Alice Springs
Flora Activity
Read the facts below and make an Infographic about Desert Bloodwood Trees. They are the most common in Alice Springs.
There is an example of an infographic below, these are just examples, DON'T USE THE FACTS!
Desert Bloodwood Trees
Features
Desert Bloodwood Trees (Corymbia opaca) have rough bark and thick blood red sap.
Adaptations
They have tough leathery leaves and store water in their roots.
Habitat
Desert Bloodwood Trees grow on the plains and low rocky rises in the desert woodland, shrubland and grassland.
Flowers and Nectar
The Desert Bloodwood Tree produces yellow and white flowers in the cooler months (April - October). The drops of nectar in each flower provide a high energy drink for many desert animals including honeyeaters, insects and possums.
Pollen, Seeds and Fruit
Pollen from the flower sticks to those who drink the nectar and transfer it to another flower. Seeds then develop. A hard fruit called a gumnut forms. They hang in clusters all over the tree. The gumnuts dry out and open up and the seeds fall to the ground.
Galls
The Desert Bloodwood tree is host to an unusual female insect called a coccid. She has no legs, wings or antennae and never leaves her gall. Hidden away, she spends her life sucking sap out of the trees veins.
Size and Lifespan
The Desert Bloodwood is slow growing and long-lived. Large specimens can reach 15 metres in height but are more commonly 8 – 10 metres. The lifespan of Desert Bloodwood is unknown but likely to be several hundred years.
Range and Status
The Desert Bloodwood range is confined to the desert regions of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. It is currently classified as not threatened and is a common tree in the landscapes around Alice Springs.
Use by People
This tree has been a supermarket, pharmacy and hardware store for desert Aboriginal people. You can eat the plump, green grubs from the gall (bush coconut) and grubs that live under the bark; collect honey or “sugarbag” from the hives of stingless native bees; make a sweet drink from the nectar, make carrying bowls from the bumps (boules) on the bark, obtain medicine from the red sap and collect drinking water from hollows and the roots. The red sap was also used to tan kangaroo-skin waterbags; the dead wood is one of the most favoured firewoods, regarded as burning with a steady, hot flame; fruit capsules are used in necklaces and as toys.
Extra Fun Facts
When times get tough the Desert Bloodwood Tree can drop off a branch to save energy. The wound in the trunk begins to form hollows when fungal spores grow into fungi, which feed on the wood and make it rot. Termites also feed on the soft wood while desert parrots dig the hollows deeper with their very strong hooked beaks.
Tucked away in a hollow, parrots, owls, nightjars, bats and possums can breed and shelter from the rain, wind, summer heat and winter cold. They are also less likely to be caught by a predator
References:http://www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/kids/nature/plants/bloodwood.shtml
Read the facts below and make an Infographic about Desert Bloodwood Trees. They are the most common in Alice Springs.
There is an example of an infographic below, these are just examples, DON'T USE THE FACTS!
Desert Bloodwood Trees
Features
Desert Bloodwood Trees (Corymbia opaca) have rough bark and thick blood red sap.
Adaptations
They have tough leathery leaves and store water in their roots.
Habitat
Desert Bloodwood Trees grow on the plains and low rocky rises in the desert woodland, shrubland and grassland.
Flowers and Nectar
The Desert Bloodwood Tree produces yellow and white flowers in the cooler months (April - October). The drops of nectar in each flower provide a high energy drink for many desert animals including honeyeaters, insects and possums.
Pollen, Seeds and Fruit
Pollen from the flower sticks to those who drink the nectar and transfer it to another flower. Seeds then develop. A hard fruit called a gumnut forms. They hang in clusters all over the tree. The gumnuts dry out and open up and the seeds fall to the ground.
Galls
The Desert Bloodwood tree is host to an unusual female insect called a coccid. She has no legs, wings or antennae and never leaves her gall. Hidden away, she spends her life sucking sap out of the trees veins.
Size and Lifespan
The Desert Bloodwood is slow growing and long-lived. Large specimens can reach 15 metres in height but are more commonly 8 – 10 metres. The lifespan of Desert Bloodwood is unknown but likely to be several hundred years.
Range and Status
The Desert Bloodwood range is confined to the desert regions of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. It is currently classified as not threatened and is a common tree in the landscapes around Alice Springs.
