Queensland tropical rain forests
Encyclopedia
The Queensland tropical rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion
located in northeastern Australia
.
, from the coast up a series of plateaus and tablelands to the mountains behind the coast. The ecoregion comprises three separate sections. The northern area, which includes Cairns, is the largest, from 15°30’ to 19°25’ south latitude. This northern section is also known as the Wet Tropics bioregion.
The second section extends from the Whitsunday group to Carmila, including Mackay
, and the third section includes the Warginburra Peninsula, extending inland to include portions of the Normanby Range. The two southern sections are also known as the Central Mackay Coast bioregion.
ecoregions. The ecoregion is the largest remnant of Australia's rain forest flora, home to ancient assemblage of plants, called the Antarctic flora
, presently characteristic of New Zealand
and southern Chile
, and that once covered much of Australia and Antarctica until about 15 million years ago.
Conifers of the southern hemisphere family Araucariaceae
are the characteristic tree species. In the northern section of the ecoregion, Kauri
commonly form the forest canopy, with Agathis robusta
most common at lower elevations, and A. microstachya and A. atropurpurea predominant at higher elevations. In the southern sections, Araucaria cunninghamii
is predominant, with Araucaria bidwillii
dominant in two small areas. Conifers in the family Podocarpaceae
are also present, including genera Podocarpus
and Sundacarpus
. The forests are thick with vines, fern
s, epiphyte
s, and palm
s.
These forests are limited to areas of high rainfall and good soils. In waterlogged soils, the rainforest flora gives way to Melaleuca
thickets, and on poor soils and in drier areas Eucalyptus
becomes dominant. The rainforest flora is intolerant of fire, and where periods of drought have allowed devastating fires, the rainforest flora has retreated, allowing fire-tolerant Eucalyptus to become established. If a relatively wet period persists, the rainforest flora may reestablish itself. It is thought that the land management practices of the aboriginal Australians, which involve setting regular fires to keep the eucalyptus woodlands open, may have encouraged the expansion of eucalyptus forests at the expense of the rainforest flora. These rainforests seem to have retreated considerably since the arrival of the aboriginals' ancestors 50,000 years ago, and are presently limited to isolated pockets comprising less than 2% of the continent's area.
Deforestation has led to habitat fragmentation and diminushing populations of species such as spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), and ring-tail possum (Hemibelideus lemuroides).
Introduced species
also pose a serious threat to many native species.
Natural areas include the following:
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
located in northeastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Setting
The ecoregion covers 32700 square kilometres (12,625.5 sq mi) of northeastern coastal QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, from the coast up a series of plateaus and tablelands to the mountains behind the coast. The ecoregion comprises three separate sections. The northern area, which includes Cairns, is the largest, from 15°30’ to 19°25’ south latitude. This northern section is also known as the Wet Tropics bioregion.
The second section extends from the Whitsunday group to Carmila, including Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
, and the third section includes the Warginburra Peninsula, extending inland to include portions of the Normanby Range. The two southern sections are also known as the Central Mackay Coast bioregion.
Flora
The Queensland tropical rain forests are designated one of the Global 200Global 200
The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund as priorities for conservation. According to the WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their...
ecoregions. The ecoregion is the largest remnant of Australia's rain forest flora, home to ancient assemblage of plants, called the Antarctic flora
Antarctic flora
The Antarctic flora is a distinct community of vascular plants which evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana, and is now found on several separate areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including southern South America, southernmost Africa, New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia...
, presently characteristic of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and southern Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and that once covered much of Australia and Antarctica until about 15 million years ago.
Conifers of the southern hemisphere family Araucariaceae
Araucariaceae
Araucariaceae, commonly referred to as araucarians, is a very ancient family of coniferous trees. It achieved its maximum diversity in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, when it was distributed almost worldwide...
are the characteristic tree species. In the northern section of the ecoregion, Kauri
Agathis
The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, is a relatively small genus of 21 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient Araucariaceae family of conifers, a group once widespread during the Jurassic period, but now largely restricted to the Southern Hemisphere except for...
commonly form the forest canopy, with Agathis robusta
Agathis robusta
Agathis robusta is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae, native to eastern Queensland, Australia...
most common at lower elevations, and A. microstachya and A. atropurpurea predominant at higher elevations. In the southern sections, Araucaria cunninghamii
Araucaria cunninghamii
Araucaria cunninghamii is a species of Araucaria known as Moreton Bay Pine, or Hoop Pine. Other less commonly used names include Colonial Pine, Richmond River Pine, Queensland Pine, Alloa, Ningwik, or Pien, the wood is sometimes called Arakaria)...
is predominant, with Araucaria bidwillii
Araucaria bidwillii
Araucaria bidwillii, the Bunya Pine, is a large evergreen coniferous tree in the genus Araucaria, family Araucariaceae. It is native to south-east Queensland with two small disjunct populations in northern Queensland's World Heritage listed Wet Tropics, and many fine old specimens planted in New...
dominant in two small areas. Conifers in the family Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. It contains 19 genera if Phyllocladus is included and if Manoao and Sundacarpus are recognized....
are also present, including genera Podocarpus
Podocarpus
Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m in height...
and Sundacarpus
Sundacarpus
Sundacarpus is a genus of conifers containing a single species Sundacarpus amarus, belonging to the family Podocarpaceae. Sundacarpus was designated a genus by C.N.Page in 1989; formerly it had been classified variously as a species of Podocarpus or of Prumnopitys.Sundacarpus is a large evergreen...
