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Mainland Australia: natural areas and their brief characteristics. Mainland Australia: Natural Zones and Their Brief Description Australia Natural Zones

The exceptional originality and antiquity of the flora and fauna of Australia is due to its long isolation. Most species of plants (75%) and animals (90%) in Australia are endemic, that is, they are not found anywhere else in the world. There are few mammals among animals, but extinct species on other continents, including marsupials (about 160 species), have survived. Characteristic representatives of the Australian flora are eucalyptus trees (600 species), acacia trees (490 species) and casuarins. The mainland did not give the world valuable cultivated plants.

Australia is located in four geographical zones - from subequatorial to moderate. The change in natural zones is due to changes in temperatures and precipitation. The flat character of the relief contributes to a well-defined, disturbed only in the east. The main part of the continent lies in tropical latitudes, therefore tropical deserts and semi-deserts, which occupy half the mainland, are most developed.

Deserts and semi-deserts occupy the central parts of the mainland in two geographical zones (tropical and subtropical). Australia is rightly called the continent of deserts (Great Sandy, Great Victoria Desert, Gibson Desert, etc.). On the Western Australian Plateau in a tropical continental climate, tropical deserts and semi-deserts dominate. In stony and sandy along riverbeds sparse forests of casuarins stretch. In the hollows of clay semi-deserts there are thickets of quinoa and salt-tolerant species of acacia and eucalyptus trees. Deserts are characterized by “pillows” of bushy grass Spinifex. The soils of semi-deserts are serozems, deserts are primitive rocky, clay or sandy.

In the south of the mainland, in the subtropics of the desert and semi-desert, they occupy the Nullarbor plain (“woodless”) and the Murray-Darling lowland. They are formed in a subtropical continental climate on brown semi-desert and gray-brown soils. Against the background of dry rare cereals, wormwood and hodgepodge are found, there is no tree-shrub vegetation.

The most acute problem in Australia is the deficit. Previously, it was solved by pumping groundwater from numerous wells. But at present, a decrease in water levels in artesian basins has been recorded. The depletion of groundwater reserves, along with a decrease in the river’s fullness, exacerbated water shortages in Australia, forcing them to implement programs to conserve them.

One of the ways to preserve nature is to create specially protected natural areas. They occupy 11% of the continent. One of the most visited is the Kosciuszko Park in Australia. In the north is one of the largest parks in the world - Kakadu, where not only wetlands serving as the habitat of many endemic birds, but also caves with rock paintings of Aborigines are taken under protection. In the Blue Mountains Park, stunningly beautiful mountain landscapes with a variety of eucalyptus forests are protected. The nature of deserts is also protected (the Great Desert Victoria, Simpson-Desert parks). Unesco World Heritage Site in Uluru-Katyuta Park recognized as a giant sacred aboriginal monolith made of red sandstone Ayers Rock. The fairy-tale world of corals is protected in the underwater park of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef has the largest variety of corals on the planet (up to 500 species). The threat, in addition to pollution of coastal waters and poaching, is represented by the sea star “crown of thorns” feeding on polyps. Rising ocean water temperatures due to global warming leads to bleaching and death of corals.

The main feature of the animal and plant world of Australia is the predominance of endemic species. Australia is the most deserted continent. Global, depletion of water resources, depletion of flora and fauna pose a threat to the nature of the mainland. Specially protected natural territories occupy 11% of the continent.

Natural areas of Australia.

Objectives:

1. To introduce students to the features of the natural area.

2. To show on the example of a natural zone the interconnection of natural components.

3. Develop skills of working with sources of geographical knowledge (atlases, maps)

4. To instill a love of nature.

Equipment: atlases, maps: physical Australia, natural zones map of plants and animals of the world.

During the classes.

1.Orgment:

One of the heroes of Jules Verne in the novel "Children of the Captain of the Grant" described this continent "... This land is the most curious on the globe! Its appearance, plants, climate - all this surprised and still will surprise ... The most bizarre, most illogical country of all that ever existed! ”

There are traces of wingless birds in the thicket,

There, cats get snakes for food,

Animals born from eggs

And there the dogs don’t know how to bark,

The trees themselves climb out of the bark,

There, rabbits are worse than a flood ...

(G. Usova).

I want to invite you to go on an absentee trip to Australia.

During which we learn how the organic world of this continent differs from other continents, we will discover something new and interesting. - Nature created a huge reserve in Australia, where many animals close to those that inhabited the Earth in ancient times were preserved. The organic world of Australia is peculiar and unique: 75% of plant species and 95% of animals in Australia are endemic. In Australia, there are marsupials - 162 species. But there are no monkeys and ungulates, no plants with juicy fruits, no domesticated plants or animals. In Australia, egg-laying and milk-feeding organisms live and are not found anywhere else on Earth. Why ??

I am sure that at the end of the lesson we will be able to solve this problem.

Australia's Natural Areas Theme

purpose

Let's remember the definition of a natural zone?

(The natural zone is a large natural complex with a commonality of temperature conditions and moisture, soils, vegetation and wildlife).

Well, we decided to travel ..

Where does any journey begin?

From studying the mainland address where you want to go. Is not it? Therefore, tell us about the geographical position of Australia?

When we go on a trip, we need to know the weather forecast, for which we use the knowledge about the mainland climate obtained in the previous lesson. You already know in which climatic zones Australia is located (students call them) and you can independently characterize each of these zones.

(Characteristic of climatic conditions).

Open the atlases, and try to determine what natural zones can be located in a particular climate zone?

(in the course of work, they identify causal relationships between the climate and the location of natural zones).

Then the teacher asks to open the atlases and compare the maps: the climatic and natural zones of Australia.

As a result of the comparison, students come to the conclusion that the distribution of natural zones is primarily affected by precipitation. The boundaries of natural zones almost completely coincide with the boundaries of the average annual rainfall. This suggests that there is a close relationship between the climatic regions and natural zones.

At the request of the teacher, they list all the natural areas of Australia.

Draw the boundaries of natural areas on a contour map

Look what pattern we see: the location of natural zones in Australia obeys the law of latitudinal zonation?

What natural area occupies a large area?

Check frontally.

The student, at the request of the teacher, concludes: “Most of the mainland is occupied by tropical deserts and savannas; within Australia, the change of natural areas is subject to the law of latitudinal zoning. ”

Traveling in Australia begins. We will visit you in different natural areas of the mainland

We will fix our observations in our notebooks,

which will serve us as logbooks.

Well, are you ready? Then go!

1. Begin from the south-east of Australia, which is located in the zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs.

Atlases are in front of you, open them, look, in what climatic zone is this zone located, and what soils are distributed in it? (data is written to the table).

Teacher's story

So, we found out that in the southeast of the continent the most favorable climate and fairly fertile soils is why this region of the mainland is the most populated and developed. Eucalyptus forests prevail here, in the extreme south there is an evergreen beech. But most of these forests are brought together with the advent of Europeans and now grow there: fruit trees, oaks, poplars, cereals and other species. Many forests have died from fires, which often occur here in dry periods. Animals brought here: rabbits, foxes, rats drove out or exterminated local species of animals. In general, Australia's flora and fauna are highly altered by humans, especially in the most populated areas. Forests of Australia are the homeland of green parrots, the number of which also decreased greatly after it became fashionable to have them in European homes.Pupil eucalyptus

Watching a movie.

Filling the table.

Australia Rainforest:

1. This forest is slightly different from other forests. Trees 40-50 meters high, grow so close to each other that their foliage forms a dense canopy, blocking access to sunlight. Therefore, the grass cover is scarce, and instead of it on the ground lies a thick layer of rotting leaves, branches, tree trunks.

2. Creeping plants encircle the branches and trunks of trees, powerful lianas hang from them. The abundance of epiphytic, fern-like, orchids, lichens is striking. The fallen trees are as if shrouded in wool. Humidity is very high.

3. grow here kauri pine, araucaria, red cedar, maple, Australian walnut, eucalyptus, casuarines. The most interesting tree here is banyan tree. Birds scatter its seeds, and they get stuck in the branches and sprout roots, which weave entangle their master and strangle, taking his place.