Use by People
This tree has been a supermarket, pharmacy and hardware store for desert Aboriginal people. You can eat the plump, green grubs from the gall (bush coconut) and grubs that live under the bark; collect honey or “sugarbag” from the hives of stingless native bees; make a sweet drink from the nectar, make carrying bowls from the bumps (boules) on the bark, obtain medicine from the red sap and collect drinking water from hollows and the roots. The red sap was also used to tan kangaroo-skin waterbags; the dead wood is one of the most favoured firewoods, regarded as burning with a steady, hot flame; fruit capsules are used in necklaces and as toys.
Extra Fun Facts
When times get tough the Desert Bloodwood Tree can drop off a branch to save energy. The wound in the trunk begins to form hollows when fungal spores grow into fungi, which feed on the wood and make it rot. Termites also feed on the soft wood while desert parrots dig the hollows deeper with their very strong hooked beaks.
Tucked away in a hollow, parrots, owls, nightjars, bats and possums can breed and shelter from the rain, wind, summer heat and winter cold. They are also less likely to be caught by a predator
References:http://www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/kids/nature/plants/bloodwood.shtml
Australian Desert Animals
Australian desert animals are clever survivors.
Australia is a very dry continent with 2/3 of its landmass being deserts or semi deserts. But those areas are not lifeless. As well as Australian desert plants, the animals of dry regions have clever adaptations that help them survive in this harsh environment.
Australian Desert Animals: Reptiles
Reptiles are ectothermic (cool-blooded animals) and they thrive in deserts because living in temperate or colder regions, they have difficulties to keep up their body heat. In Australian deserts, there is a large number of snakes, for example Stimson’s Python (Antaresia stimsoni), Woma (Aspidites ramsayi), Blind Snake, Desert Death Adder (Acanthophis pyrrhus), Yellow-faced Whipsnake (Demansia psammophis), King Brown Snake (Pseudechis australis), Ringed Brown Snake (Pseudonaja modesta), Western Brown Snake (Pseudonaja nuchalis) and Myall Snake (Suta Suta). Other reptiles found in Australian deserts are Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus), Bearded Dragon (Pogona sp.), Pygmy Mulga Monitor (Varanus gilleni), Central Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus Nuchalis) and a countless number of other lizards.
Australian Desert Animals: Small Mammals
Most of the desert mammals are small. Being small, they can burrow holes and get shelter from the heat easier than larger animals. Most of them rest in their burrows during the midday heat, and go out during the night when it’s cool. Small mammals in Australian deserts include Spinifex Hopping Mouse (Notomys alexis), Bilby (Macrotis lagotis), Western Pygmy Possum (Cercatetus concinnus), Wongai Ningaui (Ningaui ridei), Kultarr (Antechinomys laniger), the endangered Mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda) and Fat-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata). Because fat increases body heat, many desert animals store their fat in tail, instead of body. Another adaptation to decrease body heat is having big ears, like in bilby. In Australian deserts, there are also the White-striped Mastiff Bat (Talarida australis), and the Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) – an animal that has adapted to every single habitat in Australia, from hot deserts to cold snowy mountains.
Australian Desert Animals: Large Mammals
Not many large mammals are living in deserts. It is because they are too large to make burrows to escape the heat. They have to have a very good thermoregulation and they have to be able to storage water or go without water for long periods in order to be able to survive. An advantage compared to small animals is, that being bigger, they can move around on larger areas to find water. Some of the large Australian desert animals are Red kangaroos (Macropus rufus), dingos (Canis lupus dingo) and feral camels (Camelus sp.). Camels are able to store large amounts of water so they can go without drinking water for long periods. Red kangaroos concentrate their urine to minimise water loss. They are also inactive and lay in shade during the midday heat, grazing mostly in dusk and dawn. Hopping also saves them energy. Hopping is a much more energy efficient way to get around than is walking or running.
