Boundaries of large natural complexes of Australia. Australia

Natural areas Australia.

Goals:

1.Introduce students to the features of the natural area.

2. Show, using the example of a natural area, the relationship of natural components.

3.Develop skills in working with sources geographical knowledge(atlases, maps)

4. Instill a love of nature.

Equipment: atlases, maps: physical Australia, natural zones map of plants and animals of the world.

During the classes.

1.Organizing moment:

One of Jules Verne’s heroes in the novel “The Children of Captain Grant” described this continent as follows: “...This region is the most curious on the globe! Its appearance, plants, climate - all this surprised and will still surprise... The most bizarre, most illogical country that has ever existed!

There are traces of wingless birds in the thickets,

There cats get snakes for food,

Animals are born from eggs,

And there the dogs don't know how to bark,

The trees themselves climb out of the bark,

There rabbits are worse than a flood...

(G. Usova).

I would like to invite you to go on an absentee trip to Australia.

During which we will learn how the organic world of this continent differs from other continents, we will discover something new and interesting. - Nature has created a huge reserve in Australia, where many animals close to those that inhabited the Earth in ancient times have been preserved. The organic world of Australia is unique and original: 75% of plant species and 95% of animals in Australia are endemic. There are 162 species of marsupials in Australia. But monkeys and ungulates are not found, plants with juicy fruits are not found, there is not a single domesticated plant or animal. Oviparous and milk-feeding organisms live in Australia and are not found anywhere else on Earth. Why?

I am sure that at the end of the lesson we will be able to solve this problem.

Topic Natural areas of Australia

Target

Let's remember the definition of a natural area?

(A natural zone is a large natural complex that has common temperature and moisture conditions, soils, vegetation and fauna).

Well, we decided to travel...

Where does any journey begin?

From studying the address of the mainland where you want to go. Is not it? So tell me about geographical location Australia?

When we go on a trip, we need to know the weather forecast, for which we use the knowledge about the climate of the continent obtained in the previous lesson. You already know which climatic zones Australia is located (students name them) and you can independently characterize each of these belts.

(Characteristics of climatic conditions).

Open the atlases and try to determine which natural zones may be located in a particular climate zone?

(in the course of their work, they identify cause-and-effect relationships between climate and the location of natural zones).

Then the teacher asks to open the atlases and compare maps: the climatic and natural zones of Australia.

As a result of the comparison, students come to the conclusion that the placement of natural zones is primarily influenced by precipitation. The boundaries of natural zones almost completely coincide with the boundaries of the average annual precipitation. This suggests that there is a close connection between climatic regions and natural areas.

At the request of the teacher, they list all the natural areas of Australia.

Draw the boundaries of natural areas on a contour map

Look at the pattern we see: the location of natural areas in Australia obeys the law of latitudinal zonation?

Which natural area occupies the largest area?

Check frontally.

The student, at the request of the teacher, sums up: “ Most the mainland is occupied by tropical deserts and savannas; within Australia, the change in natural zones obeys the law of latitudinal zonation.”

The journey around Australia begins. We will visit you in different natural areas of the mainland

We will record our observations in our notebooks,

which will serve as our logbooks.

So are you ready? Then let's go!

1. Let's start from the southeast of Australia, which is located in the hard-leaved zone evergreen forests and bushes.

There are atlases in front of you, open them and see what climate zone this zone is in, and what soils are common in it? (data is recorded in a table).

Teacher's story

So, we found out that the southeast of the continent has the most favorable climate and fairly fertile soils, which is why this area of ​​the continent is the most populated and developed. Eucalyptus forests predominate here, with evergreen beech found in the far south. But most of these forests were cleared with the arrival of Europeans and now grow there: fruit trees, oaks, poplars, cereals and other species. Many forests have been destroyed by fires, which often occur here during dry periods. Animals brought here: rabbits, foxes, rats pushed aside or exterminated local species of animals. In general, the flora and fauna of Australia have been greatly modified by humans, especially in the most populated areas. The forests of Australia are home to green parrots, whose numbers have also declined greatly since it became fashionable to have them in European homes. Apprentice eucalyptus

Watching a movie.

Filling out the table.

Australian tropical rainforest:

1. This forest is somewhat different from other forests. The trees are 40-50 meters high and grow so close to each other that their foliage forms a dense canopy, blocking access to the sun's rays. Therefore, the grass cover here is scanty, and instead of it there is a thick layer of rotting leaves, branches, and tree trunks on the ground.

2. Creeping plants twine around the branches and trunks of trees, powerful vines hang from them. The abundance of epiphytic, fern-like, orchids, and lichens is striking. The fallen trees seem to be shrouded in wool. The humidity is very high.

