Transcript The River Red Gum Ecosystem Powerpoint.

The River Red Gum Ecosystem
Developed by Paul Greenwood REEC and Sara Vanzella, Burrumbuttock Public School, June 2010
http://riverredgumrescue.blogspot.com/2008/09/fact-sheet-river-red-gum-eucalyptus.html
Eucalyptus camaldulensis
is also known as the River Red Gum.
• River red gums need 1100mm of water to remain healthy.
• They grow over much of Australia and can be found along river edges.
• River red gums can also grow in areas with lower rainfall.
They survive off the floodwaters during the winter and spring time.
On the flood plains of the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers,
River Red Gums grow in large forests called monocultures
No other species has adapted to
spring flooding and dry summers like the River Red gums.
•The forests have natural channels called runners.
•The runners flow across the floodplain.
• Water flows into these runners in times
of flood and spreads over the land
Plants in the River Red Gum ecosystem
There are no shrubs in River Red gum forests.
The understory plants have to survive floods and dry periods too
Swamp wallaby-grass
Sedge
Common spike rush
Giant rush
Problems in the River Red Gum Ecosystem:
6. Catfish lay their eggs in pebble beds
on the bottom of the river.
The sediment settles on the eggs killing
the eggs
5. The banks
erode
causing
turbid water
1. Carp feed by sucking up
the mud like a vacuum
2. Erodes the river banks
4. Eventually
the River
Red Gum
falls over
3. The River Red Gum roots
become exposed on the bank.
Animals
Mammal populations in red gum ecosystems include:
Terrestrial species
Yellow-footed antechinus Eastern grey kangaroo Many reptile species
Amphibian species
Perrons tree frog
Growling Grass frog
Eastern Banjo
Spotted marsh frog
Arboreal species
Superb fairy-wren
Thornbills
Superb parrot
Brush tailed possum
Weebill
Brown treecreeper
Striated pardalote
Sulphur-crested
cockatoo
White-plumed
honeyeater
Aquatic species
Fish- Murray cod
Silver perch
Trout cod
Golden perch
Catfish
Purple spotted gudgeon
Crismon spotted rainbow fish
Diagram of River Red Gum Ecosystem
5. Transpiration
from River Red
Gum trees
1. Rainfall
2. River rises
and floods with
spring rains.
Runner
4. Water
taken up by
the roots
3. Water
soaks down
to the
water table
Definitions
Eucalyptus camaldulensis: Is the scientific term for the River Red gum
Monoculture: is an area dominated by a single species. For
examples lawns and crops.
Species: a group of animals or plants.
Runners: are the natural flood channels in low lying forests.
Ecosystem: A community of interdependent organisms living and
Interacting together in their physical environment.
Understory: the term for the area of a forest which grows at
the lowest height
Sediment: matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
Turbid: having sediment or foreign particles stirred up or suspended.
Terrestrial species: animals that live on land.
Arboreal species: animals that live in trees.
Aquatic species: animals that live in water.
Amphibian species: are creatures which spend part of their life
in water and part of their life on dry land.
NAME:
River Red Gum Ecosystems Definitions
Eucalyptus camaldulensis: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Monoculture:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Species: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Runners: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ecosystem: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Understory: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sediment: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Turbid: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Terrestrial species: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Arboreal species: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________
Aquatic species: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Amphibian species: ______________________________________________________________________________________