4. Koalas are also found here. Koala is a distant relative of the wombat, even more distant is a kangaroo and possum: they are all marsupial animals. Koalas do not drink at all, so the name of this animal is translated as non-drinker of water. They feed exclusively on the foliage of certain types of eucalyptus trees. Their life goes mostly in limbo, they are quite lazy and only occasionally descend to the ground. The koala has thick, warm and very sock fur, due to which a huge number of individuals were exterminated, and now they are under state protection.

Students fill out a spreadsheet

The story of the teacher:

3. Imagine that we will pass the next natural zone of savannahs and woodlands by bus, and I will act as a guide and briefly talk about it. At home, you will examine it in more detail using the atlas. You can close your eyes, sit back and dream a little, relax, while I tell you what we could see from the bus window.

The main role in woodlands is played by evergreen eucalyptus trees; in drier places, acacia and casuarins are mixed with them. The trees stand at a great distance from each other and therefore do not obscure the thick green carpet of local herbs: “blue grass”, “Mitchell grass”, “kangaroo grass”, “Flinders grass”. The general view of the savannah varies greatly with the seasons. In the dry season, life here freezes, the soil dries and cracks, the leaves become covered with dust, acquiring a deadly hue. And with the first rains, juicy grass and bright flowers appear. Thick grass grows to 1.5 meters and serves as a nutritious animal feed. The main representative of the wildlife of savannahs and woodlands iskangaroo.

koala

4. And now, finally, we got to the most sultry and lifeless zone of Australia - the zone of deserts and semi-deserts. Using the text and atlas yourself, fill out the table ..

3/4 of the mainland is occupied by deserts. What is the reason for this? (students associate this with the arid climate, find out how much rainfall falls within this zone). There are no deserts like the Australian in the world. Especially peculiar are the sandy deserts formed as a result of the destruction of the ancient ironized parent rock. Therefore, they are reddish-brown in color. The slopes and peaks of sand ridges are overgrown with clumps of spinifex - Holly grass, in some places thorny bushes of acacia, eucalyptus, casuarin are found. The surface of the stony deserts is covered by specific Australian species of quinoa and solyanka, alternating with dense impassable thickets of shrubs -scrubs . (for the more curious, the teacher writes on the blackboard the name of the scrub from eucalyptus and acacia). The vegetation of the semi-deserts is somewhat richer: hard turfgrains, wormwood and hodgepodge, overgrown bushes of acacia and eucalyptus trees. The fauna of the deserts is poor. There are only poisonous snakes, a lizard-like lizard, insects, various species live in semi-desertskangaroo , ostrich emu, wild dingo dog, which significantly affected the reduction of the kangaroo population, as well as man.

6. Consolidation of knowledge gained in the lesson.

Teacher: And now I suggest you listen to the text and find the mistakes made in it.

Forests are located mainly onwest Australia, they have many speciesmonkeys that feed on the leaves of numerous eucalyptus trees andbreadfruit trees. In the forests of Australia, parrots live. A very small area on the mainland is occupied by savannas,semi-deserts and deserts. Among the continuous thickets of shrubs slowly make their waykoalas . Deserts do not seem so lifeless, solike oases meet there at every turn.

Test:

1. Monkeys and ungulates live on mainland Australia.

2. Koala eats only eucalyptus leaves.

3. Scraper - a forest consisting of tall trees.

4. Eucalyptus forests are light, as the leaves are turned towards the sun by an edge.

5. Platypus and echidna egg-laying mammals.

6. The largest area in Australia is forest.

7. Dog Dingo benefits agriculture.

8. Kangaroo is depicted on the national flag of Australia.

9. Australia has many endemic species.

10. Australia has long been separated from other continents, its organic world has developed in isolation.

Teacher's Word:

Finishing our journey, please pay attention to how a person influenced and changed the nature of Australia. Firstly, the area of \u200b\u200bforests is rapidly declining. Secondly, 75% of the mainland is now subject to desertification. Thirdly, some species of animals are completely exterminated, while others are on the verge of extinction. The plant world has also suffered from economic activity and the introduction of man into the wild nature of this unique part of the world. And despite all this, only about 2% of the country's land fund is occupied by protected areas. Until now, the efforts of environmentalists in this country are in constant conflict with the interests of the monopolies, and Australian scientists have expressed concern that the nature of the continent could be sacrificed to them!

D.Z.paragraph

Grades

Natural area	Climate type	Climate features			Vegetation	The soil	Animal world
Natural area	Climate type	Tyvan	Tiyul	Precipitation	Vegetation	The soil	Animal world
Permanently wet forests MOVIE	Tropical humid continental and subtropical monsoon			1000	Eucalyptus trees , palm trees, tree ferns, pandanus, flinders, orchids, araucaria.	Red-yellow ferralite	koala, couscous, tree kangaroo, marsupials: wombat, pademelons, marsupial tiger cats and dwarf posums.
Savannahs, light forests and shrubs	Subequatorial Continental and Tropical Continental				Eucalyptus woodlands, cereals, acacia, casaurins	Brown, reddish brown and brown savannah	Marmot, echidna, kangaroo mouse, giantkangaroo , wombat, marsupial mole, emu ostrich.
Deserts and semi-deserts SAM	Tropical continental				mitchell grass, triiodium, plectrum, shuttlebill	Desert sandy and rocky	Emu ostrich, lacy lizard, snakes,kangaroo, dingo dog
Hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs I + SCIENTIFIC	Subtropical Mediterranean Climate				Low-growing species of eucalyptus, thickets of prickly acacia, solyanka, saltpeter, quinoa	Brown

compose a thematic quiz, a crossword about the uniqueness of flora and fauna or more serious tasks - tests, geographical dictation. Make a note of your choice.

Natural areas of Australia (Grade 7) is one of the most interesting topics of school geography. Indeed, for this continent, despite its small size, a very rich natural diversity is characteristic. This article gives a brief description of all the natural zones of the mainland.

What is a natural area? The formation of natural zones

The natural (or physical-geographical) zone is a part of the geographical envelope, which has its own set of natural components and conditions. Any natural zone includes a number of structural components, namely:

climate features;
landforms;
inland waters;
soil;
flora and fauna.

All these components are in close interaction with each other, and in each of the natural zones the nature of these bonds will be different.

The main factor that affects the formation and distribution of natural zones on the planet is the ratio of the moisture and heat received. This ratio will vary depending on the latitude of the area. Other factors influence the natural zoning (for example, the nature and complexity of the relief, proximity to the ocean, etc.), however, the climatic is still the key factor.

Each of the continents of our planet has its own set of natural zones. Australia is no exception. The natural zones of this continent, namely their distribution, are significantly different from sub-latitudinal. The reason for this is the small size of the mainland, as well as the presence of a powerful and elongated from north to south mountain system in the east of Australia.

The natural areas of the mainland, as well as their territorial distribution, are displayed on the following map:

Natural areas of Australia: table

In order to visualize the physical and geographical zoning of Australia, we bring to your attention the following table.

Natural zoning of mainland Australia

Natural areas	Climate type	Typical representatives of the flora	Typical representatives of the fauna
Permanently Moist Forest Zone	Tropical. Monsoon.	eucalyptus trees; araucaria; ferns; orchids palm trees.	wombat; koala; tiger cat
Zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests	Subtropical (Mediterranean)	eucalyptus trees (stunted); various cereals; hodgepodge; acacia.	various species of snakes and lizards; wombat; dingo dog.
Savannah and woodland area	Subequatorial and tropical	acacia; cereals; casaurins.	echidna; kangaroo; wombat; ostrich Emu.
Desert and semi-desert zone	Tropical (continental)	herbs and some cereals; black beard.	ostrich Emu; various species of snakes and lizards; kangaroo.

Australia: natural areas and their brief description

Australia's largest area is the desert and semi-desert zone, located in the tropical zone. This zone is characterized by low rainfall and extremely high evaporation. Therefore, the vegetation of the Australian deserts is very poor. Quite often, extensive salt crusts covering large areas can be observed here.

To the east of the desert and semi-desert zone is replaced by a more humid zone of savannahs and tropical woodlands. In this natural zone, the flora is already much richer, but a lack of moisture is noticeable here.