3. They grow here Kauri pine, araucaria, red cedar, maple, Australian walnut, eucalyptus, casuarina. The most interesting tree here is the banyan tree. Its seeds are scattered by birds, and they, getting stuck in the branches, germinate and put down roots, which, intertwined, entangle their owner and choke, taking his place.

4. Koalas are also found here. The koala is a distant relative of the wombat, and even more distantly related to the kangaroo and opossum: all of them are marsupials. Koalas do not drink at all, so the name of this animal is translated as non-drinker of water. They feed exclusively on the foliage of certain types of eucalyptus trees. Their life is spent mostly in limbo; they are quite lazy and only occasionally come down to earth. The koala has thick, warm and very wearable fur, because of which a huge number of individuals were exterminated, and now they are under state protection.

Students fill out the table as the story progresses.

Teacher's story:

3. Imagine that we will travel through the next natural area of ​​savannas and woodlands by bus, and I will act as a guide and briefly talk about it. And at home you will look at it in more detail using the atlas. You can close your eyes, sit back and dream a little, relax while I tell you what we could see from the bus window.

Evergreen eucalyptus trees play the main role in open forests; in drier places, acacias and casuarinas are mixed in with them. The trees are located at a great distance from each other and therefore do not shade the thick green carpet of local grasses: “blue grass”, “Mitchell grass”, “kangaroo grass”, “Flinders grass”. General form The savannah changes greatly with the seasons. During the dry season, life here freezes, the soil dries out and cracks, the leaves become covered with dust, acquiring a deathly hue. And with the first rains, lush grass and bright flowers appear. The dense grass grows up to 1.5 meters and serves as nutritious food for animals. The main representative of the fauna of savannas and woodlands is kangaroo

koala

4..And now, finally, we have reached the most sultry and lifeless zone of Australia - the desert and semi-desert zone. Fill out the table yourself, using the text and atlas.

3/4 of the continent's area is occupied by deserts. What is this connected with? (students associate this with the arid climate, find out how much precipitation falls within this zone). There are no deserts in the world like Australian ones. Sandy deserts formed as a result of the destruction of ancient ferruginous parent rock are especially unique. That's why they are red-brown in color. The slopes and tops of the sandy ridges are overgrown with clumps of spinifex - a holly grass; in some places there are thorny bushes of acacias, eucalyptus, and casuarinas. The surface of rocky deserts is covered with specific Australian species of quinoa and saltwort, alternating with dense, impenetrable thickets of bushes - scrubs . (for the more curious, the teacher writes the name of scrubs made from eucalyptus and acacia on the board). The vegetation of semi-deserts is somewhat richer: hard turf grasses, wormwood and solyanka, continuous thickets of shrubby acacias and eucalyptus. The fauna of deserts is poor. They only meet there Poisonous snakes, frilled lizard, insects, various species live in semi-deserts kangaroo , the emu, a wild dog, the dingo, which has contributed significantly to the decline of the kangaroo population, as have humans.

6. Consolidation of knowledge acquired in the lesson.

Teacher: And now I suggest you listen to the text and find any mistakes in it.

Forests are located mainly on west Australia, they have many species monkeys , which feed on the leaves of numerous eucalyptus trees andbreadfruit trees. Parrots live in the forests of Australia. Savannahs occupy a very small area on the mainland.semi-deserts and deserts. Among the continuous thickets of bushes they slowly make their way koalas . Deserts don't seem so lifeless after all... like oases there you meet at every step.

Test:

1. Monkeys and ungulates live on the mainland of Australia.

2. Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves.

3. Skreb – a forest consisting of tall trees.

4. Eucalyptus forests are light, as the leaves are turned edge-on to the sun.

5. Platypus and echidna are oviparous mammals.

6. The largest area in Australia is occupied by forests.

7. The Dingo dog benefits agriculture.

8. The kangaroo is depicted on the national flag of Australia.

9. There are many endemics in Australia.

10. Australia has long been separated from other continents, its organic world developed in isolation.

Teacher's Word:

As we conclude our journey, I would like to ask you to pay attention to how man has influenced and changed the nature of Australia. Firstly, the forest area is rapidly declining. Secondly, 75% of the continent's territory is now subject to desertification. Thirdly, some animal species have been completely exterminated, while others are on the verge of extinction. The flora also suffered from economic activity and introduction of a person into wildlife this unique part of the world. And despite all this, only about 2% of the country's land fund is protected areas. Until now, the efforts of conservationists in this country are in constant conflict with the interests of monopolies, and Australian scientists have expressed fears that the nature of the continent could be sacrificed to them!

