Flora and fauna of Australia

Overview

Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, it covers a diverse range of habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests. Because of the great age and consequent low levels of fertility of the continent, its extremely variable weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia’s biota is unique and diverse. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic.

Many of Australia’s ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and introduced plant and animal species. The federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is a legal framework used for the protection of threatened species. Numerous protected areas have been created to protect and preserve Australia’s unique ecosystems, 64 wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention, and 16 World Heritage Sites have been established. Australia was ranked 13th in the World on the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index.

Most Australian plant species are evergreen and many are adapted to fire and drought, including the eucalypts and acacias. Australia has a rich variety of endemic legume species that thrive in nutrient-poor soils because of their symbiosis with Rhizobia bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. Well-known Australian fauna include monotremes (the platypus and echidna), and a host of marsupials, including the koala, kangaroo, wombat, and birds such as the emu, cockatoo, and kookaburra. The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people that traded with Indigenous Australians around 4000 BCE. Many plant and animal species became extinct soon after human settlement, including the Australian megafauna; many more have become extinct since European settlement, among them the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger).

Flora
Australian flora, in order to cope with the extreme conditions present in much of Australia, has evolved to cope with a common set of conditions, namely the ubiquitous presence of fire; soils low in nutrients (due to a lack of recent - geologically speaking - volcanic and glacial activity); and a lack of water. Many plants adapted special features to cope with these extreme conditions. Symbiosis and sclerophylly are very common, as are plants with sunken stomata and large root stock. The plants are very hardy, and are generally able to quickly establish themselves so as not to miss available nutrients.

Australia is the home of more than 40 per cent of the world’s carnivorous plants.

These are some Australian native trees and shrubs.

acacia (wattle)
Australian Blackwood
Cootamundra wattle
Golden wattle
Silver wattle
Acacia coriacea
Acacia cyclops
Acacia kempeana
Acacia saligna
Acacia translucens
Acacia victoriae
banksia
blackboy
boronia (plant)
callistemon (bottlebrush)
casuarina
correa
dryandra
eucalyptus (’gum’ trees)
eucalyptus
Mountain Ash
Blue gum
Snowgum
Stringy bark
Corymbia
Corymbia ficifolia
Angophora
grevillea
hakea
Horizontal scrub
Huon Pine
Dicksonia antarctica, Tasmanian Tree Fern, or Manfern
Cyathea cooperi, Australian Tree Fern, or Lacy Tree Fern
melaleuca
Moreton Bay Fig
Native cherry
Nothofagus cunninghamii, or “myrtle beech”
pink heath
proteacea
Tasmanian tree heath or Pandani
Black or Tasmanian sassafras
she-oak