Tasmanian temperate rain forests
Encyclopedia
The Tasmanian temperate rain forests are an ecoregion
of western Tasmania
. This ecoregion is one of a small number of temperate rain forest
s in the world, characterized by cool and mild temperate climates with a strong oceanic influence, high year-round rainfall, and the presence of west-facing coastal mountains.
, which includes Tasmania and Australia
, New Zealand
, New Guinea
, New Caledonia
, and adjacent islands.
. Low elevation
rainforests on fertile soil
s are predominantly broadleaf evergreen
forests dominated by Myrtle Beech
(Nothofagus cunninghamii) and Southern Sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum). Rainforests on poorer soils, higher elevations, and riparian rainforests are mixed forests with tasmanian endemic conifers. Conifers include the Huon Pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii), and King Billy pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides). Neither tree is actually a pine (Pinus); the Huon pine is a member of the southern hemisphere
Podocarp family (Podocarpaceae
), and the King Billy pine is a member of the Cypress family (Cupressaceae
). Both trees are known for their height and great age. Both are also fine, if slow growing, timber
trees, and have been reduced considerably by fire, mining and logging.
mammals characteristic of Australia, including the Tasmanian Devil
.
.
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of western Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. This ecoregion is one of a small number of temperate rain forest
Temperate rain forest
Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive high rainfall.-Definition:For temperate rain forests of North America, Alaback's definition is widely recognized:-Global distribution:...
s in the world, characterized by cool and mild temperate climates with a strong oceanic influence, high year-round rainfall, and the presence of west-facing coastal mountains.
Setting
The Tasmanian temperate rain forests are part of the Australasia ecozoneAustralasia ecozone
The Australasian zone is an ecological region that is coincident, but not synonymous , with the geographic region of Australasia...
, which includes Tasmania and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, and adjacent islands.
Flora
Tasmanian temperate rain forests are home to the Antarctic floraAntarctic flora
The Antarctic flora is a distinct community of vascular plants which evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana, and is now found on several separate areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including southern South America, southernmost Africa, New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia...
. Low elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
rainforests on fertile soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
s are predominantly broadleaf evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
forests dominated by Myrtle Beech
Myrtle Beech
Nothofagus cunninghamii, the Myrtle Beech, is an evergreen tree native to Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. It grows mainly in the temperate rainforests. It is not related to the Myrtle family....
(Nothofagus cunninghamii) and Southern Sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum). Rainforests on poorer soils, higher elevations, and riparian rainforests are mixed forests with tasmanian endemic conifers. Conifers include the Huon Pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii), and King Billy pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides). Neither tree is actually a pine (Pinus); the Huon pine is a member of the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
Podocarp family (Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. It contains 19 genera if Phyllocladus is included and if Manoao and Sundacarpus are recognized....
), and the King Billy pine is a member of the Cypress family (Cupressaceae
Cupressaceae
The Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to 30 genera , which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130-140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or dioecious trees and shrubs from 1-116 m tall...
). Both trees are known for their height and great age. Both are also fine, if slow growing, timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
trees, and have been reduced considerably by fire, mining and logging.
Fauna
The Tasmanian temperate rain forests have many of the MarsupialMarsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
mammals characteristic of Australia, including the Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936...
.
Conservation
In 1982, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the northern portion of the ecoregion a World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.