D.Z.paragraph

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Natural areas of Australia (grade 7) - this is one of the most interesting topics school geography. Indeed, this continent, despite its small size, is characterized by a very rich natural diversity. This article gives a brief description of all natural areas of the continent.

What is a natural area? Formation of natural areas

A natural (or physical-geographical) zone is a part of the geographic envelope, which is characterized by its own set of natural components and conditions. Any natural area includes a number of structural components, namely:

• climate features;
• landforms;
• inland waters;
• soil;
• flora and fauna.

All these components are in close interaction with each other, and the nature of these connections will be different for each of the natural zones.

The main factor that influences the formation and distribution of natural zones on the planet is the ratio of moisture and heat received. This ratio will vary depending on the latitude of the area. Natural zonation is also influenced by other factors (for example, the nature and complexity of the relief, proximity to the ocean, etc.), but the key factor is still the climatic one.

Each of the continents of our planet has its own set of natural zones. Australia is no exception here. The natural zones of this continent, namely their distribution, differ significantly from the sublatitudinal one. The reason for this is the small size of the continent, as well as the presence of a powerful mountain system stretching from north to south in the east of the continent of Australia.

The natural areas of the mainland, as well as their territorial distribution, are displayed on the following map:

Natural areas of Australia: table

In order to visualize the physical and geographical zoning of Australia, we bring to your attention the following table.

Australia: natural areas and their brief characteristics

The largest area in Australia is the zone of deserts and semi-deserts, located in the tropical zone. This zone is characterized by low precipitation and extremely high evaporation. Therefore, the vegetation of Australian deserts is very poor. Quite often one can observe here extensive salt crusts covering large areas.

To the east, the zone of deserts and semi-deserts is replaced by a more humid zone of savannas and tropical woodlands. In this natural area vegetable world already much richer, but the lack of hydration is noticeable here too.

The eastern outskirts of Australia, as you know, are occupied by a mountain system - the Great Dividing Range - the most important landscape barrier on the mainland. It was on its slopes that two natural forest-type zones were formed. Between the 15th and 28th degrees of south latitude there is a zone of evergreen forests, and north of the 15th degree there is a zone of constantly humid forests. Altitudinal zone on this continent it is clearly visible only in the Australian Alps.

Finally

So, we found out that within the smallest continent of the planet there are four natural zones.

The natural zones of Australia are the zone of permanently moist forests, the zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests, the zone of savannas and woodlands, as well as the zone of deserts and semi-deserts. Each of them has its own geographical features(soil, flora, fauna).

Zone of humid and variable-humid equatorial forests

The zone of humid and variable-humid equatorial forests is located north of 20° N. w. Thick rainforests typical for the entire eastern region of the mainland. It has a tropical monsoon climate.

In the zone of equatorial forests, the soil cover is represented by red-yellow ferrallitic and red lateritic soils. Laurel trees, palm trees, ficus trees, pandanuses, and tree ferns grow on these soils. The most common are giant eucalyptus and rattan palms.

Note 1

Eucalyptus is a symbol of Australia; there are more than 300 species in the country. The trees of the Great Dividing Range reach enormous heights. Eucalyptus grows quickly and in 35 years can reach the height of a 200-year-old oak tree. Sometimes eucalyptus trees reach a height of 150 m. The trees have powerful roots and draw moisture from the very depths.

The lower tier is represented by orchids and ferns.

Figure 1. Eucalyptus forests of Australia. Author24 - online exchange of student work

The fauna is diverse. There are many climbing animals: koala (marsupial bear), tree kangaroo, wombat, tiger cat. Platypuses and black swans live along the rivers. The avifauna is diverse: cassowaries, budgerigars, lyrebirds, parrots, birds of paradise. Weed chickens are endemic to Australia.

South of 20ºS w. Evergreen tropical forests are located. They are characterized by yellow soils and red soils, which are formed in a humid tropical climate. Evergreen trees (palms, ficus, silverwood, Australian cedar) are entwined with epiphytes and vines. Australian araucaria and Australian cedar are also found.

IN southeastern regions continent and in the north of the island of Tasmania there are subtropical variable-humid forests. Mountain brown forest soils. Southern beeches, eucalyptus, agathis, podocarpus, and araucaria grow on them.

Temperate forests are found only in the far south of the island of Tasmania.

Hardleaf forest zone

Subtropical hard-leaved forests grow in the southwestern regions of Australia. The climate is Mediterranean. The soils are predominantly red and red-brown. Typical plants of the natural area are low-growing eucalyptus, solyanka, cereals, and acacia. Eucalyptus forests with xanthorrhea are common, and they are replaced by scrubs towards the center of the continent.

