Australian Species Informative Essay

Thirteen bird species and ninety-six species of reptiles and frogs are found across the Flinders semi-arid biome. The mammal species that live there are yellow-footed rock-wallabies, emus, flinders ranges worm-lizard and kangaroos. There are animals in my biome that are used by humans. For example, Kangaroos and Emus are farmed for their meat. Restaurants serve kangaroo and emu steaks on their menus. Supermarkets have kangaroo meat for sale. Kangaroo meet is also used as pet food for cats and

The aboriginal Australians have survived thousands of years on what they call a hunter gather diet. The diet consists of emu, lizards, moths, kangaroo and snakes as well as berries, roots and honey which are referred as ‘bush tucker’. Seafood also had a big part in aboriginal culture, which most of the sea life was caught with spears and hooks made from branches, rocks etc. When the British settlers came in 1770 they unfortunately didn’t like or understand the aboriginal diet. So in response to this they decided to make a more familiar European diet. Sheep, cattle and other familiar European animals were introduced throughout Australia and familiar crops were planted as well. Flour was used to make bread and damper (thicker bread which was

An ecosystem contain biological communities and abiotic factors that interact with each other. However, Introduced pest species in Australia have always been a major issue due to the unique ecosystems that have developed, undisturbed over millions of years, due to Australia's geographical isolation. This is especially evident in the introduction the European red fox in Australia, which has prompt negative changes to the population of the Long-nosed Bandicoot due to the predation by these foxes in the Field of mars and around Australia. The disruption the fox foxes have on the Long-nosed bandicoot can also result in sever cascading effects on the rest of the ecosystem, including abiotic factors like the soil and biotic factors like other native flora and fauna

The Great Barrier Reef is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is believed to be one of the most incredible places on this earth. This reef is the largest living organism on this planet and the only living thing on earth visible from space (2011). The warm waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean are the perfect environments to create the world's largest system of coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is in such pristine condition that it was listed by the World Heritage Trust as a protected site and is therefore, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to ensure that its beauty is maintained for many travelers and sightseers (Edgar 2010). Due to the complexity of this natural phenomenon, human practices have led

A species that is introduced to an ecosystem by humans can harm ecosystems in many ways. Animals that are introduced into a new area, could hunt a main food source for some animals, causing that population to decrease. Plants could be poisonous, or need to feed off of other plants. Species introduced into an ecosystem by humans through off the natural balance of the wildlife.

Over the last several years, evolution has been playing an increasingly important role in determining how various species are evolving. This is because ecology will have an impact on how quickly a particular organism is able to adapt (with: the unique challenges for a particular environment). To determine the effect that this is having requires carefully examining different species over the course of many years. This will be accomplished by comparing these changes on Darwin and Wallace Islands. Once this occurs, is when specific insights will be provided that are highlighting the underlying challenges affecting the development of organisms. This is the point that these transformations will be evident among the various life forms. (Fasolo, 2011, pp. 53 68)

Aboriginal people seem to have lived a long time in the same environment as the now extinct Australian

An invasive species is a species that comes out of its natural environment, and enters another. These animals are usually very bad for the ecosystem and may cause an unbalance. These animals usually come in with many competitive advantages and can easily dominate any competition. This will give them the ability to eat as much as they would like without being threatened in any way. This could possibly diminish many populations and end an entire ecosystem.

Since the beginning of time our Earth has experienced many changes, these changes affected Australian biota whether it be in a positive or negative way. The study of Australian fossils contributes to the development of understanding the evolution of species in Australia in many different ways, such as seeing changes in physical appearance of species, and possible reasons why the species evolved into what they did, when and why a certain species may have become extinct and evidence/proof of theories such as natural selection. Each of these goes hand in hand and helps us find out what our Earth would have been like millions of years ago.

Propose reasons for the evolution, survival and extinction of species, with reference to Australian examples.

Australia’s geographic isolation results in unique, fragile ecosystems susceptible introduced pests and disease, by preventing the entry of or isolating foreign pest and contagious diseases. Quarantine is forced isolation of a diseased organism to control the spread of infectious diseases (viruses, bacteria) establishing in Australia, as they can harm the

According to Van Driesche, nonnative species are more likely to establish if they invade habitats with lowered biotic resistance, encounter prey with poorly developed mechanisms of self-defense, or invade habitats unaccompanied by their specialized natural enemies or when their invasion is facilitated by earlier invaders (2000).  Damage to these communities, then, can be seen both in cumulative effects and in a cycle of self-reinforcement.  Although pristine environments are still at risk from invasion, this positive feedback loop makes habitats already with a disturbance by exotics even more vulnerable to other invasions.

have no place to live. Now, sadly, in Sydney, koalas must cross the street to

The biodiversity effects of non-native invasive species have been described as “immense, insidious and usually irreversible” (Veitch and Clout, 2002). There is significant evidence proving that invasive species can cause severe economic, environmental and ecological damage (Mack et al., 2000). A lot of time and research has been devoted to dividing the world into regions with distinctive habitats and species. Numerous pathways, mostly anthropogenic, are breaking down these realms and facilitating the ecological and biological invasion of non-native species.

Franck and Brownstone define biological diversity as 'the variety and variability of living organisms and the biological communities in which they live' (36). Decades of progress in both the scientific and political arenas have advanced environmental legislation to protect biodiversity at not only the ecosystem level, but for specific species and genetic material as well. Research has shown the importance of every organism and their role in the global ecosystem, and legislation has gradually matured to protect not only species which may become endangered, but the habitats they need to survive as well. Growing consciousness surrounding environmental issues has enabled these protections to be