MST Flashcards
what are southern distributed flora?
- Bony tongue fresh water fishes - in Africa, Australia and southern America.
- Ratites (flightless birds) - have southern hemisphere distribution
-Nothofagus (southern beach trees) - flowering plant. Fossil records are found in Australia, south America and Antarctica
Glossopteris - where is it now?
Extinct in over 200 million years ago
when did australia seperate from antartica?
35 million years ago
what happened in the circum polar event
- water got cooler
- antartica froze over
- after south america broke off from antartica
why are species in south west australia endemic?
- soil barriers: the nullaboor plain
- climatic conditions: the endemic species are in areas of high rain fall. they are blocked from moving by areas of low rainfall surrounding them
what species of tree dominate temperate rainforests?
- myrtle beech tree (nothofagus)
what is an epiphyte?
- grow on another tree
- dont have a trunk
- capture water and nutrients as run off from the other plant
- i.e. Elk and staghorn fern
- commensalism
what are some parasitic plants
Balanophora and Rafflesia plant
what is Cauliflory
what plant is it commonly found in
- growing flowers on woody stems
- common in figs
what animal is a common disperser of seeds?
- frugivorous birds
what are the non flowering plants?
bryophytes, ferns and allies, cycads and conifers
what species are conifers?
pine trees
how do conifers reproduce?
with cones that contain seeds
where are conifers located in australia
east coast of aus
what is unique about the cypress pine
only conifer that can cope with a dry environment