The eastern outskirts of Australia, as you know, is occupied by the mountain system - the Great Dividing Range - the most important landscape barrier on the mainland. It was on its slopes that two natural zones of forest type were formed. Between the 15th and 28th degrees of the southern latitude there is a zone of evergreen forests, and to the north of the 15th degree a zone of constantly wet forests extends. Altitudinal zonation on this continent is clearly visible only in the Australian Alps.

Finally

So, we found out that four natural belts are distinguished within the smallest continent of the planet.

The Australian Natural Areas are a zone of constantly moist forests, a zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests, a zone of savannahs and light forests, as well as a zone of deserts and semi-deserts. Each of them is distinguished by its geographical features (soil, plant world, representatives of the fauna).

A characteristic feature of Australia is the uniqueness of the organic world, which consists in a large number of endemic species. At the same time, it should be noted that the wild vegetation of Australia did not produce a single plant that would play a prominent role in agriculture. Among plants, the proportion of endemic reaches 75%. These are casuarins with leafless threadlike branches, and a grass tree, and tree-like ferns, there are also many types of acacia trees, palm trees, various herbs and shrubs.

Australia is completely unthinkable without evergreen giants - eucalyptus, of which there are more than 300 species - from gigantic (up to 150 m tall) to undersized and shrubby. Eucalyptus trees grow very fast. In 20 years, one hectare of eucalyptus forest can produce up to 800 m3 of valuable wood. For comparison, not one of the known tree species can produce such an amount of wood in 120 years. Despite the paradox - eucalyptus grows on the driest continent, the most important property of this tree is its amazing ability to drain the soil, which is why the eucalyptus is called the “tree-pump”. It is not surprising that under the eucalyptus it is not that you cannot meet another tree, you will not see blades of grass there either.

Among animals, the proportion of endemic is even greater - about 90%. It is a symbol of Australia's kangaroo, other marsupials: an unusually cute marsupial bear - a koala, a wombat, a mole, a marsupial wolf, etc. Ancient animals such as primitive oviparous mammals are well known: the platypus and echidna. A lot of different birds: ostrich emu, birds of paradise, cassowary, lyrebird, black swans, weed chickens, parrots and others. The Australian world is also rich in reptiles: especially many poisonous snakes and lizards.

On the mainland natural zones are distributed in concentric circles. In the center - deserts and semi-deserts, they are surrounded by tropical forest-steppes - savannas and light forests. The northern and northeastern parts of the continent are characterized by humid and alternating wet forests. Various types of palm trees, laurels, ficuses and tree ferns intertwined with vines grow here on red ferrallite soils. On the eastern slopes of the Dividing Range eucalyptus forests. Above 1000 m, you can find individual arrays of ancient coniferous species - araucaria.

AT savannahcommon species are eucalyptus, acacia and casuarins on red-brown and red-brown soils. Kangaroos, emu ostriches live here. In the far southwest shrub steppes give way to hard-leaved forests and shrubs, in the southeast - subtropical moist mixed forests with evergreen beech trees on red-yellow ferrallite soils.

In semi-deserts and deserts you can find completely impassable thickets, consisting of hard-leaved thorny, densely intertwined shrubs (shrub forms of eucalyptus and acacia) - scrubs. In the western and central parts of the mainland, large areas are occupied by sandy deserts - Bolshaya, Victoria, Simpson. They are characterized by long ridges, occupied in places by high, stiff grains (“reed grass”). Of the animals found here are giant kangaroos, wombats, an emu and a dingo dog, which is a feral domestic animal. In deserts, the soil cover is poorly developed, and in some places special desert soils colored in red are formed.

Altitude can only be found in the Australian Alps, where on the tops of the forest are replaced by alpine meadows.

Due to the arid climate in Australia, plowed plots are much smaller than grassland. However, pasture loads in many areas of the continent are so great and intense that they led to a noticeable change in its flora and fauna. A lot of different types of trees, shrubs and grasses were brought to Australia from other continents. Many imported animals (foxes, rats, rabbits) forced out or severely exterminated local species of animals. Almost every year, Australian forests are severely affected by numerous fires.

Natural area	Climate type	Climate features	Vegetation	The soil	Animal world
Tjan	Tjuly	Precipitation
Permanently wet forests	Tropical humid continental and subtropical monsoon				Eucalyptus trees, palm trees, tree ferns, pandanus, flinders, orchids, araucaria.	Red-yellow ferralite	koala , couscous , tree kangaroo, marsupials: wombat, pademelons, marsupial tiger cats and dwarf posums.
Savannahs, light forests and shrubs	Subequatorial Continental and Tropical Continental				Eucalyptus woodlands, cereals, acacia, casaurins	Brown, reddish brown and brown savannah	Marmot, echidna, kangaroo mouse, giant kangaroo, wombat, marsupial mole, emu ostrich.
Deserts and semi-deserts	Tropical continental				mitchell grass, triiodium, plectrum, shuttlebill	Desert sandy and rocky	Emu ostrich, lacy lizard, snakes, kangaroos, dingo dog
Hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs	Subtropical Mediterranean Climate				Low-growing species of eucalyptus, thickets of prickly acacia, solyanka, saltpeter, quinoa	Brown

Lecture added 03/03/2014 at 15:02:07

At the location of the natural areas of Australia there is a pronounced latitudinal zone, which is disturbed by the eastern and western edges due to an increase in rainfall.

Savannah and forests correspond to a subsectoral climatic zone. Eucalyptus, acacia, throat with bare threadlike branches, the bottle is grown on red ferrite and red-brown soil between the herbs.

Humid and variable moist rainforests are widespread in the eastern part of the belt under conditions of uniform moisture, where palms, ficus and ferns appear during eucalyptus.

Kangaroos, wombats, marsupial anteaters live in this zone; There are many birds on the banks of the reservoirs.

Tropical deserts and semi-deserts are the largest area in area. Tropical small meadows grow in the desert, there are bushes of dried bushes from bent acacia, eucalyptus.

Such bushes are called shrubs. For pastures, desert areas are used, covered with hard grass with spinax and shrubs. In the deserts there are large kangaroos, echoes, and many reptiles.

Subtropical forests, in which eucalyptus, evergreen beech and others predominate, grow in the southeast and southwest of the continent.

Topic: Natural areas of Australia.

Purpose: the formation of the scientific worldview of students in the process of studying the natural zones of Australia and the identification of their dependence on the climatic features of the mainland through the activation of mental and creative activity.

Lesson Objectives:

Educational:

to deepen students' knowledge about the characteristics of the animal world of Australia, through intersubject communications;
to develop interest in the study of: biology, geography, English;
to improve the ability to establish relationships between natural components;
Explain the patterns of location of natural areas.
to develop communicative abilities of students through the game.
To form the ability to briefly outline the studied material in the form of a waybill.

Educational:

Build self-confidence.
Develop respect for the opinions of others.
Development of creative initiative in finding the right solutions.

Developing:

Broaden the horizons of students.
To develop students' mental activity through the use of various types of partially - search tasks.
To develop the ability to correctly formulate your thoughts when answering the question.

Lesson type:

Equipment:

physical map of Australia;
multimedia presentation and video for the lesson;
atlases of class 7;
australia Natural Areas waybill.

Introduction by the teacher:

Hello guys! I am very pleased to see you all. Sit down please.

Today we have an unusual lesson, but a lesson in geography and English.

The appearance of Sherlock Holmes. Knock on the door.

Hello, I'm the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. The fact is, I bet with my friend Dr. Watsan.

We argued that I would find him anywhere in the world. Dr. Watson flew out of England in a balloon. I have a letter in which Watson left me clues. I ask you to travel with me and find Dr. Watson.

This is the smallest continent on Earth, but, despite this, its size is impressive.

It is also the driest continent in the world. 40% of its area is occupied by deserts, although not ordinary ones. Through their thorny thickets you need to make your way with an ax.

It is sometimes called the "mainland, vice versa." Not all trees here give a shadow. Animals raise their cubs in a bag. This is the mainland of secrets and surprises.

Geography teacher: As I understand it, we have before us the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. He speaks only English. And in order to understand it, I need your help, guys, because you are all learning English. I think we need help and English teachers.

