AULIA MAGHFIRAH ARAMADHANI

200512502039

ENGLISH LITERATURE C 2020

ASSIGNMENT 7: AUSTRALIAN STUDIES |AUSTRALIAN ECOSYSTEMS|

After reading the 2 passages of Australian ecosystems I can conclude that Australia has a
wide variety of ecosystems. Australia is also the sixth largest country in the world covering
three oceans and about 12 million square kilometers, meaning about 91 percent of Australia is
covered by native vegetation. Almost 80% of the people of Australia live near the coast.

Among the fertile soils in other countries, it is undeniable that Australian soil is the oldest land on
earth, even though its land and sea are among the poorest and most unproductive in nutrition in
the world. Their land is only about 6 per cent arable and therefore Australian soils rely
heavily on vegetation cover for nutrition and stability. Compared to other countries Australia
has the least amount of water in rivers, the lowest runoff and the smallest area of permanent
wetlands among all continents. This makes them the driest continent in the world. Yet a third
of the continent produces almost no runoff and Australia's rainfall and river flows are some of the
most variable in the world.

Australia's marine environment is home to 4000 species of fish, 500 species of coral on the
northern reefs alone, 50 species of marine mammals and a wide variety of seabirds. It is
estimated that as many as 80 per cent of marine species found in waters south of Australia
are found nowhere else. Besides that Australia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the
world and making Australia home to 85 per cent of flowering plants, 84 per cent of
mammals, over 45 per cent of birds and 89 per cent of freshwater fish on the coast is unique
to Australia. In addition, Australia is also rich in marsupials — there are more than 140
species. They have at least 18 exotic mammals that have established wild populations in
Australia.

The other types of Australian ecosystems are as follows:

-  Deserts and xeric shrubs, because most of central Australia is deserted it creates a dry or xeric
atmosphere. Plants that thrive here include rubber trees and eucalyptus, as well as hardy shrubs
such as acacia and salt. Wildlife includes small rodents, mastiff bats, equidnas, kestrels and
many types of lizards.

-  Tropical and subtropical areas, In contrast to desert areas, these have more stable annual
temperatures and are dominated by evergreen deciduous trees. A much larger area, mostly in
the northern part of the island, is defined as tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and
scrublands. 

-  Mediterranean Forests and Forests, this ecosystem includes a globally rare climate
characterized by hot and dry summers and cool and humid winters.

-  The temperate zone, along the southeast coast, is a temperate ecoregion characterized by a
cooler climate, high rainfall/humidity and predominance of deciduous plant life.

-  Extremes: Montane and Tundra soils, mountainous areas tend to show stratified plant life with
denser forests at moderate elevations and less plant growth at higher elevations. Similarly,
the tundra region is minimal, found only at high latitudes on Australia's sub-Antarctic
islands.