Ecology of Sydney

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Cumberland Plain Savanna.jpg
Sheldon Forest Australia.JPG
Royal National Park Coast Track - panoramio (4).jpg
Campbells Crater with Cabbage Tree Palm.jpg
Mallee Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.JPG
From top; left to right: Savannas, sclerophyll forests, coastal heaths, rainforests and scrublands

The ecology of Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia, is diverse for its size, [1] where it would mainly feature biomes such as grassy woodlands or savannas and some sclerophyll forests, with some pockets of mallee shrublands, riparian forests, heathlands, and wetlands, in addition to small temperate and subtropical rainforest fragments. [2] [3]

Contents

There are 79 vegetation communities in the Sydney metropolitan area that are identified, described and mapped. [4] The combination of climate, topography, moisture, and soil influence the dispersion of these ecological communities across a height gradient from 0 to 200 metres (0 to 700 ft). [5] There are many hiking trails, paved and unpaved roads for exploring the many different biomes and ecosystems. [6] [7] [8]

Savannas (or grassy woodlands), the most predominant biome in the Sydney region, [9] mainly occur in the Cumberland Plain west of Sydney CBD, which generally feature eucalyptus trees that are usually in open, dry sclerophyll woodland areas with shrubs (typically wattles, callistemons, grevilleas and banksias) and sparse grass in the understory, reminiscent of Mediterranean forests. [10] The plants in this community tend to have rough and spiky leaves, as they are grown in areas with low soil fertility.

Wet sclerophyll forests, which are part of Eastern Australian temperate forests, have narrow, relatively tall, dense trees with a lush, moist understory of fleecy shrubs and tree ferns. They are mainly found in the wetter areas, such as Forest District and the North Shore. [11]

It has been calculated that around 98,000 hectares of native vegetation remains in the Sydney metropolitan area, shaping the geography of Sydney, about half of what is likely to have been existing at the time of European arrival. [12]

Historical descriptions

General topographical descriptions

Sydney's vegetation prior to 1750 Sydney vegetation pre-1750.jpg
Sydney's vegetation prior to 1750

In 1787, the First Fleet personnel discovered a landscape that was alien to them, and unlike the green meadows and deciduous forests of England. Arthur Phillip expressed that: [13]

The coast, as well as the neighbouring country in general, is covered with wood...The necks of land that form the coves are mostly covered with timber, yet so rocky that it is not easy to comprehend how the trees could have sufficient nourishment to bring them to so considerable a magnitude.

This was a response to comparisons with the mostly deeper, fertile soils of the British Isles and how the rocky mountainous areas like the Scottish Highlands and Dartmoor lacked tree cover. [13]

The "neck of land" which separates the southern part of the harbour from the northern part was primarily sand. Between Sydney Cove and Botany Bay the first area is made up of woodland. The rest of the land consisted of heath, poor sand and several swamplands. Coastal areas featured mangroves in many inlets, estuaries at Port Jackson, in addition to decentralized areas of saltwater or freshwater marshes, and sheltered areas of subtropical rainforest along waterbody valleys. [13]

Most of the North Shore and inland areas featured sclerophyll forests and woodlands filled with eucalypts of many different species, ranging in different heights, and growing at immensely contrasting densities. Much of the wooded land had grass cover under the trees, but comparatively small understorey shrub or smaller tree growth. Cumberland Plain, which is inland, had sparser and fewer tree cover than the region near the coast. By May 1789 much of the thick forest around Port Jackson was cleared. [13]

Sydney Cove in 1792 View of Sydney Cove 1792.jpg
Sydney Cove in 1792

First Fleet surgeon George Worgan described the environment of Sydney, particularly its terrain: [13]

...We meet with, in many parts, a fine black soil; luxuriantly covered with grass, & the Trees at 30 or 40 yards [27–37 m] distant from each other, so as to resemble Meadow land, yet these spots are frequently interrupt[ed] in their Extent by either a rocky, or a sandy, or a swampy surface, crowded with large trees, and almost impenetrable from Brushwood which being the case will necessarily require much Time and Labour to cultivate any considerable space of land together.

