Diverse Australian Biomes Adapting :: Adaptation Australia Essays

Diverse Australian Biomes Adapting Australia is a land of rather extreme weather conditions and widely diverse climates that force the plant living there to adapt in many interesting ways. Australia is the driest continent, and biomes such as grasslands and savannas are prime sources of widespread catastrophic fires. The plants that grow in the bulky arid and semi-arid regions of Australia are prone to fires simply because of the desert climates that they grow in. High temperatures combined with low discharge moisture contents, little humidity and drying winds that sweep across the landscape encourage many of the plants living in these areas to burst into flames at fairly frequent intervals. Serotinous cones, protective bark, intricate underground reco really systems, unique sow in distributions and even the necessity of fire for reproduction are just some of the amazing ways that the major plant families which grow in these fire-prone areas have erudite to adapt to their envir onments.History of fires in AustraliaAustralia is currently the driest continent in the world and has a vast history of fire to prove it. Bushfires in the Adelaide Hills were first depict and recorded in 1827, and have occurred at frequent intervals since that time. Fire weather can reach extremes in places such as Rudall River National Park in NW Western Australia. Temperatures are often above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), dew points can drop to 37 degrees Celsius, and the winds, uninhibited by trees, can reach speeds of 50-60 km/h (31-37 mph) at any given time in the year. The fuels there may appear to be completely dead, and gaps between plants may be a verse or more (Gill, 1995). In 1966 a massive fire at Brooyar, Queensland had flame heights of 20-25 meters (65-82 feet). In addition to being devastating, the fires are also very unpredictable. A bushfire in the Baulkham Hills in January of 1975 completely destroyed property and some homes, while leaving others u ntouched. Serious fires occur in the Dandenog Ranges at frequent intervals, and living accommodations there has always been a difficult problem with fire control 3. Fire has also been used for centuries as an important tool for land vigilance (ONeill, 1993).Necessary Conditions For FirePlants that grow in the vast arid and semi-arid regions of Australia are prone to fires simply because of the desert climate they grow in. High temperatures, low fuel moisture contents, little humidity and drying winds that sweep across the landscape encourage small patches of plants to burst into flames.