Rapid Assessment of Insect Responses Post-Fire Chronosequence in Equal-Sized Savanna Grassland Plots

Roger Sigismund Anderson; Maxwell Kelvin Billah; Daniel Acquah-Lamptey; Owusu Fordjour Aidoo; Samuel Adu-Acheampong; Thomas Gyimah; Comfort Aku Oseifuah; Prince Anane Agyei; Eliezer Ozor; Michael Morvey; Rosina Kyerematen

doi:10.1111/aje.70094

Rapid Assessment of Insect Responses Post-Fire Chronosequence in Equal-Sized Savanna Grassland Plots

Roger Sigismund Anderson, Maxwell Kelvin Billah, Daniel Acquah-Lamptey, Owusu Fordjour Aidoo, Samuel Adu-Acheampong, Thomas Gyimah, Comfort Aku Oseifuah, Prince Anane Agyei, Eliezer Ozor, Michael Morvey, Rosina Kyerematen

Department of Animal Biology And Conservation Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This study presents the first systematic assessment of insect communities following fire disturbance in Ghana's Shai Hills Resource Reserve. Using a chronosequence approach, insect assemblages were sampled from one unburnt and three burnt savanna plots (6-, 12-, and 18-month post-fire). Insect richness and abundance increased with time since fire, but remained lower than in the unburnt control. Taxa responded differently: Formicidae showed resilience to fires, while Phasmatodea and Mantodea were absent from all burnt plots. Community composition gradually shifted toward the unburnt control. Findings highlight the ecological impacts of fire and the importance of replication in managing biodiversity in fire-prone grasslands.

Original language	English
Article number	e70094
Journal	African Journal of Ecology
Volume	63
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70094
Publication status	Published - Aug 2025

Keywords

Ghana
fire ecology
insect diversity
prescribed burning
savanna
space and time

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10.1111/aje.70094

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title = "Rapid Assessment of Insect Responses Post-Fire Chronosequence in Equal-Sized Savanna Grassland Plots",

abstract = "This study presents the first systematic assessment of insect communities following fire disturbance in Ghana's Shai Hills Resource Reserve. Using a chronosequence approach, insect assemblages were sampled from one unburnt and three burnt savanna plots (6-, 12-, and 18-month post-fire). Insect richness and abundance increased with time since fire, but remained lower than in the unburnt control. Taxa responded differently: Formicidae showed resilience to fires, while Phasmatodea and Mantodea were absent from all burnt plots. Community composition gradually shifted toward the unburnt control. Findings highlight the ecological impacts of fire and the importance of replication in managing biodiversity in fire-prone grasslands.",

keywords = "Ghana, fire ecology, insect diversity, prescribed burning, savanna, space and time",

author = "Anderson, \{Roger Sigismund\} and Billah, \{Maxwell Kelvin\} and Daniel Acquah-Lamptey and Aidoo, \{Owusu Fordjour\} and Samuel Adu-Acheampong and Thomas Gyimah and Oseifuah, \{Comfort Aku\} and Agyei, \{Prince Anane\} and Eliezer Ozor and Michael Morvey and Rosina Kyerematen",

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year = "2025",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1111/aje.70094",

language = "English",

volume = "63",

journal = "African Journal of Ecology",

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publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

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AU - Anderson, Roger Sigismund

AU - Billah, Maxwell Kelvin

AU - Acquah-Lamptey, Daniel

AU - Aidoo, Owusu Fordjour

AU - Adu-Acheampong, Samuel

AU - Gyimah, Thomas

AU - Oseifuah, Comfort Aku

AU - Agyei, Prince Anane

AU - Ozor, Eliezer

AU - Morvey, Michael

AU - Kyerematen, Rosina

PY - 2025/8

Y1 - 2025/8

N2 - This study presents the first systematic assessment of insect communities following fire disturbance in Ghana's Shai Hills Resource Reserve. Using a chronosequence approach, insect assemblages were sampled from one unburnt and three burnt savanna plots (6-, 12-, and 18-month post-fire). Insect richness and abundance increased with time since fire, but remained lower than in the unburnt control. Taxa responded differently: Formicidae showed resilience to fires, while Phasmatodea and Mantodea were absent from all burnt plots. Community composition gradually shifted toward the unburnt control. Findings highlight the ecological impacts of fire and the importance of replication in managing biodiversity in fire-prone grasslands.

AB - This study presents the first systematic assessment of insect communities following fire disturbance in Ghana's Shai Hills Resource Reserve. Using a chronosequence approach, insect assemblages were sampled from one unburnt and three burnt savanna plots (6-, 12-, and 18-month post-fire). Insect richness and abundance increased with time since fire, but remained lower than in the unburnt control. Taxa responded differently: Formicidae showed resilience to fires, while Phasmatodea and Mantodea were absent from all burnt plots. Community composition gradually shifted toward the unburnt control. Findings highlight the ecological impacts of fire and the importance of replication in managing biodiversity in fire-prone grasslands.

KW - Ghana

KW - fire ecology

KW - insect diversity

KW - prescribed burning

KW - savanna

KW - space and time

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105013809316

U2 - 10.1111/aje.70094

DO - 10.1111/aje.70094

M3 - Article

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SN - 0141-6707

VL - 63

JO - African Journal of Ecology

JF - African Journal of Ecology

IS - 6

M1 - e70094

ER -

Rapid Assessment of Insect Responses Post-Fire Chronosequence in Equal-Sized Savanna Grassland Plots

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Keywords

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