. The forests are thick with vines, fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s, and palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
s.
These forests are limited to areas of high rainfall and good soils. In waterlogged soils, the rainforest flora gives way to Melaleuca
Melaleuca
Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...
thickets, and on poor soils and in drier areas Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
becomes dominant. The rainforest flora is intolerant of fire, and where periods of drought have allowed devastating fires, the rainforest flora has retreated, allowing fire-tolerant Eucalyptus to become established. If a relatively wet period persists, the rainforest flora may reestablish itself. It is thought that the land management practices of the aboriginal Australians, which involve setting regular fires to keep the eucalyptus woodlands open, may have encouraged the expansion of eucalyptus forests at the expense of the rainforest flora. These rainforests seem to have retreated considerably since the arrival of the aboriginals' ancestors 50,000 years ago, and are presently limited to isolated pockets comprising less than 2% of the continent's area.
Conservation
These forests are particularly interesting because of their southern location and the high degree of endemism of their plant and animal species.Deforestation has led to habitat fragmentation and diminushing populations of species such as spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), and ring-tail possum (Hemibelideus lemuroides).
Introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
also pose a serious threat to many native species.
Natural areas include the following:
- Homevale National ParkHomevale National ParkHomevale is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 821 km northwest of Brisbane....
- Eungella National ParkEungella National ParkEungella is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 80 km west of Mackay, and 858 km northwest of Brisbane. The original inhabitants are the Goreng goreng people. The park is covered by dense rainforest and is known for its platypuses.The national park was established in 1941 and is...
- Dryander National ParkDryander National ParkDryander is a national park in Queensland , 938 km northwest of Brisbane, and north of Proserpine.-References:*...
- Conway National ParkConway National ParkConway is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 911 km northwest of Brisbane. It is at high risk of being ruined by development in the towns of Airlie Beach Cannonvale and Cannon Valley.-References:...
- Whitsunday Islands National ParkWhitsunday Islands National ParkWhitsunday Islands is a national park in Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane. It has beautiful scenery and also has a few walks that are open to any one that camps on the islands. To camp on the islands visitors need to book a site....
- Paluma Range National ParkPaluma Range National ParkPaluma Range is a national park located between Ingham and Townsville, in north Queensland, Australia. The park is 1188 km north of Brisbane. The park contains the Jourama Falls, Crystal Creek and Lake Paluma...
- Halifax Bay Wetlands National ParkHalifax Bay Wetlands National ParkHalifax Bay Wetlands is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1179 km northwest of Brisbane.The one island in the park is Pandora Reef....
- Hinchinbrook Island National ParkHinchinbrook Island National ParkHinchinbrook Island National Park is situated along the Cassowary Coast Queensland, Australia. The nearest capital city is Brisbane approx. 1240 km to the south. Cardwell is 2.0 drive north of Townsville being the closest North Queensland provincial city...
- Girringun National ParkGirringun National ParkGirrungun National Park is a National Park in Queensland , approximately 50 km southwest of Ingham, 110 km north of Townsville and 1,290 km northwest of Brisbane. The park was formerly named Lumholtz National Park when it was created in 1994. The Blencoe Falls Section was gazetted as...
- Edmund Kennedy National ParkEdmund Kennedy National ParkEdmund Kennedy is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1269 km northwest of Brisbane. The national park is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It was named after Edmund Kennedy, a mid-nineteenth century explorer....
- Hull River National ParkHull River National ParkHull River is a national park in Queensland , 1275 km northwest of Brisbane. GIS mapping data from Queensland Department of Natural Resources showed an area of 3,240 hectares, of which about 2,100 hectares are estuarine mangroves, with the remainder being swamp forests dominated by Melaleuca and...
- Kurrimine Beach National ParkKurrimine Beach National ParkKurrimine Beach is a national park in Queensland, Australia, that lies 1295 km northwest of Brisbane....
- Eubenangee Swamp National ParkEubenangee Swamp National ParkEubenangee Swamp is a national park in Queensland , 1332 km northwest of Brisbane....
- Ella Bay National ParkElla Bay National ParkElla Bay is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1329 km northwest of Brisbane. Ella Bay National Park is where the ‘rainforest meets the sea’...
- Wooroonooran National ParkWooroonooran National ParkWooroonooran is a national park in Queensland , 1367 km northwest of Brisbane, between Innisfail and Cairns.The park is one of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area series of national parks, and is a gazetted World Heritage site...
- Barron Gorge National ParkBarron Gorge National ParkBarron Gorge National Park is a national park in Queensland , 1,404 km northwest of Brisbane and 2 km from Kuranda. Barron Gorge is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The Kuranda Scenic Railway line passes through the park with a station at Barron Falls. One train runs from...
- Daintree National ParkDaintree National ParkDaintree is a national park in Far North Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane and northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981 and is part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland. In 1988 it was granted listing as a World Heritage List...
- Cedar Bay National ParkCedar Bay National ParkCedar Bay is a national park in Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane, south of Cooktown and accessible only by boat or foot. The park is one of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area series of national parks, and is a gazetted World Heritage site. It is also known as Mangkal-Mangkalba in...
- Black Mountain National ParkBlack Mountain National ParkBlack Mountain National Park is a 781 hectare protected area in the Queensland, , 25 km south west of Cooktown. It is managed and protected as a national park under the Nature Conservation Act 1992....