascular plant taxa burnt (PF_M > 0.50) during the 2019–2020 bushfires.

a Taxa endemic to the study area ranked by maximum range extent (maximum distance between specimen locations; RE_T; y-axis). Upper RE_T limits and species counts for very range-restricted (<25 km, VRR), range-restricted (25–100 km, RR), moderately widespread (100–500 km, MW), very widespread (500–1000 km, VW) and extremely widespread (1000–1500 km, EW) are shown. The approximate maximum extent of three megafires ranging from small (Namadgi megafire, 0.17 Mha) medium (Wollemi megafire, 1.1 Mha) and very large (Northern Rivers-Mid North complex; 2.66 Mha are shown (c.f., Fig. 1). b Relationship between range size (RE_T) and proportion burnt (PF_M) for endemic taxa, showing an increase in PF_M with declining range size. Differences among range size categories were significant (Kruskal–Wallis rank-sum test χ² = 291.4, df = 7, P < 0.001) based on n = 700 species across eight range size classes. For each boxplot the middle and lower and upper hinges correspond to median and first and third quartiles, respectively, while whiskers extend to the largest value ≤1.5 times the interquartile range. Data points are shown as small circles with outliers filled in black; group means are shown as large filled circles. c Variation in range extent with life form of endemic species (excluding aquatic species; n = 1). Life form acronyms are as in Fig. 2f. Boxplots were constructed as in Fig. 3b; species counts are shown below each group. Differences among life forms were significant (Kruskal–Wallis rank-sum test χ² = 32.2, df = 11, P < 0.001) based on n = 699 species across 12 life form classes. Significant group differences determined using two tailed pairwise Wilcox rank-sum tests were: PG vs. GF, LS and MS (all 0.01 > P > 0.001) and EP/CL vs. GF, LS (0.01 > P > 0.001), MS (P = 0.016), LT (P = 0.018) and TS (P = 0.049). No other differences were significant at the 0.05 criterion. d Conceptual framework for species responses to the Black Summer fires based on range size (widespread vs. range-restricted), fire persistence (non-persister = red, persister = blue) and habitat (H’ = frequent history of fire, H” = infrequent or null history of fire). Type A and D species have small and large ranges, respectively, and occur in fire prone landscapes; Types B, C and E occur in less fire-prone landscapes that were heavily burnt during 2019–2020. The Black Summer fires were likely unprecedented for Types B–E.