Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna

Last updated

Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna
Coleman river 1 (14914507522).jpg
Ecoregion AA0703.svg
Map of the Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna ecoregion.
Ecology
Realm Australasian
Biome tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Borders
Geography
Area121,160 km2 (46,780 sq mi)
Country Australia
States
Coordinates 13°30′S142°36′E / 13.5°S 142.6°E / -13.5; 142.6
Conservation
Conservation status Relatively stable/intact
Protected35,713 km² (29%) [1]
Cape York Peninsula
Queensland
IBRA 6.1 Cape York Peninsula.png
The interim Australian bioregions,
with Cape York Peninsula in red
Area122,564.57 km2 (47,322.4 sq mi)
Localities around Cape York Peninsula:
Gulf of Carpentaria Torres Strait Coral Sea
Gulf of Carpentaria Cape York Peninsula Coral Sea
Gulf Plains Einasleigh Uplands Wet Tropics

The Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna is a tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northern Australia. It occupies the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, mainland Australia's northernmost point. [2] It is coterminous with the Cape York Peninsula (code CYP), [3] an interim Australian bioregion. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Geography

The ecoregion covers the northern portion of the Cape York Peninsula, along with the adjacent Torres Strait Islands. The Coral Sea lies to the east of the peninsula, and the Gulf of Carpentaria is to the west. The ecoregion is bounded by the Carpentaria tropical savanna ecoregion to the southwest, Einasleigh Uplands savanna to the south, and Queensland tropical rain forests to the southeast. [6]

The west of the region is dominated in the south by an extensive Tertiary sand sheet dissected by the drainage systems of the Holroyd Plain, the Tertiary laterite of the Weipa Plateau, and the low rises of Mesozoic sandstones, while the northern section consists of the Weipa Plateau together with extensive coastal plains along the Gulf of Carpentaria. To the east lie aeolian dunefields. [9] Along the eastern margin the Coen-Yambo Inlier, which includes the Iron and McIlwraith ranges, has complex geology of volcanic, metamorphic and acid intrusive rocks. [9] The subregion of the Battle Camp Sandstones, formed from deeply dissected plateaus, lies in the southeast of the region. [9] The Laura Lowlands, composed of sands and silts and colluvial and alluvial clays, lies between the Coen-Yambo Inlier and Battle Camp Sandstones, [9] in the catchment of the Normanby River. [10]

The northern end of the Great Dividing Range runs through the ecoregion, parallel to the east coast of the peninsula. 15 freshwater drainage basins or watersheds overlap the ecoregion. [11] Rivers that drain eastwards to the Coral Sea include the Olive, Pascoe, Lockhart, Stewart, Hann, Normanby, Jeannie, and Endeavour, and the Jardine, Pennefather, Ducie, Wenlock, Watson, Archer, Ward, Holroyd, Coleman, and Alice rivers drain westwards to the Gulf of Carpentaria. [10] [12]

Subregions

In the IBRA system, Cape York Peninsula (CYP) has nine sub-regions: [13]

IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA subregionIBRA
code
Area
ha acres
Coen-Yambo Inlier CYP012,312,1265,713,390
Starke Coastal Lowlands CYP02512,4981,266,410
Cape York-Torres Strait CYP0394,367233,190
Jardine-Pascoe Sandstones CYP041,444,2233,568,750
Battle Camp Sandstones CYP05504,4091,246,420
Laura Lowlands CYP061,791,2284,426,220
Weipa Plateau CYP072,848,7537,039,420
Northern Holroyd Plain CYP082,464,0746,088,860
Coastal Plains CYP09284,780703,700

Climate

The climate is tropical, humid or maritime, with rainfall varying from 1000 mm to 1600 mm, including some high-rainfall areas at high elevations. [9]

Flora

Plant communities are diverse, and include woodlands, heathlands, sedgelands, mangroves, and vine forests (including both semi-deciduous vine forests on the eastern ranges and deciduous vine thickets on western slopes). [9] In all 39 distinct vegetation types are recognised. [11]

The predominant plant community is eucalypt woodlands and savannas, which cover 64% of the ecoregion's area, with Darwin stringybark ( Eucalyptus tetrodonta ) as the dominant tree in 36% of the ecoregion. Open woodlands of Melaleuca spp. cover 15% of the ecoregion. [11]

Rainforests and vine thickets cover smaller areas, concentrated along the east coast, and represent 20% of Australia's total. [11] Rainforests and vine thickets are of several different types, which vary with climate and soils. Littoral rainforests and coastal vine thickets extend along the east coast southwards of Princess Charlotte Bay, including offshore islands like the Flinders Group. Characteristic species include beach cherry ( Eugenia reinwardtiana ) and Micromelum minutum . [14]