Eleanor Viktorovna, we need you as an expert to help Sherlock Holmes, and also to verify the correct answers of the guys from the point of view of the English language.

English teacher: Of course, I will try to help you. What happened?

Geography teacher: Guys, I studied English for a very long time and I don’t remember much.

Help me explain what the problem is with Sherlock Holmes.

Student: Marina Anatolyevna, the problem is that Sherlock Holmes made a bet with his friend Dr. Watson. They argued that Sherlock Holmes would find him anywhere in the world. Dr. Watson flew out of England in a balloon. Sherlock Holmes has a letter from Watson. He asks us to help him find his friend.

Listening to a letter from Dr. Watson.

English teacher: Now we will try to analyze the information and create a portrait of this country.

In the course of our trip, we will keep a waybill (it lies on your tables)

Sherlock Holmes: I believe that this is Australia, but I still doubt that Dr. Watson sent me these figures in his letter. It could be a code.

1 group

km2 - Mainland area

2.2 — Washed by two oceans

3.2228m.- kosciuszko the highest point of the mainland

16m - The lowest point from sea level (Lake Eyre)

Geography teacher: Guys, let's help Sherlock Holmes work with the map.

2 group

The game "Do you know the map." Students are offered a map of Australia with unknown objects (presentation slides). It is necessary to determine what these objects are.

The bay
Isle
River
Peninsula
Desert
Lake

3 group

Paste the words into the missing places.

Mainland Australia from the equator is in the ________ hemisphere.

Almost in the middle of it ______ tropic crosses. The northernmost point of the mainland is ________. From the south, the _______ gulf deeply emanates into the mainland. From the north - _______ bay. South of the mainland is the island ________, which used to be part of Australia. The _________ mountain range runs along the entire east coast. Here is the highest peak _________, whose height reaches ________ meters.

The longest river in Australia is __________, and the longest ________.

Australia is characterized by drying rivers _______. Most of the lakes are salty and dry. The largest is Lake ________. The state that occupies the whole mainland is called _______.

Geography teacher:The guys Sherlock said that here is a unique flora and fauna.

Let's make sure of that.

Using the map of the atlas (p. 29), let us determine what natural zones our path will go in search of Dr. Watson.

What are the natural zones of the mainland:

moist and alternatingly moist forests;
savannahs and woodlands;
semi-deserts and deserts;
hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs.

In mountainous areas are areas of altitudinal zonation.

(slide with a map of natural zones) Write them on our waybill.

Which natural area occupies the largest area?

Why do you think so? (underline her)

Compare the map of natural areas and the climate map. Establish the main reason for the change of natural zones.

(the main reason for the change of natural areas: change in rainfall). Write it on the waybill.

We have a long journey ahead, let's stretch our hands a little.

Physical Fitness.

It is called "Side of the horizon." I will name the geographical objects of Australia, if it is located in the northern part, then you will reach, if in the south - do a forward tilt, if in the west - turn left, and if in the east - turn right.

So, we begin: m. South - East - Point, m. York, m. Stip - Point, m. Byron.

We rested and now we can continue the journey.

Australia is the most amazing and unique continent of the Earth. In the organic world of the mainland, 75% of plant species and 95% of animal species are endemic.

Endemics - These are plants and animals that live in limited areas of the Earth.

Let's get to know australia plants, (write them in the waybill)

Watch a video tutorial on Australia's natural areas

Tree ferns the most ancient plants on earth.

Sometimes they reach a height of up to 20 m. The tops of their trunks have no branches and are crowned with groups of large leaves.

Eucalyptus - distinguish many of their species. Many are 100 meters high.

Their roots go 30 meters to the ground. Absorb a lot of moisture. They have hardwood, the leaves are rich in essential oils.

Bottle tree - the trunk at the base thick tapers up.

It has a dense bark, stores a lot of moisture. Crowned with a spreading crown, consisting of narrow leaves 8 cm long.

Casuarina - a strange-looking tree with thin flowing shoots without leaves.

It looks like horsetail. It has a very dense wood, so it is called the "iron tree".

Dr. Watson’s letter contained very obscure photographs.

We think this is a joke. Under the image there was a signature-mammal, but in the nest we see eggs and an absurd body, made up of three animals.

Now let's look at animal world mainland, (write them in the waybill)

Primitive mammals are found here:

Echidna: Reminds a hedgehog, the body is covered with needles.

Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. It feeds on ants, termites, and worms. The female lays one egg every year and carries it in a bag. The baby, hatched from the egg, is in a bag for a very long time and feeds on breast milk.

Platypuslooks like a fat puppy. Between the toes are membranes, on the head is a duck beak. The tail is like that of a beaver, the front legs of a badger.

The male has spurs on its hind legs that secrete poison. It leads a nocturnal lifestyle, finds food in water. Just like in a echidna, a baby is born from an egg and fed by mother's milk.

A large group of animals are marsupials of about 125 species. These include:

Kangaroo - curious with an original body structure are able to make unusually high and long jumps. Their growth is from 23 cm to 2 m. Mass up to 20 kg. A baby is born very small in size with a walnut.

He lives in a bag for a long time, feeding on mother's milk.

In thickets of eucalyptus occur koalas. Their average growth is up to 50 cm, weight up to 10 kg.

Very lazy. They sit on eucalyptus trees and eat their leaves. The leaves have a lot of moisture, so koalas do not need to drink. Cubs, like all marsupial animals, carry in a bag 7-8 months.

Then he gets out of the bag and sits on his mother’s back. Only from a year do cubs become independent.

Wild dog dingo. In appearance it is a cross between a wolf and a dog. It leads mainly a nocturnal lifestyle. Numerous marsupials, reptiles and birds serve as food for them. Many scientists believe that Dingo is a contemporary of the most ancient man on the continent - she has lived in Australia for more than 6 thousand.

years ago.

Ostrich Emu - large running bird, weighing up to 50 kg. They feed on plant seeds and small animals. It can race on its long legs at a speed of 50 km / h.

Lyrebird bird - You can see it only in Australia. The feathers of this bird are valued fabulously expensive, so there are many lovers of profit.

Cassowary - flightless birds with long strong legs and powerful sharp claws, which they protect if necessary.

Duck bill (platypus) - platypus

Koala - Koala

Kangaroo- Kangaroo

Dingo (wild dog) - dingo

Echidna- Echidna

Wombat wombat

Emy is an ostrich emu.

Geography teacher:The guys on your tables are envelopes in which photographs of representatives of the flora and fauna of Australia lie; your task is to distribute them among the natural zones of the mainland.

catalogue of articles

Group 1: deserts

Group 2: savannas and woodlands

Group 3: monsoon and subequatorial forests, moist tropical evergreen forests

One student completing a task using an interactive module on a computer

http://learningapps.org/index.php?page\u003d4&s\u003d&category\u003d6

Australians love their unique flora and fauna and therefore immortalize them with state symbols and banknotes.

(slide: Australian Union coat of arms depicting a kangaroo and an emu ostrich).

On coins of 5 cents the echidna is depicted, 10 cents - a bird - lyrebird, 20 cents - a platypus.

To save representatives of the unique fauna, Australians

set a ban on the export of animals;
set a ban on captivity;
restriction or complete prohibition of hunting for certain species of animals.

On this our journey came to an end, and we return home.

Let's remember what we learned today.

Assignment tasks:

"Find the superfluous":

A) Kangaroo, koala, wombat, elephant.

B) Eucalyptus, acacia, baobab, casaurin.

2. "Classification of objects."Here is a list of objects: tropical, savannahs and light forests, Darling, kangaroos, deserts, subequatorial, Murray, lyrebird, subtropical, variable - moist forests.

choose from it

natural areas -

climatic zones -

3. “Find the mistakes”

“Most of Australia is in the equatorial climate zone, so a dry climate prevails there. In subequatorial forests, among the tall grasses, along with other trees (palm trees, ficuses), peculiar baobab trees grow with thick trunks at the base, sharply tapering to the top. Australia's largest river system is Darling with a large tributary of the Murray.

Temporary drying rivers on this continent are called Wadi. The relief of Australia, like Africa, is relatively simple. At its base lies folding, in the east of the mainland is the Australian platform.