Australian Desert Birds
There are also many birds in Australian deserts. Birds can cope with heat easier than animals. They are endothermic like mammals, but they can tolerate heat better because (1) their normal body temperature is higher than this of mammals (more than 40°C); and (2) because they fly. Even though not many birds are nocturnal and they often fly in the sunshine, they don’t get as easily overheated as do animals because the air is as hottest on the ground and cooler higher up where they fly. Flying is also much quicker than running or walking, so they can quickly fly to water bodies for a dip or a drink. Flightless birds are either nocturnal or large. Being large means having less surface per body mass (surface is where the heat gets into the body but not necessarily out); and being able to travel large distances, like Australian emus that move around in large flocks following rains and avoiding drought. Some other birds in Australian deserts are many species of parrots and cockatoos, owls and birds of prey, however they do rely on some water sources in flying distance, and they tend to avoid the driest deserts like the waterless plains of inland Western Australia.
Reference: http://www.gondwananet.com/australian-desert-animals.html
Australian desert animals are clever survivors.
Australia is a very dry continent with 2/3 of its landmass being deserts or semi deserts. But those areas are not lifeless. As well as Australian desert plants, the animals of dry regions have clever adaptations that help them survive in this harsh environment.
Australian Desert Animals: Reptiles
Reptiles are ectothermic (cool-blooded animals) and they thrive in deserts because living in temperate or colder regions, they have difficulties to keep up their body heat. In Australian deserts, there is a large number of snakes, for example Stimson’s Python (Antaresia stimsoni), Woma (Aspidites ramsayi), Blind Snake, Desert Death Adder (Acanthophis pyrrhus), Yellow-faced Whipsnake (Demansia psammophis), King Brown Snake (Pseudechis australis), Ringed Brown Snake (Pseudonaja modesta), Western Brown Snake (Pseudonaja nuchalis) and Myall Snake (Suta Suta). Other reptiles found in Australian deserts are Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus), Bearded Dragon (Pogona sp.), Pygmy Mulga Monitor (Varanus gilleni), Central Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus Nuchalis) and a countless number of other lizards.
Australian Desert Animals: Small Mammals
Most of the desert mammals are small. Being small, they can burrow holes and get shelter from the heat easier than larger animals. Most of them rest in their burrows during the midday heat, and go out during the night when it’s cool. Small mammals in Australian deserts include Spinifex Hopping Mouse (Notomys alexis), Bilby (Macrotis lagotis), Western Pygmy Possum (Cercatetus concinnus), Wongai Ningaui (Ningaui ridei), Kultarr (Antechinomys laniger), the endangered Mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda) and Fat-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata). Because fat increases body heat, many desert animals store their fat in tail, instead of body. Another adaptation to decrease body heat is having big ears, like in bilby. In Australian deserts, there are also the White-striped Mastiff Bat (Talarida australis), and the Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) – an animal that has adapted to every single habitat in Australia, from hot deserts to cold snowy mountains.
Australian Desert Animals: Large Mammals
Not many large mammals are living in deserts. It is because they are too large to make burrows to escape the heat. They have to have a very good thermoregulation and they have to be able to storage water or go without water for long periods in order to be able to survive. An advantage compared to small animals is, that being bigger, they can move around on larger areas to find water. Some of the large Australian desert animals are Red kangaroos (Macropus rufus), dingos (Canis lupus dingo) and feral camels (Camelus sp.). Camels are able to store large amounts of water so they can go without drinking water for long periods. Red kangaroos concentrate their urine to minimise water loss. They are also inactive and lay in shade during the midday heat, grazing mostly in dusk and dawn. Hopping also saves them energy. Hopping is a much more energy efficient way to get around than is walking or running.
Australian Desert Birds
There are also many birds in Australian deserts. Birds can cope with heat easier than animals. They are endothermic like mammals, but they can tolerate heat better because (1) their normal body temperature is higher than this of mammals (more than 40°C); and (2) because they fly. Even though not many birds are nocturnal and they often fly in the sunshine, they don’t get as easily overheated as do animals because the air is as hottest on the ground and cooler higher up where they fly. Flying is also much quicker than running or walking, so they can quickly fly to water bodies for a dip or a drink. Flightless birds are either nocturnal or large. Being large means having less surface per body mass (surface is where the heat gets into the body but not necessarily out); and being able to travel large distances, like Australian emus that move around in large flocks following rains and avoiding drought. Some other birds in Australian deserts are many species of parrots and cockatoos, owls and birds of prey, however they do rely on some water sources in flying distance, and they tend to avoid the driest deserts like the waterless plains of inland Western Australia.
Reference: http://www.gondwananet.com/australian-desert-animals.html