Australian Ecology
By Sinan Kocagil 8A
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 doesn’t lose
any water by sweating this means it doesn’t need to
drink a lot which suits the desert perfectly.
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.
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.
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.
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 Adelaide’s wettest
months) and Adelaide doesn’t have very much rain. Darwin is wetter than
Adelaide as it is affected by the monsoon season and cyclones.
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
Desert Plant Adaptations
Tropical Rainforest 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.
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
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.
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
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.
Agricultural products from
the basin
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The Murray-Darling Basin is
Australia’s most important
agricultural region, accounting
for over 39 per cent of
Australia’s 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
Bibliography
 http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/adapt.html
•http://www.daintreerainforest.com/location/Daintree/listingResultsView.html
•http://www.weatherzone.com.au/long-range-forecast/28-day-rain/nt/alice-springs
•http://www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/kids/plants/index.shtml
•http://www.australianexplorer.com/australian_flora.htm
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page