In 1819, British settler William Wentworth described Sydney's vegetation and landform in great detail:

The colony of New South Wales possesses every variety of soil, from the sandy heath, and the cold hungry clay, to the fertile loam and the deep vegetable mould. For the distance of 5 mi (8.0 km) to 6 mi (9.7 km) from the coast, the land is in general extremely barren, being a poor hungry sand, thickly studded with rocks. A few miserable stunted gums, and a dwarf underwood, are the richest productions of the best part of it; while the rest never gives birth to a tree at all, and is only covered with low flowering shrubs, whose infinite diversity, however, and extraordinary beauty, render this wild heath the most interesting part of the country for the botanist, and make even the less scientific beholder forget the nakedness and sterility of the scene.

Beyond this barren waste, which thus forms a girdle to the coast, the country suddenly begins to improve. The soil changes to a thin layer of vegetable mould, resting on a stratum of yellow clay, which is again supported by a deep bed of schistus. The trees of the forest are here of the most stately dimensions. Full sized gums and iron barks, alongside of which the loftiest trees in this country would appear as pigmies, with the beefwood tree, or as it is generally termed, the forest oak, which is of much humbler growth, are the usual timber. The forest is extremely thick, but there is little or no underwood.

At this distance, however, the aspect of the country begins rapidly to improve. The forest is less thick, and the trees in general are of another description; the iron barks, yellow gums, and forest oaks disappearing, and the stringy barks, blue gums, and box trees, generally usurping their stead. When you have advanced about 4 mi (6.4 km) further into the interior, you are at length gratified with the appearance of a country truly beautiful. An endless variety of hill and dale, clothed in the most luxuriant herbage, and covered with bleating flocks and lowing herds, at length indicate that you are in regions fit to be inhabited by civilized man. The soil has no longer the stamp of barrenness. A rich loam resting on a substratum of fat red clay, several feet in depth, is found even on the tops of the highest hills, which in general do not yield in fertility to the valleys. The timber, strange as it may appear, is of inferior size, though still of the same nature, i. e. blue gum, box, and stringy bark. There is no underwood, and the number of trees upon an acre do not upon an average exceed thirty. They are, in fact, so thin, that a person may gallop without difficulty in every direction. [14]

Positive

Scrubby, arable meadowland in Lane Cove William Piguenit - A Spring Morning, Lane Cove, New South Wales.jpg
Scrubby, arable meadowland in Lane Cove

Early settlers compared the landscapes to the manicured parks of England which also featured well-spaced trees and a grassy understorey. [15] In 1787, Arthur Bowes Smyth from the First Fleet described the landscape in a favourable manner: [13]

...fresh terraced, lawns and grottos with distinct plantations of the tallest and most stately trees I ever saw in any nobleman's grounds in England, cannot excel in beauty those whose nature now presented to our view. The singing of the various birds among the trees, the flight of the numerous parraquets, lorrequets, cockatoos and macaws, made all around appear like an enchantment; the stupendous rocks from the summit of the hills and down to the very water's edge hang'g over in a most awful way from above, and form’g the most commodious quays by the water, beggard all description.