The animal world is peculiar. The echidna, the platypus, which removes the cubs from the eggs, lives here. Often there are hippo, elephant, and other large animals. A lot of marsupials. "

4.Define the description of animals in Australia.

1. Climbing marsupial woody mammal, eating eucalyptus leaves ... _________________________________________

2. A bowed rodent, an inhabitant of the Australian savannah ... ________________________

3. A running bird, a relative of emu, eats the fruits and seeds of trees ... ___________________________________

Conclusion: Thus, we got acquainted with the natural areas of Australia, with the features of the organic world of the mainland

Error message

“Most of Australia is in the equatorial climate zone, so a dry climate prevails there.

In subequatorial forests, among the tall grasses, along with other trees (palm trees, ficuses), peculiar baobab trees grow with thick trunks at the base, sharply tapering to the top.

Australia's largest river system is Darling with a large tributary of the Murray. Temporary drying rivers on this continent are called Wadi. The relief of Australia, like Africa, is relatively simple. At its base lies folding, in the east of the mainland is the Australian platform. The animal world is peculiar. The echidna, the platypus, which removes the cubs from the eggs, lives here. Often there are hippo, elephant, and other large animals. A lot of marsupials. "

INTRODUCTION

Australia is the only state in the world that occupies a whole continent. This is the driest continent on earth, a third of the entire territory is desert. The length (from north to south) is approximately 3700 km, width - 4000 km.

In the east, the mainland is divided by the Great Dividing Range, which extends from the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland to Melbourne, Victoria.

Australia's highest point is Mount Kosciusko, 2,229 meters high, located near the New South Wales and Victoria state borders in the snow-covered Alpine region of the Great Dividing Range.

To the west of the dividing ridge lies mostly flat terrain with several low mountain ranges, like the Flinders in South Australia and the MacDonnell near Alice Springs. Australia is a relatively sparsely populated continent (a total of 18 million people). But it is paradoxical that Australia is one of the most urbanized countries in the world. Two-thirds of the population live in administrative centers, states, and on the coast.

§ 37. Australia: natural areas

Vast central areas that were once in almost complete isolation, which they managed to do away with thanks to radio and aviation, are almost not populated by people.

Australia is the largest island and smallest continent on the planet.

There are 5 states and 2 territories on the main continent.

The sixth state, Tasmania, is located 200 km south of Victoria, and is separated from the mainland by the Bass Strait.

In the east are the Norfolk Islands and Lord Howe Islands, managed by Australia, as well as the Antarctic section around Mawson Station.

This is the driest continent on earth, a third of the entire territory is desert. The length (from north to south) is approximately 3700 km, width - 4000 km.

In the east, the mainland is divided by the Great Dividing Range, which extends from the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland to Melbourne, Victoria. Australia's highest point is Mount Kosciusko, 2,229 meters high, located near the New South Wales and Victoria state borders in the snow-covered Alpine region of the Great Dividing Range.

To the west of the dividing ridge lies mostly flat terrain with several low mountain ranges, like the Flinders in South Australia and the MacDonnell near Alice Springs.

The center of the continent is mostly sparsely populated desert. About 80% of the total population of Australia lives on the east coast or along the coastline.

An extensive river system feeds its waters hundreds of kilometers to fill the salt lakes located in the north of South Australia. These lakes often dry out for a long time: the largest of them, Lake Eyre, is an area of \u200b\u200b9475 sq. M.

km, filled in 1994 for the first time in the previous decade. The water from these lakes, besides the one that evaporates, feeds the Central Australian Artesian Basin, a huge natural underground aquifer system. This water gives life to many sources in the most remote areas of the desert (these sources over the centuries allow people to survive in the most "dead" areas of the desert); the same system provides Alice Spring water.

An object term paper - mainland Australia.

purpose course work to consider the natural complexes of Australia.
Based on the goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:

give general information about the natural complex;
consider the features of the geographical position of Australia;
consider the geological development and modern composition of the specific natural components of the mainland.

I GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE NATURAL COMPLEX

1.1 Natural complexes

Natural complex - a territory homogeneous in origin, history of geological development and the modern composition of specific natural components.

It has a single geological foundation, the same type and amount of surface and groundwater, a uniform soil and vegetation cover, and a single biocenosis (a combination of microorganisms and characteristic animals). In the natural complex, interaction and metabolism between its constituent components are also of the same type.

The interaction of the components ultimately leads to the formation of specific natural complexes.

The level of interaction of components in the natural complex is determined primarily by the amount and rhythms of solar energy (solar radiation).

Knowing the quantitative expression of the energy potential of the natural complex and its rhythm, modern geographers can determine the annual productivity of its natural resources and the optimal timing of their renewability.

This allows you to objectively predict the use of natural resources of natural-territorial complexes (PTC) in the interests of human activity.

Currently, most of the Earth's natural complexes are, to one degree or another, altered by man, or even re-created by him on a natural basis.

For example, oases in the desert, reservoirs, plantations of crops. Such natural complexes are called anthropogenic. By their purpose, anthropogenic complexes can be industrial, agricultural, urban, etc. According to the degree of change in human economic activity - in comparison with the initial natural state, they are divided into slightly changed, changed and greatly changed.

Natural complexes can be of different sizes - of different ranks, as scientists say.

The largest natural complex is the geographic shell of the Earth. The continents and oceans are natural complexes of the next rank.

Physicogeographical countries — natural complexes of the third level — stand out within the continents. Such, for example, as the East European Plain, the Ural Mountains, the Amazon Lowland, the Sahara desert and others. Well-known natural zones can serve as examples of natural complexes: tundra, taiga, temperate forests, steppes, deserts, etc.

The smallest natural complexes (terrain, natural boundaries, fauna) occupy limited territories. These are hilly ridges, separate hills, their slopes; or low-lying river valley and its individual sections: channel, floodplain, floodplain terraces. It is interesting that the smaller the natural complex, the more homogeneous its natural conditions.

However, even in natural complexes of significant sizes, the homogeneity of natural components and the main physical and geographical processes is preserved. Thus, the nature of Australia is not at all similar to the nature of North America, the Amazonian lowland is noticeably different from the Andes, Karakum (desert of the temperate zone) adjacent to the West, an experienced geographer will not mix up with the Sahara (desert of the tropical zone), etc.

Thus, the entire geographical shell of our planet consists of a complex mosaic of natural complexes of different ranks.

Natural complexes formed on land are now called natural-territorial (PTC); formed in the ocean and other body of water (in a lake, river) - natural aquatic (PAA); natural and anthropogenic landscapes (PAL) are created by human activities on a natural basis.

1.2 Geographic envelope - the largest
natural complex

The geographical shell is a continuous and integral shell of the Earth, including in a vertical section the upper part of the earth's crust (lithosphere), the lower atmosphere, the entire hydrosphere and the entire biosphere of our planet.

What unites, at first glance, the heterogeneous components of the natural environment into a single material system? It is within the geographical envelope that there is a continuous exchange of matter and energy, a complex interaction between the indicated component shells of the Earth.

The boundaries of the geographic envelope are still not clearly defined. For its upper boundary, scientists usually take the ozone screen in the atmosphere, beyond which life on our planet does not go beyond. The lower boundary is most often carried out in the lithosphere at depths of not more than 1000 m.

This is the upper part of the earth's crust, which is formed under the strong joint influence of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and living organisms. The entire thickness of the waters of the oceans is inhabited, so if we talk about the lower boundary of the geographic shell in the ocean, then it should be carried out along the ocean floor. In general, the geographic shell of our planet has a total thickness of about 30 km.

As you can see, the geographical envelope in volume and territorially coincides with the distribution of living organisms on Earth.

However, there is still no single point of view regarding the ratio of the biosphere and the geographical envelope. Some scientists believe that the concepts of “geographical envelope” and “biosphere” are very close, even identical, and these terms are synonyms. Other researchers consider the biosphere only as a certain stage in the development of the geographical envelope. In this case, three stages are distinguished in the history of the development of the geographical envelope: pre-biogenic, biogenic and anthropogenic (modern).

