Download Types and Characteristics of Different Environments

Types and Characteristics of
Different Environments
By Martin Eriksson
Student Activity
List down all the outdoor environments you
have been to.
Next to these briefly describe the main
characteristics/features of these?
• Vegetation – tree types etc.
• Terrain – rocky, hilly, flat
• Weather – snow, hot, cold, wet, dry, windy
What type of environment would you
consider this to be?
Factors of Natural Environments
Geology
Climate
Position and aspect
From OES VCE 1-4 (2002)
Geology
Type of soils and rocks
How much rock has eroded to become
soil
Drainage of soil and rocks
Topography
Shape of the land
Climate
Rainfall
Temperature
Wind patterns
Daylight hours
Evaporation
Frosts
Snowcover
Position and Aspect
Aspect refers to the direction slope
Eg. A southerly aspect faces south
therefore having more shade than a
northerly aspect. This may effect the
vegetation that grows there.
Geographical location
Eg. Queensland compared to Victoria
Some Different Environments
Alpine
Dry Forests and Woodlands
Wet forests and rainforests
Grasslands
Heathlands
Coastal
Marine
Arid and semi-arid
Wetlands
Alpine
Alpine
The word alpine means ‘above the treeline’.
Area where it is too cold for trees to survive.
Often snow country is referred to as alpine.
Main vegetation is grasses, flowers, heath
and shrub.
Snow cover is common, particularly in winter
months.
Australian Alpine - Summer
Australian Alpine - Winter
Dry Forests and Woodlands
Dry Forests and Woodlands
Consisting often of tall trees.
Support a variety of plants and animals.
Much of Victorias dry forests and
woodlands have been effected by:
clearing during gold rush
mining
timber harvesting
Grazing
Box-Ironbark forest at Rushworth, or
Mt. Samaria
Wet Forests and Rainforests
Wet Forests and Rainforests
Forests with less sunlight due to
canopy.
The worlds largest flowering plant –
Mountain Ash (up to 100m tall)
Tall trees subject to timber harvesting.
Lake Mountain, Wilsons Prom.
Grasslands
Grasslands
More open plains.
Target for grazing and free to settlers.
Less than 1% left today in small
pockets under threat.
Once extensive between the Murray
Valley and the Great Dividing Range.
Heathlands
Heathlands
Low, shrubby with twisted trees.
Exposed to dry winds.
Close relationship with fire – hard
woody seed pods open after fire.
Over 80 species of birds inhabit this
ecosystem in Victoria.
Coastal areas up to Divide – Eg. Wilsons
Promontory.
Coastal
Coastal
Area dividing land and ocean.
Coastal weather generally more
moderate than inland.
Waters edge may be significantly
eroded by wind and water.
Intertidal wildlife require great
adaptability to dry and wet conditions.
Wilsons Promontory
Marine
Marine
Seas and oceans.
2/3’s of the worlds surface.
Still largely unexplored and unknown.
Great variety of wildlife.
Ocean currents of warm and cold follow
patterns from season to season.
Jarasite Reef
Arid/Semi Arid
Arid/Desert
Dry environment.
Often sandy due to vast inland sea
millions of years ago.
Commonly low mallee scrub of
eucalypts that withstand long periods of
harsh conditions.
Often considered uninhabitable and not
interesting.
Eg. Little Desert.
Little Desert
Wetlands
Wetlands
Rivers, creeks, lakes and swamps.
Inland areas often flood during winter
although this has changed with
irrigation weirs and dams.
A major function is water purification.
Ideal for recreation.
Eg. Barmah Lake, Gippsland Lakes.
Barmah State Forest