Grassy woodlands with well-spaced trees that dominated most of western Sydney (Liverpool Plains) Kangaroos c.1819 SLNSW FL8999009.jpg
Grassy woodlands with well-spaced trees that dominated most of western Sydney (Liverpool Plains)

Captain John Hunter, who criticised Sydney for having "poor, sterile soil, full of stones", had a more positive view of Rosehill's and Parramatta's landscape, which are further west, for having arable lands, stating: [13]

...But near, and at the head of the harbour, there is a very considerable extent of tolerable land, and which may be cultivated without waiting for its being cleared of wood; for the trees stand very wide of each other, and have no underwood: in short, the woods on the spot I am speaking of resemble a deer park… but the soil appears to me to be rather sandy and shallow, and will require much manure to improve it… however, there are people… who think it good land… The grass upon it is about 3 feet [nearly a metre] high, very close and thick; probably farther back there may be very extensive tracts of this kind of country…

Another First Fleet surgeon, Arthur Bowes Smyth, also acknowledged the beauty of scenery: [13]

The general face of the country is certainly pleasing, being diversified with gentle scents, and little winding vallies, covered for the most part with large spreading trees, which afford a succession of leaves in all seasons. In those places where trees are scarce, a variety of flowering shrubs abound, most of them entirely new to an European and surpassing in beauty, and number, all I ever saw in an uncultivated state.

In 1827, Peter Cunningham described the western plains of Sydney as "a fine timbered country, perfectly clear of bush...through which you might, generally speaking, drive a gig in all directions, without any impediment in the shape of rocks, scrub or close forest.". [16]

Negative

The rocky, sandy nature of the landscape (Botany Bay) H.M.S. Herald at the entrance to Botany Bay Wilson Nla.obj-134112064-1.jpg
The rocky, sandy nature of the landscape (Botany Bay)

After landing, the First Fleet thought that Botany Bay was an inhospitable, swampy piece of land which lacked a source of drinking water, in addition to the area featuring poor, sandy soils that did not have any substance. Arthur Phillips writes: [13]

The appearance of the place is picturesque and pleasing...but something more essential than beauty of appearance...must be sought in a place where the permanent residence of multitudes is to be established.

Regarding Phillips' statement, Australian environmentalist Tim Flannery wrote: "The vegetation the early Europeans found growing on the Sydney sandstone both delighted and appalled them...the hungry settlers realized in despair that this magnificent vegetation offered little sustenance". Moreover, the First Fleet's reaction to the Botany Bay area was so negative that Phillip and his crew almost instantly explored further north, towards Port Jackson and Broken Bay. [13]

Upon arriving in Port Jackson, First Fleet lieutenant David Blackburn wrote that Sydney Harbour was "either Immense Barren Rocks, tumbled together in Large Ridges which are almost Inaccessible to Goats, or A Dry Sandy Soil and A General Want of Water". First Fleet officer John Hunter also described Sydney Cove as "very bad, most of the ground being covered with rocks, or large stones". [13]

In July 1788, Lieutenant Ralph Clark, a member of the First Fleet, had a scathing view of Sydney's landscape, climate and as well its inhabitants, writing: [13]

The sandy, rugged landscape near rivers (Lane Cove) William Piguenit - Lane Cove from above the bridge, 1893.jpg
The sandy, rugged landscape near rivers (Lane Cove)

I shall only tell you that this is the poorest country in the world, which its inhabitance [sic] shows they are the most miserable set of wretches under the Sun… there is neither river or Spring in the country that we have been able to find… all the fresh water comes out of swamps which the country abounds with… the country is overrun with large trees not one Acre of clear ground to be seen… the Thunder and Lightning is the most Terrible I ever herd [sic], it is the opinion of every body here that the Government will remove the Settlement to some other place for if it remains here this country will not be able to maintain its self in 100 years...

In a 1793 commentary map by Watkin Tench, the overall notion was that most of Sydney agriculturally poor – The land around South Head was "exceedingly rocky, sandy & barren"; the area northwest of Botany Bay was "sandy barren swampy Country"; the coastline from Manly to Mona Vale was "sandy, rocky and very bad Country", the Ku-ring-gai Chase area was "very bad & rugged", the Cattai area was "very dreadful Country", and the southwest of Prospect Hill was a "bad Country frequently over-flowed". [13]