The hard-leaved forests are inhabited by the Dingo dog, wombat, and various species of snakes and lizards. This is the kingdom of marsupials: marsupial squirrel, tree kangaroo, marsupial bear, marsupial marten. Lots of birds: bird of paradise, lyrebird, cockatoos, kookaburras, weed chickens. The territory is inhabited giant monitor lizard, amethyst python. Narrow-snouted crocodiles are found in rivers.

Zone of savannas and tropical woodlands

Savannas and tropical woodlands occupy a large area on the continent and resemble parks. Savannas and woodlands cover the Central Lowland and the Carpentarian Plain in an arc.

The climate is subequatorial and tropical. Savannas are open spaces with a grassy cover of alang-alang, bearded vulture, individual groves and trees (eucalyptus, casuarina, acacia, Gregory baobab). Among the dense tall grasses rise acacias, eucalyptus trees, bottle trees, and casuarinas. The bottle tree is distinctive feature savannah of Australia.

In Australia, the following types of savannas are distinguished (depending on the degree of moisture):

• wet (red soils);
• typical (red-brown soils);
• desertified (red-brown soils).

They replace each other in subequatorial latitudes from north to south, in tropical latitudes - in the east-west direction, as humidity decreases.

Note 2

Scrabs are thickets of thorny, hard-leaved, densely intertwined, often completely impenetrable evergreen xerophytic shrubs of acacias, eucalyptus, myrtle and legumes. The thickets reach a height of 1-2 meters. In the driest areas the scrub consists only of scrub eucalyptus. In more humid (tropical) areas, scrubs made from sickle-leaved acacia are common.

Savannas are the main wheat growing areas on the continent. Large areas are occupied by pastures.

In places where there are significant food supplies, kangaroos (gray, red, wallaby, hare) live. Marsupial kangaroos can reach up to 3 m in height. The variety of fauna is small: anteater, wild dog dingo, echidna, emu, wombat, bustard, cassowary, budgerigars. Lots of termites.

Deserts and semi-deserts

Deserts and semi-deserts occupy large areas of the interior of Australia (almost 50% of the entire continent). The climate is tropical (continental).

Largest desert areas:

• Victoria Desert. The largest desert on the continent - 424 thousand square meters. km.
• Tanami. Characterized by average precipitation levels. Due to the intense heat, precipitation quickly evaporates. Gold is mined in the desert.
• Sandy desert. The second largest desert on the continent. Here it is national park Ayres Rock.
• Simpson Desert. The most arid desert on the continent. Famous for its red sands.
• Gibson Desert. The soil cover is heavily weathered. Rich in iron.

In tropical conditions continental climate dominate on the Western Australian Tablelands tropical semi-deserts and deserts. Woodlands of casuarinas stretch along river beds in sandy and rocky semi-deserts. Salt-tolerant species of eucalyptus and acacia and quinoa thickets grow in the depressions of clayey semi-deserts. The “pillows” of the spinifex grass are characteristic.

Common soil types in semi-deserts and deserts:

• gray soils;
• rocky;
• clayey;
• sandy.

In the south of the continent in the subtropics, semi-deserts and deserts occupy the Murray-Darling Lowlands and the Nullarbor Plain. These territories are formed under conditions of a subtropical continental climate on gray-brown and brown semi-desert soils. There is no tree and shrub vegetation; against the background of rare dry cereals, there are saltworts and wormwood.

Animals are adapted to life in conditions of low moisture and high temperatures. Some burrow underground ( marsupial jerboa, marsupial mole, kangaroo rat), others can cover considerable distances (Dingo dog, kangaroo).

Small-leaved grasses and blackberry grow on the shifting sands. The emu, poisonous snakes (the asp snake, tiger snake and taipan are especially numerous), lizards, and locusts live here.

Australian open spaces

She is located below us

It's obvious they're walking upside down,

There's a year turned inside out,

The gardens there bloom in October,

It's summer there in October, not July,

Rivers flow there without water,

(they flow somewhere in the desert,

There are traces of wingless birds in the thickets,

There cats get snakes for food,

Animals are born from eggs,

And there the dogs don't know how to bark,

There rabbits are worse than floods

“... this region is the most curious on the entire globe! Its appearance, plants, animals, climate - all this surprised, surprises and will continue to surprise scientists all over the world.

... a continent where trees annually lose not leaves, but bark; where the leaves face the sun with their surface and edge and do not provide shade; where the trees are short and the grass is gigantic in height; where the animals are unusual; where tetrapods have beaks, for example, the echidna and the platypus; where the jumping kangaroo has paws of different lengths... The most bizarre, most illogical country that has ever existed! The land is paradoxical

refuting the laws of nature." This is how one of J. Verne’s heroes described Australia in the novel “The Children of Captain Grant”

1. Australia is the smallest continent on Earth.

2. The continent is entirely located in the southern hemisphere.

3. There are no active volcanoes here.

4. Australia is the driest continent. It receives 5 times less precipitation than Africa and 8 times less than South America.