The biosphere, according to this point of view, corresponds to the biogenic stage of the development of our planet. According to the third, the terms “geographical envelope” and “biosphere” are not identical, as they reflect different qualitative essence. The concept of “biosphere” focuses on the active and decisive role of living matter in the development of the geographical envelope.

Which point of view to give preference?

It should be borne in mind that a number of specific features are characteristic of the geographic envelope. First of all, it is distinguished by a large variety of material composition and types of energy characteristic of all component shells - the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Through the general (global) cycles of matter and energy, they are combined into an integral material system.

To know the laws of development of this unified system is one of the most important tasks of modern geographical science.
Thus, the integrity of the geographical envelope is the most important regularity, on the knowledge of which the theory and practice of modern rational nature management is based.

Taking this regularity into account allows us to predict possible changes in the nature of the Earth (a change in one of the components of the geographical envelope will necessarily cause a change in the others); give a geographic forecast of the possible results of human exposure to nature; to carry out a geographical examination of various projects related to the economic use of certain territories.

The geographic shell is also characterized by another characteristic regularity - the rhythm of development, i.e.

repeatability over time of certain phenomena. In the nature of the Earth, rhythms of different durations have been revealed - daily and annual, intra-century and super-century rhythms. The daily rhythm, as is known, is due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis. The daily rhythm is manifested in changes in temperature, pressure and humidity, cloudiness, wind strength; in the phenomena of ebbs and flows in the seas and oceans, circulation of breezes, processes of photosynthesis in plants, daily biorhythms of animals and humans.

Annual rhythm is the result of the motion of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun.

This is a change of seasons, changes in the intensity of soil formation and destruction of rocks, seasonal features in the development of vegetation and human activities. Interestingly, different landscapes of the planet have different daily and annual rhythms. Thus, annual rhythm is best expressed in temperate latitudes and very weakly in the equatorial belt.

1.3 Natural zones of the globe, their brief description

The great Russian scientist V.V.

At the end of the last century, Dokuchaev substantiated the universal planetary law of geographical zonality - a regular change in the components of nature and natural complexes when moving from the equator to the poles. The zoning is primarily due to the unequal (latitudinal) distribution of solar energy (radiation) on the Earth’s surface, associated with the spherical shape of our planet, as well as different amounts of precipitation.

Depending on the latitudinal correlation of heat and moisture, weathering and exogenous relief-forming processes are subject to the law of geographical zonality; zonal climate, surface waters of land and ocean, soil cover, vegetation and wildlife.

The largest zonal units of the geographical envelope are geographical zones.

They extend, as a rule, in the latitudinal direction and, in essence, coincide with climatic zones. Geographical zones differ from each other in temperature characteristics, as well as in general atmospheric circulation features. The following geographical zones stand out on land:

equatorial - common for the northern and southern hemispheres;
subequatorial, tropical, subtropical and moderate -

subantarctic and antarctic zones - in the southern hemisphere.

Belts similar in name were found in the oceans.

The zonality in the ocean is reflected in the change from the equator to the poles of the properties of surface waters (temperature, salinity, transparency, wave intensity and others), as well as in changes in the composition of flora and fauna.

Within the geographical zones, the zones of heat and moisture distinguish natural zones. The names of the zones are given according to the type of vegetation prevailing in them.

For example, in the subarctic zone these are tundra and forest-tundra zones; in the temperate - forest zones (taiga, mixed coniferous-broad-leaved and broad-leaved forests), zones of forest-steppes and steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.

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Continental Australia: natural areas and their brief description

Emus is the largest bird of the Australian continent. It has undeveloped, very small, squeezed wings, close to the body. Given the scale, the Australian ostrich is slightly worse than its African counterpart. Emu is a great sprinter that works fast enough. Unlike the African loop, this bird flies beautifully, and he likes to do it for pleasure.

In the environment of Emu are the islands of Tasmania and Australia.

However, now the bird is grown in China, Peru, North America and other countries that go beyond the natural habitat of large-scale, although not so common.

Scientists have discovered that the earlier living space of these knives was much wider - from modern Egypt to Morocco, as well as from ancient Persia and Mesopotamia through the Middle East to South Africa.

habitat

These birds actively settle on dry and open biotopes.

Such in Australia are grass sabers and shrubs. Nails can also be observed on the strange periphery, but they do not penetrate deep into the sand. They lead a fairly quiet life, for example, in the west of the continent, regular seasonal movement: in winter they approach the south, and in the summer - to the north.

What feeds, natural enemies

As food, Emu nuts are used by fruits, seeds and plant roots, the smallest animals:

lizards;
beetles;
ants
caterpillars
keel.

Bird food comes from plant stems and from the soil.

Emu are well tolerated by drought, although it is very convenient to absorb moisture from a puddle at the right time and try to visit small ponds.

Dusty baths, unlike water, nightmares do not like Emu.

In these birds there is no federal night sleep, but shorter.

Individuals' lifespan ranges from ten to twenty years - unless they die due to harassment of hawks, eagles, and dingoes.

Danger to people

This bird is great for people.

In addition, Emusa Omus is very friendly if they feel good about themselves. They quickly adapt to the owners and become very hidden.

Ecology is a broad concept and an integral part of the planet as a whole and its parts separately. Ecology also includes such a factor as environmental problems, which are slow destroyers of the planet. Our planet is divided into two hemispheres, and into different continents that have different conditions.

Green Continent - Green Policy

Australia is just one of the continents with a rather specific ecology, climatic conditions, nature and unique species of animals and plants.

However, this uniqueness and uniqueness can easily be lost due to serious and very dangerous environmental news from Australia: more and more active human intervention in the life of the green continent has a devastating effect on the flora and fauna of the mainland country.

The environmental problems of Australia are, without exaggeration, the problems of the entire population of the planet. This continent is very rich in resources such as precious metals.

Naturally, this is support for the Australian economy, and people get it relentlessly. Thus, when mining, the land is depleted, the subsoil cannot restore these resources. In addition, there is severe destruction of the soil during excavation.

In order to find ways to solve the environmental problems of Australia, it is necessary to name their main causes.

The main environmental problems in Australia include:

soil erosion;
depletion of land reserves.

Maintaining the economic situation, mining coal, iron, expensive metals, people do not realize that by doing so they slowly kill and destroy the earth, mistakenly believing that it is not exhaustible.

This problem could be fixed if people, in the pursuit of money and profit, nevertheless, realized that it was necessary to give some time so that the resources could be restored, for example, as the fish population increases in rivers and lakes by reproduction.

Therefore, catching it does not bring great damage to the continent. Instead, the miners take the fossils so quickly, completely emptying these gold veins, without giving time for healing.

By the way, forest and water resources are renewable.

But if they are spent, exceeding all possible measures, then they can disappear. This, in fact, begins to happen. People do not know the measure. They use natural gifts as if it were their property and they could no longer live on this planet. And in between, she is already suffocating from exhaustion of resources.

It is noted that the natural resources of the Australian continent are used as intensively as the extraction of coal, iron and other minerals.

Due to its compactness, Australia is very easy to analyze in terms of mineral consumption, economics, and the dynamics of natural resources.

This is because the Australian system is not as large and complex as the structures of other countries. In addition, the population of the continent is not very numerous.

However, because of its uniqueness, Australia is more visible and vulnerable, along with Iceland, from an environmental point of view.

Many aspire to Australia because of the high standard of living, well-educated, cultured people. Unfortunately, this part of the planet is also facing problems that are characteristic of poor parts of the Earth. For example, the lack of water resources necessary for life.

After all, this happens precisely due to human life. And this threat is the crown of not only developed Australia, but also of other rich countries that “live to the fullest”, squandering their resources as if this disaster had never threatened humanity.

As if in the media in the news about the ecology of Australia they do not constantly shout about the deaths of people and animals from drought. And water scarcity is far from everything!

Human civilized vital activity destroys the earth and salifies the soil to such an extent that succulent long-term green plants can no longer grow on it, which process carbon dioxide into oxygen so that we can breathe fresh and clean air.

Australians should think about this, if only because a large desert is occupied by a dry desert.

The consequence of such climatic conditions, which this desert influences, is its low soil fertility.

