Skip to Main Content

HASS9 Biomes & Food Security: Australian Biomes

Australia's Ecoregions

There are 14 ecoregions found across the globe. Ecoregions contain geographically distinct groups of plants and animals that have evolved in relative isolation, separated by features such as oceans or high mountain ranges.

This classification system was developed by the conservation organisation, WWF, as a more comprehensive conservation tool than simply looking at ecosystem types, or biomes, based on climate and vegetation. Each ecoregion contains several biomes and biomes may transcend ecoregion borders.

Australia has eight of these ecoregions: 

  1. Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests; 
  2. Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests; 
  3. Tropical and subtropical grassland, savannas and shrublands; 
  4. Temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands; 
  5. Montane grasslands and shrublands; 
  6. Mediterranean forests, woodlands and shrubs; 
  7. Deserts and xeric shrublands; 
  8. Tundra.

                                                                                                               Map:  Australia's eight ecoregions

Source: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations and Communities (adapted from WWF)

Temperate Grasslands, savannas and shrublands

This ecoregion differs largely from tropical grasslands due to the cooler and wider annual temperatures as well as the types of species found here. Generally speaking, these regions are devoid of trees, except for riparian or gallery forests associated with streams and rivers. Positioned between temperate forests and the arid interior of Australia, the southeast Australian temperate savannas span a broad north-south swatch across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Unfortunately, most of this ecoregion has been converted to sheep rearing and wheat cropping and only small fragments of the original eucalypt vegetation remains.

Grasslands. (2001). Library Video Company. Clickview.

Netflix. (2020, April 17). Our Planet | From Deserts to Grasslands | FULL EPISODE | Netflix [Video file]. https://youtu.be/XmtXC_n6X6Q

Deserts

Temperature extremes are a characteristic of most deserts, generally, however, evaporation exceeds rainfall in these ecoregions. Searing daytime heat gives way to cold nights because there is no insulation provided by humidity and cloud cover. Not surprisingly, the diversity of climatic conditions - though quite harsh - supports a rich array of habitats. Many of these habitats are ephemeral in nature - reflecting the paucity and seasonality of available water. The Great Sandy-Tanami deserts are the richest deserts in Australia and exhibit the richest lizard communities in the world.

Deserts. (2001). Library Video Company. Clickview.

Netflix. (2020, April 17). Our Planet | From Deserts to Grasslands | FULL EPISODE | Netflix [Video file]. https://youtu.be/XmtXC_n6X6Q

Temperate Forests

In Australia, the temperate forests stretching from southeast Queensland to south Australia enjoy a moderate climate and high rainfall that give rise to unique eucalyptus forests and open woodlands. The temperate rain forests of Tasmania are extraordinarily complex and contain species from the time when the island was part of the super-continent Gondwana.

This biome in Australia has served as a refuge for numerous plant and animal species when drier conditions prevailed over most of the continent. Species such as Eucalyptus and Acacia are typical in these areas. That has resulted in a remarkably diverse spectrum of organisms.

Deciduous Forests. (2001). Library Video Company. Clickview.

Netflix. (2020, April 17). Our Planet | Forests | FULL EPISODE | Netflix [Video file]. https://youtu.be/JkaxUblCGz0

Tropical Forests

These forests are generally found in large, discontinuous patches on the equatorial belt and between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Characterised by low variability in annual temperature and high levels of rainfall (>200 centimetres annually) these forests' contain semi-evergreen and evergreen deciduous tree species.

Australia has a small and scattered areas of this type of forest in Queensland and they are believed to be residual fragments of the forests that once covered most of Australia and Antarctica, approximately 15 million years ago. These forests are of particular interest for their southern location and their local plant (many with ancient lineages) and animal species. There are also subtropical moist forests with high levels of plants and birds on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

Rainforest Biomes. (2001). Library Video Company. Clickview.

Netflix. (2020, April 17). Our Planet | Forests | FULL EPISODE | Netflix [Video file]. https://youtu.be/JkaxUblCGz0