5. About half of its area is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts.

6. The color of the continent is dominated by reddish-brown tones.

7. The entire continent is occupied by one state.

8. Australia was the last to be settled and developed by Europeans.

9. Australia is located in 3 climatic zones (subequatorial, tropical, subtropical).

10. Australia is the continent through which the southern tropic passes.

12. Australia is a continent of relics - animals and plants preserved from past geological eras.

Distribute objects correctly 1.oz. Air North 2Darling

3m. York

4.Murray

5.o. Timor

6. o. Tasmania

7.p. Victoria 8. Central low 9.m. Byron

10.B. sandy desert

11.Gulf of Carpentaria

12.p-in Arnhem Land

13.m. Steep Point

14.m. Southeastern

What is a natural area? What natural areas do you know? What determines the location of natural areas?

ROCKS

ALIVE ORGANISMS

A natural zone is a natural combination of natural components in a certain flat area.

• Find out the features of the Australian PP:

• determine which natural areas are represented in Australia; get acquainted with the most prominent representatives organic world Australia.
• determine which natural areas are represented in Australia;
• get acquainted with the most prominent representatives of the organic world of Australia.

Fill out the table:

PZ name

Plants

Animals

SCRAEB

Solontsy

Eucalyptus

Height: up to 100m

Life forms: trees, shrubs.

More than 500 species.

Savanna trees

bottle tree

Nature's joke

The homeland of platypuses is Eastern Australia. Animals are nocturnal. Most of the time they feed at the bottom of their pond. Along the banks they dig deep holes with two long narrow corridors leading under the water. They can move quite quickly on the ground. In the last century, platypuses were mercilessly hunted for their wonderful velvety fur and would probably have been completely exterminated if the Australian authorities had not taken them under protection.

Echidna A

Budgerigars

Most often in apartments you can find an unpretentious budgie. Wild representatives of the species are green. Lovers of ornamental birds have bred yellow, blue, white parrots, even crested and “giant” parrots, which are one and a half times larger than wild ones. The budgerigars learned to speak individual phrases, read poetry, and sing (one parrot learned the song “Black Eyes”).

Reflection (self-analysis) of activity

TARGET:

Find out the features of PP Australia

Ladder of success

• Korinskaya V.A., Dushina I.V., Shchenev V.A. Geography of continents and oceans. Textbook for 7th grade. - M.: Bustard, 2011
• VEGETATION OF AUSTRALIA // Arid vegetation of the world http :// geobotany.narod.ru/australia_02.htm
• Photos of natural landscapes and natural-territorial complexes of AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND http :// www.ecosystema.ru/08nature/world/index-australia.htm

In Australia, landscape zoning is well defined. Natural zones gradually replace one another as temperatures and precipitation patterns change. This is facilitated by the flat nature of the continent's topography and the absence of distinct orographic boundaries on it.

The main part of Australia lies in tropical latitudes, so natural zones of the tropical zone are widespread on the mainland. Among them, the zones that received the greatest development tropical deserts and semi-deserts. In the north, semi-deserts give way to zones of savannas, woodlands and shrubs.

In the south, the zone of tropical deserts is framed by a zone of subtropical deserts. In the southwest there is a zone of Mediterranean dry forests and shrubs, in the southeast there is a zone of humid sub tropical forests.

Along the windward slopes of the Great Dividing Range stretch forest areas tropical and subtropical zones.

Thus, in tropical Australia, natural zones are located in semi-concentric arcs around the tropical desert zone, which occupies the extra-arid regions of inland Australia.

In the subtropical zone, the zones extend submeridianally, and their set is quite wide (from east to west): the zone of humid subtropical forests, forest-steppes and steppes, semi-deserts and the Mediterranean.

In Australia, all types of soils are common, characteristic of equatorial-tropical space and subtropical geographical zone. In the area of ​​tropical rainforests in the north and especially in the northeast, red-yellow ferrallitic soils and their variations along the slopes of the ridges are developed.

In wet savannas they are replaced by red ferrallitic soils, and in drier places by red-brown soils. Tropical black soils formed on the weathered lavas of the Great Dividing Range, and mountain-meadow varieties formed in the Australian Alps. Primitive soils of tropical deserts, often saline, are also widespread. In semi-deserts, under thickets of thorny bushes and low-growing trees with small leathery foliage, red-brown soils are developed.