Biomes

Biomes
Browns Field rainforest NSW.jpg
Warm temperate rainforest in Wahroonga
Western Sydney parklands 18.jpg
Grassy woodland/savanna in the Cumberland Plain Woodland
Winifred Falls Track - panoramio (12).jpg
Heathland in Bundeena
Andrew Harvey - 20220108 135033.jpg
A wet sclerophyll forest in Hornsby
Botany Bay National Park - panoramio (32).jpg
Swamp Oak Forest.jpg
A swamp oak forest near Prospect Creek
Frerres Crossing (1).JPG
A river-flat eucalyptus forest in Georges River

Complete list

BiomesEco-communities
Rainforests
Wet Sclerophyll Forests
Grassy Woodlands
Coastal Grasslands
Dry Sclerophyll Forests
Heathlands
Freshwater Wetlands
Forested Wetlands
Saline Wetlands

Vegetation

Tree species
Lane Cove National Park Sydney red gum tree.jpg
Sydney red gum, a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia
M. decoratree.jpg
White feather honeymyrtle, a paperbark tree with lance-shaped leaves that is covered with creamy-coloured flowers in summer
Gardenology.org-IMG 1046 rbgs10dec.jpg
Casuarina trees are the most widespread in Sydney after the eucalyptus.
Narrow-leaved Bottlebrush habit (8349169000).jpg
Narrow-leaved bottlebrush is a shrub which has a rigid point, and red flower spikes in late spring or early summer.
Starr 050722-2918 Ficus microcarpa.jpg
The curtain fig is one of the most common street trees in Sydney and is used as a shade tree.

The most widespread eucalyptus species in the Sydney region include: [34]

Non-eucalyptus tree species:

Common shrub species include, but are not limited to:

Introduced

Introduced shrubs and/or vines that are invasive species): [57]

Hardiness zone

Due to the microclimate, the plant hardiness zone in the Sydney area would range: [58]

Wildlife

Common bird species
Magpie samcem05.jpg
Commonly sighted in Sydney, Australian magpies are known for their distinctive, "gargling" calls.
Manorina melanocephala domain.jpg
Noisy miners are ubiquitous in urban, suburban and woodland areas.
Australian Raven Sydney University.jpg
Australian ravens are notable for their screechy, high pitched ah-ah-aaaah calls.
Pied Curawong444.jpg
The pied currawong is a common bird in the plain and is usually seen in urban forests and backyards.
Greybutcherbird.jpg
Grey butcherbirds, known for their frisky song, are found in woodlands, acacia shrublands and residential townships.
Crested Pigeon Nov09.jpg
Crested pigeons are usually found in the open grasslands and wooded areas of the plain.
Spotted Dove RWD4.jpg
The spotted dove is a small, long-tailed pigeon that was introduced in Australia in the 1860s.

The fauna of the Sydney area is diverse and its urban area is home to variety of bird and insect species, and also a few bat, arachnid and amphibian species. Introduced birds such as the house sparrow, common myna and feral pigeon are ubiquitous in the CBD areas of Sydney. [59] [60] Moreover, possums, bandicoots, rabbits, feral cats, lizards, snakes and frogs may also be present in the urban environment, albeit seldom in city centers. [61]

About 40 species of reptiles are found in the Sydney region and 30 bird species exist in the urban areas. [62] [63] [64] Sydney's outer suburbs, namely those adjacent to large parks, have a great diversity of wildlife. [65] Since European settlement and the subsequent bushland clearing for the increasing population, 60% of the original mammals are now considered endangered or vulnerable, and many reptile species are experiencing population diminution and are becoming elusive. [66]

Tetrapods

This list includes bird species that are widespread in the Sydney metropolitan area: [67]

Although not commonly spotted, these birds are also present in Sydney: [64]

This list includes mammal, reptile and amphibian species that are spotted in the Sydney urban area: [68] [69]

Arthropods

This list includes insect, spider and centipede species that are commonly present in Sydney: [70]

See also

Related Research Articles

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