Australia Natural Areas

They are not saturated with a lot of nutrients. It is because of this that the soil of the country brings a large number of problems and is one of the causes of environmental problems in Australia and Oceania as a whole.

This can be explained by the fact that Australia is a very ancient continent, its soil corresponds to its antiquity. Over time, it could happen that along with the rains, all the nutrients could simply be washed with water.

Unfortunately, this factor is practically not subject to recovery for many reasons, but it becomes a consequence of many other problems, for example, the depletion of almost all natural resources. This led to both economic and agricultural problems in the country.

Of course, the planet is divided into many small parts, but it would be foolish to believe that environmental problems in one earth’s hemisphere will not affect another.

After all, everything in life is interconnected. Nature can give, but can select and cruelly punish. This should be remembered!

Australia has well-defined landscape zoning. Natural zones gradually replace one another as temperature and precipitation change. This is facilitated by the flat nature of the relief of the mainland and the absence of distinct orographic boundaries on it.

The main part of Australia lies in tropical latitudes; therefore, the natural zones of the tropical zone are widespread on the mainland. Among them, the most developed zones of tropical deserts and semi-deserts. In the north, semi-deserts are replaced by zones of savannahs, light forests and shrubs.

In the south, the tropical desert zone is framed by a subtropical desert zone. In the southwest, a zone of Mediterranean dry forests and shrubs is developed; in the southeast, a zone of moist subtropical forests.

Along the windward slopes of the Great Dividing Range, forest zones of the tropical and subtropical zones extend.

Thus, in tropical Australia, the natural zones are located in semi-concentric arcs around the tropical desert zone, which occupies the extra-arid regions of inland Australia.

In the subtropical zone, the zones extend submeridially, and their set is quite wide (from east to west): the zone of moist subtropical forests, forest-steppes and steppes, semi-deserts and Mediterranean.

In Australia, all types of soils common to the equatorial-tropical space and subtropical geographical zone are common. In the region of moist tropical forests in the north and especially in the northeast, red-yellow ferrallite soils and their differences along the slopes of the ranges are developed.

In wet savannas they are replaced by red ferrallite, and in drier places red-brown soils. On the weathered lavas of the Great Dividing Range, tropical black soils formed, and in the Australian Alps mountain meadow differences. Primitive soils of tropical deserts, often saline, are also widespread. In semi-deserts under thickets of thorny shrubs and undersized trees with fine leathery foliage, red-brown soils are developed.

In the southwest of the continent, brown and gray-brown soils prevail. And in the forests of the southeast, brown and yellow-brown forest soils are common.

The mainland flora belongs to the Australian plant kingdom. The beginning of the formation of flora refers to the Mesozoic. Since the middle of the Cenozoic era, Australia has been isolated from other continents. In Australia, there were 2 centers for the formation of flora: Western and Eastern, between which there was a sea between the beginning of the anthropogen. There are currently more endemics in the east (New South Wales) and northwest (Queensland). In the flora of the west and east of the continent, only 10% of the species are common.

The first feature of the Australian flora is its antiquity, a high percentage of endemic species. Australia is the birthplace of eucalyptus trees, there are 600 species here, phyloid acacias - 280 species, casuarins (desert oak) - 25 species.

The second feature of the flora is its strong xerophytic character.

The third feature - Australia gave few cultivated plant species.

Kingdom of floristry. It includes Australia and the neighboring island of Tasmania, as well as some small islands. The kingdom of Australia is in a completely isolated position. It is separated from the rest of the land by more or less vast sea spaces.

Flora of Australia is very rich (about 15 thousand species), extremely original, original and contains many ancient plants. The original core of the flora arose as a result of the transformation of the elements of the ancient flora common on the Gondwana continent.

Australia is very endemic at all levels. Here there are more than 10 endemic families (cephalotic families; 1 species of insectivorous herbaceous plant in which hunting shells resemble small pitchers). From other families: Brunonium, Davidsonium, Tremander, Biblidae, Acanias.

Endemic genera 570. Among them are several large genera from the Proteus family: hackey, vertikordiya, konospermum, etc.

The endemicity of the Australian flora is very high. The proportion of endemic species as a whole reaches 75-80%.

The Australian flora has many characteristic families. Among them, the Protein family can be called primarily (the majority of species of this family - more than 700 are concentrated here). Rose Grevillea, hackey, Banksia. Representatives of this family have a very peculiar, often bizarre appearance.

In the Australian flora there are many representatives of the myrtle family. Species of the genus Callistemon attract attention with their original bright red fluffy inflorescences of a cylindrical shape (they look like a brush for washing bottles).

The most characteristic genus of Australia, eucalyptus, belongs to the myrtle family. There are about 600 species of eucalyptus trees. Most of them are trees, but there are also bushes. Almost all eucalyptus plants are evergreens. The life forms of eucalyptus trees are very diverse, for example, the height of a giant eucalyptus is 100 m, its root system goes into the ground by 30 m. The leaves of most eucalyptus trees, located edge to sunlight, form a crown that does not obscure the soil. However, many eucalyptus trees usually have foliage and a crown characteristic of our deciduous trees. The bluish-green foliage of eucalyptus gives (even evergreen subtropical forests in southeastern Australia) a somewhat lifeless color, they do not have a bright and fresh color of European forests.

Acacias (the legume family) are no less characteristic of the mainland landscapes - there are 500 species of them or half of the species of this genus on Earth.

Acacia grows in a wide variety of conditions: in humid forests and deserts. Up to half of the species of Australian acacia have phyllodium, that is, petioles have acquired the shape of leaves (flat green petioles of various shapes instead of real leaves). Acacia is an evergreen plant. Their inflorescences usually have the appearance of small fluffy yellow balls and consist of extremely small individual flowers, almost indistinguishable by the simple eye, these are false mimosa flowers, from which they are distinguished by a larger number of stamens.

One of the reasons for the flora of the Kingdom of Australia is the lack of some plant families and larger taxa that are widespread on other continents. There are no horsetails, bamboos, representatives of the subfamily of apple, the families of the Rosaceae, heather, begonia, valerian, tea. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to by the term “flora deficiency”.

Tropical rainforests are the kingdom of dicotyledonous plants. They are most luxurious between 14-19 ° S Their luxuriously developed foliage forms a dense, shading soil forest tent. A characteristic feature of the woody species of this forest is the board-shaped roots (buttresses) that support the trunk of the plant, as well as caulifloria, i.e. the development of flowers and sympathies on the trunks and old branches.

Queensland forests contain many Malay types, namely: figs, pandanuses, palm trees, arooyniki and many epiphytic ferns and orchids (the southern border of palm distribution is July temperature + 25 ° C). The Malayan nature of the flora is particularly pronounced in the most northern region on Cape York Peninsula, where you can find many genera that are absent throughout the rest of Australia, namely, pitcher plants (Cycas); palm trees of the genus karyota (areca); creepers (buttercups, lily (wild peppers), rattan palm); epiphytes (ferns).

Among the most remarkable Australian trees can be called conifers of the genus Araucaria. Some species in Queensland form significant forest lengths.

The coastal region of New South Wales has almost the same type of vegetation as South Queensland, but tropical species are becoming less abundant, and the number of species of real Australian genera such as acacia and eucalyptus is increasing significantly. However, humid tropical forests, with tall palm trees, tree-like ferns and lianas, still retain a typically tropical appearance.

In New South Wales, as elsewhere in Australia, there are many representatives of the Proteus family, which reach their maximum development on the mainland. The most common genera are Banksia, hackey. Banksia - trees with hard jagged leaves and large, elongated flower heads.

Further from the coast, dense humid tropical forests are replaced rare eucalyptus forests with undergrowth consisting of a variety of small trees and shrubs. All of them have a more or less pronounced xerophytic character.

In Australia deciduous rainforest almost not represented. Tropical seasonally arid areas are occupied by eucalyptus and acacia woodlands. In the dry season, a well-developed cereal cover dries up, but the eucalyptus retains green foliage.

With further aridization, acacia with phyllodia, that is, with expanded leaf petioles that perform the function of photosynthesis, is more and more noticeable.