In the southwest of the continent, brown and gray-brown soils predominate. And in the forests of the southeast, brown and yellow-brown forest soils are common.

The continent's flora belongs to the Australian plant kingdom. The beginning of the formation of flora dates back to the Mesozoic. Since the middle of the Cenozoic era, Australia has been isolated from other continents. On the territory of Australia there were 2 centers of flora formation: Western and Eastern, between which there was a sea before the beginning of the Anthropocene. Currently, there are more endemics in the east (New South Wales) and north-west (Queensland). In the flora of the west and east of the continent, only 10% of the species are common.

The first feature of the Australian flora is its antiquity, high percent endemics. Australia is the birthplace of eucalyptus trees, there are 600 species of them, phyloid acacias - 280 species, casuarinas (desert oak) - 25 species.

The second feature of the flora is its strong xerophytic character.

The third feature is that Australia has produced few cultivated plant species.

Australian floristic kingdom. It includes Australia and the neighboring island of Tasmania, as well as some smaller islands. The Australian kingdom occupies a completely isolated position. It is separated from the rest of the land by more or less extensive sea areas.

The flora of Australia is very rich (about 15 thousand species), extremely distinctive, original and contains many ancient plants. The original core of the flora arose as a result of the transformation of elements of the ancient flora distributed on the continent of Gondwana.

Australia has very high endemism at all levels. There are more than 10 endemic families (family Cephalotidae; 1 insectivorous species herbaceous plant whose hunting shells resemble small jugs). From other families: Brunoniaceae, Davidsoniaceae, Tremanderaceae, Biblidaeaceae, Acaniaceae.

There are 570 endemic genera. These include several large genera from the Proteaceae family: Hakea, Verticordia, Conospermum, etc.

The species endemism of the Australian flora is very high. The share of endemic species in general reaches 75-80%.

The Australian flora contains many characteristic families. Among them, we can primarily name the Proteaceae family (most species of this family - more than 700 are concentrated here). Rose-grevillea, hakea, banksia. Representatives of this family have a very peculiar, often bizarre appearance.

The Australian flora contains many representatives of the myrtle family. Species of the genus Callistemon attract attention with their original bright red fluffy cylindrical inflorescences (they look like a bottle brush).

The most characteristic genus of Australia, eucalyptus, also belongs to the myrtle family. There are about 600 species of eucalyptus here. Most of them are trees, but there are also shrubs. Almost all eucalyptus trees are evergreens. The life forms of eucalyptus trees are very diverse, for example, the height of a giant eucalyptus is 100 m, its root system extends 30 m into the ground. The leaves of most eucalyptus trees, positioned edge-on to the sunlight, form a crown that does not shade the soil. However, many eucalyptus trees have the generally spaced foliage and crown characteristic of our deciduous tree species. The bluish-green foliage of eucalyptus trees gives (even the evergreen subtropical forests in southeastern Australia) a somewhat lifeless color; they do not have the bright and fresh color of European forests.

No less characteristic of the landscapes of the mainland are acacias (the legume family) - there are 500 species of them, or half of the species of this genus on Earth.

Acacia grows in a wide variety of conditions: in wet forests, and in deserts. Up to half of Australian acacia species have phyllodes, that is, the petioles have taken on the shape of leaves (flat green petioles of various shapes instead of true leaves). Acacias are evergreen plants. Their inflorescences usually look like small fluffy yellow balls and consist of extremely small individual flowers, almost invisible to the naked eye; these are false mimosa, from which they are distinguished by a larger number of stamens.

One of the reasons for the peculiarities of the flora of the Australian kingdom is the absence of some plant families and larger taxa widespread on other continents. There are no horsetails, bamboos, representatives of the apple subfamily, Rosaceae, heather, begoniaceae, valerian, or tea families. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as “flora defect”.

Tropical rainforests are the kingdom of dicotyledonous plants. They are most luxurious between 14-19° S. Their luxuriously developed foliage forms a dense forest tent that shades the soil. Characteristic feature tree species This forest consists of plank-shaped roots (buttresses) supporting the trunk of the plant, as well as cauliflory, that is, the development of flowers and inflorescences on trunks and old branches.

The forests of Queensland contain many Malayan types, namely: figs, pandanus, palms, acorns and many epiphytic ferns and orchids (the southern limit of the distribution of palms is the July temperature of + 25 ° C). The Malayan character of the flora is especially pronounced in the northernmost region of Cape York Peninsula, where many genera absent in the rest of Australia can be found, namely pitcher plants (cycads); palms of the genus Caryota (areca); vines (ranunculaceae, lily (wild pepper), rattan palm); epiphytes (ferns).

