Australian Ecology

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Australian Ecology

• By Sinan Kocagil 8A

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(No Transcript)
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Animal adaptation for the desert

• Thorny devils have adapted to their environment
  by changing colour and being able to camouflage.
  They protect themselves from predators by tucking
  their head underneath their body and exposing a
  knob made of fat to trick enemies. Their spiky
  body is also used for protection. They have
  learnt to survive by eating ants only. The thorny
  devils skin doesnt lose any water by sweating
  this means it doesnt need to drink a lot which
  suits the desert perfectly.

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Plant adaptation for the desert

• The Australian Mulga tree has a special way of
  collecting water. Its tiny leaves grow upward and
  form a series of funnels that send rain water
  along the branches and down the trunk to the
  ground. The roots are concentrated close to the
  base of the tree and catch the water from the
  leaves.

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Animal adaptations for the coral reef

• Giant Maori Wrasses are 2m long and can weigh up
  to 190kg. They mostly eat Crustaceans and
  mollusks. They are able to digest toxic fish such
  as the sea hare and the boxfish. There bluish
  body colour suits there environment. they have no
  predators. The wrasse lives in and amongst the
  coral reef.

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Plant adaptations for the coral reef

• Sea grasses are the only flowering plants that
  are able to live in sea water, and most of the
  sea grasses in this area tend to have both
  flowers and fruit in the months of September
  through December. The marine animals help with
  pollination.
• The reef is home to a quarter of all known
  sea-grass species. Sea grass survive so well that
  they can form meadows.
• Sea grasses also have separate roots, leaves and
  underground stems called rhizomes which form
  extensive networks below the surface making them
  stable.

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Rainfall patterns for Darwin and Adelaide
Darwin rainfall graph

• The major difference between these two
  graphs is that during the middle of the year
  (Winter and Autumn) Adelaide has a large down
  fall of rain and Darwin has almost no rain at
  all. But during the beginning and end of the year
  (Summer and Spring) Darwin has plenty of rain
  (almost 7 times more than Adelaides wettest
  months) and Adelaide doesnt have very much rain.
  Darwin is wetter than Adelaide as it is affected
  by the monsoon season and cyclones.

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Alice Springs and Cairns rainfall
Cairns receives 300mm in Summer whereas Alice
Springs gets only 46mm. Both cities get very
little rain in Winter. Cairns is a lot greener
due to its higher rainfall for at least 6 months
of the year.

• Alice Springs
  Cairns

Tropical Rainforest Plant Adaptations drip tips
and waxy surfaces allow water to run off, to
discourage growth of bacteria and fungi
buttresses and prop and stilt roots help hold up
plants in the shallow soil some plants climb on
others to reach the sunlight some plants grow on
other plants to reach the sunlight flowers on
the forest floor are designed to lure animal
pollinators since there is relatively no wind on
the forest floor to aid in pollination smooth
bark and smooth or waxy flowers speed the run off
of water plants have shallow roots to help
capture nutrients from the top level of soil.
many bromeliads are epiphytes (plants that live
on other plants) instead of collecting water
with roots they collect rainwater into a central
reservoir from which they absorb the water
through hairs on their leaves epiphytic orchids
have aerial roots that cling to the host plant,
absorb minerals, and absorb water from the
atmosphere
Desert Plant Adaptations Some plants, called
succulents, store water in their stems or leaves
Some plants have no leaves or small seasonal
leaves that only grow after it rains.  The lack
of leaves helps reduce water loss during
photosynthesis.  Leafless plants conduct
photosynthesis in their green stems. Long root
systems spread out wide or go deep into the
ground to absorb water Some plants have a short
life cycle, germinating in response to rain,
growing, flowering, and dying within one year. 
These plants can evade drought. Leaves with hair
help shade the plant, reducing water loss.  Other
plants have leaves that turn throughout the day
to expose a minimum surface area to the heat.
Spines to discourage animals from eating plants
for water Waxy coating on stems and leaves help
reduce water loss. Flowers that open at night
lure pollinators who are more likely to be active
during the cooler night. Slower growing requires
less energy.  The plants don't have to make as
much food and therefore do not lose as much
water.
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El Nino

• El Nino is simply the rapid changes or weather
  disturbances of the ocean. This mostly effects
  the fisherman on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean.
  In Peruvian El Nino means the boy which refers
  to Christ because these changes occur during
  Christmas.

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Rainforest and Eucalypt forests

• Rainforest
  Eucalypt forest
• The vegetation in a rainforest
  
• needs a lot of rain to keep healthy.
• Which means you can only find them
• in damp areas. This is what makes
• most of the plant in a rainforest
• unique. Some plants and trees include
• ferns, orchids, cottonwood, lantana,
• paperbarks, palm lily. There are at least
• 1160 species. They include brightly
• coloured flowers and fruits which attract birds
• Insects and other animals.
• 
  

The vegetation in a Eucalypt forest can survive
in wet dry and damp climates. They are mostly
made up of eucalypts that are more than eight
metres tall, black peppermint and silver
peppermint. The understorey trees include
wattles, sheoak , bulloak and native cherry
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Murray-Darling Basin

• Issues
• The vegetation in the Murray-Darling basin
  is currently being threatened by rising salt
  levels, flooding, drying areas, careless campers,
  boaters and land-developers. The use of locks and
  dams interrupts the natural course of the river,
  restricting water in some areas where it is
  urgently needed, while other areas receive more
  water than they normally would in a heavy
  rainfall season. Recently the water levels have
  been very low due to years of drought.

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Agricultural products from the basin

• The Murray-Darling Basin is Australias most
  important agricultural region, accounting for
  over 39 per cent of Australias gross value in
  agricultural production.
• Products include sheep, cattle, dairy, livestock
  such as pigs, poultry, goats, deer, bees,
  ostriches, alpacas and horses.
• cereals barley, oats, cereal rye, buckwheat,
  triticale, and wheat.
• horticultural crops such a citrus, stone fruits,
  pome fruits, grapes and vegetables.
• Almost all of our rice and cotton are supplied
  from the basin

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Bibliography

• http//www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/adapt.html

• http//www.daintreerainforest.com/location/Daintre
  e/listingResultsView.html

• http//www.weatherzone.com.au/long-range-forecast/
  28-day-rain/nt/alice-springs

• http//www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/kids/plan
  ts/index.shtml

• http//www.australianexplorer.com/australian_flora
  .htm

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page