Casuarines with green young shoots and reduced tiny leaves also become landscape. These shoots photosynthesize. Outwardly, they look like pine needles. The similarity with conifers is supplemented by peculiar "cones" of casuarina. However, these plants belong to one of the oldest representatives of the dicotyledonous family.

In the northeast of the mainland, dry acacia woodlands go into groups characterized by the presence of various undersized trees with swollen thick trunks of brachychitons (bottle trees). Under the canopy of trees, a bushy layer grows densely; there is no cereal cover. But numerous bulbous and tuberous, including many beautiful orchids (there are terrestrial ones) and liliaceous, present in spring, together with an abundance of brightly flowering shrubs, a magnificent picture.

In the inland areas, relatively humidified, there are savannas - Australian grasslands (grassy country). In the land of grasses, trees with their gray-green foliage are scattered alone. Acacia Mulga and Glacucia, as well as casuarin, are mixed with eucalyptus trees, and in the north-west there are peculiar “bottle trees” with a thick trunk that stores water in the tissues. The savannah soil burnt during the dry season after the first rain into the ocean of fresh grassy vegetation, agitated by the wind, like wheat fields.

The “kangaroo grass” bearing the high sultans, Alang-Alang, bearded, blue grass, Mitchelova grass and other cereals, serving as an excellent feed for herds of sheep and cattle, rise here.

The vast expanses of inland Australia (mainly watersheds) are covered with scrub thickets, consisting of spiny, densely interwoven, sometimes completely impassable evergreen shrubs. Eucalyptus scrub - Malli skrib consists mainly of low-growing species of eucalyptus and is distributed in southwestern Australia, to the southern part of the Murray Basin. Thickets have a dead bluish-green color. The leaves of the mulli-scrub are stiff and stand on the edge (they don’t give shade). The soil under the scrub is covered with rare bunches of dry-loving cereals. Only a variety of immortals of Compositae are used to color this scrub.

Mulga-scrub, consisting of continuous thickets of prickly acacias reaching 4 m in height, is much more impassable and even dangerous for a traveler. This is a typical scrub of the desert zone of Australia, where no more than 250 mm of precipitation falls annually. It occupies vast expanses north of the spread of mulli-scrub. Alternating with other plant associations, the mulga scrub extends from western Australia to the region of the eastern lowland drainage plains. It has almost no grass cover; gray hodgepocks occasionally grow under it.

In the eastern part of the continent, between the 20th and 33rd parallels, they alternate with light eucalyptus forests of the so-called "Brigaloou-scrub" - small forests, consisting of acacias with silver-blue foliage, to which low eucalyptus mixes.

The spaces of the Great Sandy Desert, the stony and sandy desert of Gibson and the monotonous sandy desert of Victoria are covered with bushy bushes of spinifex - this is a spiky, prickly grass, whose stems tearing off the soil form a "tumbleweed" carried by the wind. Spinifex, growing on loose sand, fixes them. Thickets of this grass, rising in bushes up to 0.5-1.5 m in diameter, due to spiny leaves, sometimes extremely difficult to move in deserts. Triodium cereals are common in the west. Species of the genus triode have very strong and spiky needle-shaped leaves and grow in the form of rather large rounded pillows. These plants are called "grass hedgehog."

Subtropical deserts of Australia: spinifex and triodium. The Nullarbor Plain in the south of the mainland in the subtropical zone, as the name indicates (“woodless”), has absolutely no woody vegetation. The soil is covered with quinoa bushes or hodgepodge, forming an open cover, reaching 1-1.5 m in height. This is the so-called solyanka bush or blue shrub, as it has a bluish tint. This vegetation is readily eaten by sheep.

In the most arid regions of Australia, GD rains rarely occur and are not confined to any particular season of the year; communities of shrubs related to the haze family. 2 half-shrubs dominate - bubble quinoa and cohia grapefruit. Both plants and other plants usually form pure thickets. Cochia grows better in areas with a wetter climate. Because of its greenish-blue color, the plant received the local name "blue bush".

The peculiar vegetation of southwest Australia - the Mediterranean zone - is the land of endemic species. Light forests of eucalyptus, grassy tree (xanthorrhea), casuarin and proteaceous prevail here.

In the wettest areas, the forest is formed multi-colored eucalyptus, which bears the local name "curry". This is a tall tree (up to 70-80 m) with a loose crown and variegated trunk (orange-pink spots are scattered on a grayish-white background). The curry forest is very light, shrubs grow luxuriantly under the trees, and a thick grassy cover develops on the soil.

In drier areas, forest dominates edged eucalyptus, or "jarrah", which is also called "mahogany." Its height is much smaller - usually 15-40 m (maximum 40 m). This is predominantly endemic forest: 82% of the plants forming its undergrowth are not found anywhere else. There are no palm trees in these forests. Especially in them are rich in species of protean (376 species), giving bright, diverse colors of flowers that adorn these forests. In the eucalyptus forests of southwestern Australia, there are many diverse acacias and representatives of the proteaceous family, especially various species of the genus Banksia.

Often here and grass trees. Typical representatives of the undergrowth of these forests are tree lily (Xanthorhoea). It has a dense dark lignified stem from 6 to 9 m in height, on which a bunch of narrow and long coarse grassy leaves, exceeding 1 m in length, rises. Its inflorescence (cob) reaches 3 m in height. Western Australia is characterized by an abundance of beautiful ground orchids, typical Australian genera, many species of sundews.

It is noteworthy that most of the trees and shrubs of the local forest can reproduce by seeds only after fires. So, the woody fruits of the Banksia that have fallen to the ground are revealed only after exposure to fire, and the grassy trees do not bloom until the fire passes.

In Australia humid subtropical forests They are located in a narrow strip on the southeastern coast of the continent and in the lower zone of the mountains of the Great Dividing Range (up to a height of 1200 m). Various types of eucalyptus trees are abundant in these forests. Some of them, like almond-shaped eucalyptusreach a height of 70-80 m; other species up to 150 m, with a trunk diameter of 10 m.

Trees of the genus are lower in height eugenia australian, fan palm, south leviston.

The plant life inside the eucalyptus forest is extremely rich. There are many tree-like ferns (their greens are patterned, bright, fresh), including the bearded todea. The trees of the lower tiers are often intertwined with vines.

The trunk and branches of eucalyptus trees are covered with epiphytes, among them it is striking fern deer horn, part of the wide vayas which look like bowls, where humus and rainwater accumulate. Many epiphytes bloom in bright colors, such as orchid flowers.

Antarctic species are already taking part in the formation of the vegetation cover in Tasmania. The main plant background is formed here and eucalyptus trees are precisely some of these species that were transferred to Europe. Of the Antarctic species, there are evergreen southern beech and conifers (phylocladius, rhodocarpus). These forests are decorated with tree-like ferns, which are an essential element of the Tasmanian vegetation. On the trunks and branches of trees there are thickets of epiphytes, evergreen mosses and ferns. Almost no flower epiphytes

The wildlife of Australia is exceptionally peculiar. The fauna of the mainland is also very ancient and endemic and has a pronounced relict character (90% of them are found only in Australia). However, the diversity of animal species is small. They form Australian Faunistic Area. The most characteristic feature of the fauna of Australia is the wide distribution of low-organized mammals: monotremes, or cloacal (family platypuses and echidna); marsupials.

Marsupials gave an extraordinary variety of convergent (having similar characteristics) species corresponding to the biological types of higher mammals (marsupial predators, rodents, climbing, insectivores, herbivores). Especially numerous and diverse are the kangaroos that are heavily exterminated by the man and the dingo dog, who came to Australia with a man and went wild.

Also characteristic couscous, marsupial koala bear, marsupial wombat, mole, badger and anteater. The fauna of reptiles and insects is peculiar in Australia.

Of birds endemic australian ostrich emu, cassowary, weedy (big-footed) hens, melliferous plants; also inhabit lyrebirds, various parrots, colorful and brightly colored birds of paradise.

There are Australian crocodiles and turtles in the ponds. Many different snakes and lizards.

Bibliography.

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Mikhailov N.I. Physico-geographical zoning. M .: Publishing house of Moscow State University, 1985.
Markov K.K. Introduction to Physical Geography M .: Higher School, 1978