Among the most remarkable Australian trees are conifers from the genus Araucaria. Some species in Queensland form significant forests.

The coastal region of New South Wales has almost the same type of vegetation as Southern Queensland, but tropical species become less abundant, and the number of species of such true Australian genera as acacias and eucalypts increases significantly. However, tropical rainforests, with tall palm trees, tree ferns and vines, still retain a typically tropical appearance.

In New South Wales, as elsewhere in Australia, there are many representatives of the family Proteaceae, which reach their maximum development on the mainland. The most common genera are banksia and hakea. Banksias are trees with hard, toothed leaves and large, elongated flower heads.

Further inland, dense tropical rainforests are replaced rare eucalyptus forests with an undergrowth consisting of a variety of small trees and bushes. All of them have a more or less pronounced xerophytic character.

In Australia deciduous tropical forests almost not represented. Tropical seasonally dry areas are occupied by eucalyptus and acacia woodlands. During the dry season, the well-developed grass cover dries out, but the eucalyptus retains its green foliage.

With further aridization, acacias with phyllodes, that is, with expanded leaf petioles that perform the function of photosynthesis, become more and more noticeable.

Casuarinas with green young shoots and reduced tiny leaves also become landscape plants. These shoots photosynthesize. Outwardly they look like pine needles. The similarity with conifers is complemented by the peculiar “cones” of casuarina. However, these plants belong to one of the oldest representatives of the dicotyledonous family.

In the northeast of the continent, dry acacia woodlands transform into groups that are characterized by the presence of various low-growing trees with swollen thick trunks called brachychitons ( bottle trees). The shrub layer grows densely under the canopy of trees; there is no grass cover. But there are numerous bulbous and tuberous plants, including many beautiful orchids (there are also terrestrial ones) and lilies, which in the spring, together with the abundance of brightly flowering shrubs, present a magnificent picture.

In the interior areas, which are relatively humid, lie savannas - Australian grasslands (grass country). In the land of grasses, the trees with their gray-green foliage are scattered alone. Mixed in with the eucalyptus trees are acacias Mulga and Glacuccia, as well as casuarina, and in the north-west there are peculiar “bottle trees” that have a thick trunk that stores water in the tissues. The savannah soil scorched during the dry season after the first rain into an ocean of fresh grassy vegetation, stirred by the wind like grain fields.

Here grow kangaroo grass, alang-alang, bearded grass, blue grass, Mitchell grass and other grasses, which serve as excellent food for herds of sheep and cattle.

Vast areas of inland Australia (mainly watersheds) are covered with scrub thickets, consisting of thorny, densely intertwined, sometimes completely impenetrable evergreen shrubs. Eucalyptus scrub - Mallee scrub consists primarily of low-growing species of eucalyptus and is distributed from south-west Australia to the southern Murray Basin. The thickets have a deathly bluish-green color. The leaves of the mallee scrub are hard and stand on an edge (they do not provide shade). The soil under the scraper is covered with sparse tufts of dry-loving grasses. This scrub is brightened only by a variety of immortelle plants from the Asteraceae.

Much more impassable and even dangerous for a traveler is the “mulga-scrape”, consisting of continuous thickets of thorny acacias reaching 4 m in height. This is a typical scrub of the desert zone of Australia, where no more than 250 mm of precipitation falls per year. It occupies vast areas to the north of the distribution of the mallee scrape. Interspersed with other plant associations, mulga scrub extends from western Australia to the eastern lowland drainage plains region. It has almost no grass cover; gray saltworts occasionally grow under it.

In the eastern part of the continent, between the 20th and 33rd parallels, they alternate with light eucalyptus forests of the so-called "Brigalow Scrub"- small forests consisting of acacias with silver-bluish foliage, mixed with low eucalyptus trees.

The expanses of the Great Sandy Desert, rocky and sandy desert Gibson and the monotonous sandy desert of Victoria are covered with bushy thickets of spinifex - a holly, prickly grass whose stems lift from the soil to form wind-blown tumbleweeds. Spinifex, growing on shifting sands, anchors them. Thickets of this grass, rising in bushes up to 0.5-1.5 m in diameter, thanks to their prickly leaves, sometimes make movement in deserts extremely difficult. Triodia grass is common in the west. Species of the genus Triodia have very strong and spiny needle-shaped leaves and grow in the form of rather large rounded pillows. These plants are called “hedgehog grass.”

Subtropical deserts of Australia: spinifex and triodic. The Nullarbor Plain in the south of the mainland in the subtropical zone, as its name indicates (“treeless”), has absolutely no woody vegetation. The soil is covered with quinoa bushes or solyanka, forming an open cover reaching 1-1.5 m in height. This is the so-called saltwort bush or blue bush, as it has a bluish tint. This vegetation is readily eaten by sheep.

In the driest regions of Australia, the Great Britain, rains fall rarely and are not confined to any particular season of the year; communities of subshrubs belonging to family of gonopods. Dominated by 2 subshrubs - quinoa vesica And Kochia sedumfolia. Both plants usually form clean thickets. Kochia grows better in areas with a more humid climate. Because of its greenish-blue color, the plant is locally known as "blue bush".

The vegetation of the south-west of Australia is unique - the Mediterranean zone - this is a land of endemics. It is dominated by light forests of eucalyptus, herbaceous tree (xanthorrhoea), casuarina and proteaceae.

In the wettest areas the forest is formed eucalyptus multicolored, which is locally called "curry". This is a tall tree (up to 70-80 m) with a loose crown and a variegated trunk (orange-pink spots are scattered on a grayish-white background). The karri forest is very light, bushes grow luxuriantly under the trees, and a thick herbaceous cover develops on the soil.

In drier areas the forest is dominated by eucalyptus fringed, or "jarrah", which is also called "mahogany". Its height is much less - usually 15-40 m (maximum 40 m). This is primarily a forest of endemics: 82% of the plants that form its undergrowth are found nowhere else. There are no palm trees in these forests. They are especially rich in species of Proteaceae (376 species), giving bright, various colors flowers that decorate these forests. The eucalyptus forests of southwest Australia contain a wide variety of acacias and members of the Proteaceae family, especially the various species of the genus Banksia.

Not uncommon here grass trees. Typical representatives of the undergrowth of these forests are: tree lily ( Xanthorhoea). It has a dense dark lignified stem from 6 to 9 m in height, on which rises a bunch of narrow and long coarse herbaceous leaves, exceeding 1 m in length. Its inflorescence (cob) reaches 3 m in height. Western Australia is characterized by an abundance of beautiful terrestrial orchids, typical Australian genera, many species of sundews.

It is noteworthy that most trees and shrubs of the local forest can reproduce by seeds only after fires. Thus, the woody fruits of banksias that fall to the ground open only after exposure to fire, and herbaceous trees do not bloom until the fire passes.

In Australia wet subtropical forests are located in a narrow strip on the southeastern coast of the continent and in the lower belt of the mountains of the Great Dividing Range (up to an altitude of 1200 m). Various species of eucalyptus trees are abundant in these forests. Some of them are like eucalyptus almond, reach a height of 70-80 m; other species up to 150 m, with a trunk diameter of 10 m.

Trees from the genus have a smaller height Eugenia australis, fan palm, southern Levistona.

The plant life inside the eucalyptus forest is extremely rich. There are many tree ferns (their greenery is patterned, bright, fresh), including bearded fern. The trees of the lower tiers are often intertwined with vines.

The trunk and branches of eucalyptus trees are covered with epiphytes, among them the most striking fern antler , some of the wide fronds of which look like bowls where humus and rainwater accumulate. Many epiphytes bloom with bright flowers, such as orchids.

Antarctic species already take part in the formation of the vegetation cover of Tasmania. The main plant background here is formed by eucalyptus trees; some of these species were transferred to Europe. Antarctic species include evergreen southern beech and conifers (phylocladius, rhodocarpus). These forests are decorated with tree ferns, which are an essential element of the vegetation cover of Tasmania. On the trunks and branches of trees there are thickets of epiphytes, evergreen mosses and ferns. Flowering epiphytes are almost absent

Australia's fauna is exceptionally unique. The fauna of the mainland is also distinguished by its great antiquity and endemism and has a pronounced relict character (90% of them are found only in Australia). However, the diversity of animal species is small. They form Australian faunal region. The most characteristic fauna of Australia - a wide distribution of low-organized mammals: monotremes, or cloacals (families of platypuses and echidnas); marsupials

Marsupials gave an extraordinary diversity of convergent (having similar characteristics) species corresponding to the biological types of higher mammals (marsupial predators, rodents, climbers, insectivores, herbivores). Especially numerous and diverse are kangaroos, which have been greatly exterminated by humans and the dingo dog, which came to Australia with humans and went wild.

Also characteristic cuscus, koala bear, marsupial wombat, mole, badger and anteater. The fauna of reptiles and insects is unique in Australia.

Birds are endemic Australian ostrich emu, cassowaries, weedy (big-legged) chickens, honey plants; also live lyrebirds, various parrots, variegated and brightly colored birds of paradise.

The ponds are home to Australian crocodiles and turtles. Many different snakes and lizards.

Bibliography.

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3. Markov K.K. Introduction to physical geography M.: graduate School, 1978