The Iron and McIlwraith Ranges are home to the most extensive rainforests and vine forests in the ecoregion, which grow on older metamorphic rocks on the eastern side of the escarpment. [15] These include evergreen notophyll vine forests. [16] These forests have floristic affinities to New Guinea. [15] [17]

Heathland of low-growing plants is common on nutrient-poor sandy soils formed from eroded granite, including large areas of the Iron and McIlwraith ranges. [15]

Most of the ecoregion's watersheds are relatively intact, home to freshwater aquatic species and often lined with dense riparian forests. [11]

Mangrove forests are found in the north east and along the estuaries on the coasts. [9] 36 mangrove species are recorded on the peninsula. [11]

40% of the ecoregion's plant species are shared with New Guinea. There are also 330 bioregionally endemic plant species and five bioregionally endemic plant genera, including Wodyetia, Jedda , and Indagator . [17]

Fauna

Birds endemic to the Cape York Peninsula include the buff-breasted buttonquail (Turnix olivii), golden-shouldered parrot (Psephotus chrysopterygius), lovely fairywren (Malurus amabilis), white-streaked honeyeater (Trichodere cockerelli), and yellow-spotted honeyeater (Meliphaga notata). [18] Several species are native to both the northern Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea, including the palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus), southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), yellow-billed kingfisher (Syma torotoro), Papuan pitta (Erythropitta macklotii), trumpet manucode (Phonygammus keraudrenii), magnificent riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus), fawn-breasted bowerbird (Chlamydera cerviniventris), and yellow-legged flycatcher (Kempiella griseoceps). [15] The ecoregion is on important migration routes for both land birds and seabirds. [11] [18]

The spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus) and giant white-tailed rat (Uromys caudimaculatus) are native to the ecoregion and to New Guinea. [11] The Cape York melomys (Melomys capensis) is a species of rat endemic to the ecoregion. [19]

Conservation and protected areas

Most of the ecoregion has infertile soil, which has limited the development of agriculture. Much of the ecoregion is used for livestock grazing, and overgrazing has degraded some areas. Introduced species, including feral pigs, cane toads, and invasive weeds, have endangered native species by predation, competition, and altering habitats. Non-Aboriginal settlers changed the ecoregion's fire regime, which has reduced and degraded some plant communities and habitats. Several Important Bird Areas in the ecoregion, including Lilyvale, Morehead River, Lockerbie Scrub, and Iron and McIlwraith ranges, are threatened by property and tourism development. [11]

34.29% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas in the ecoregion include Endeavour River National Park, Possession Island National Park, Mount Cook National Park, Alwal National Park, Jardine River National Park, and Annan River (Yuku Baja-Muliku) National Park. Protected areas on Aboriginal land include Apudthama National Park, Batavia National Park, Biniirr National Park, Bromley (Ampulin) National Park, Bromley (Kungkaychi) National Park, Cape Melville National Park, Daarrba National Park, Errk Oykangand National Park, Juunju Daarrba Nhirrpan National Park, Kulla National Park, Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park, Lama Lama National Park, Melsonby (Gaarraay) National Park, Muundhi (Jack River) National Park, Ngaynggarr National Park, Olkola National Park, Oyala Thumotang National Park, Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, Wuthathi (Shelburne Bay) National Park, and Kaanju Ngaachi Indigenous Protected Area. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park</span> Protected area in Queensland, Australia

Kutini-Payamu is a National Park located in Queensland, Australia, 1,940 kilometres (1,210 mi) northwest of Brisbane and 100 kilometres (62 mi) east of Weipa in the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. Within the National Park is the Iron Range, Scrubby Creek mining site and the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River. During World War II several Australian Army units were stationed in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland tropical rain forests</span>

The Queensland tropical rain forests ecoregion covers a portion of the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia and belongs to the Australasian realm. The forest contains the world's best living record of the major stages in the evolutionary history of the world's land plants, including most of the world's relict species of plants from the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. The history of the evolution of marsupials and songbirds is also well represented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Top End</span> Region in the Northern Territory, Australia

The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. It covers a rather vaguely defined area of about 245,000 square kilometres (95,000 sq mi) behind the northern coast from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin across to Arnhem Land with the Indian Ocean on the west, the Arafura Sea to the north, and the Gulf of Carpentaria to the east, and with the almost waterless semi-arid interior of Australia to the south, beyond the huge Kakadu National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape York Peninsula</span> Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia

Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia. The land is mostly flat and about half of the area is used for grazing cattle. The relatively undisturbed eucalyptus-wooded savannahs, tropical rainforests and other types of habitat are now recognised and preserved for their global environmental significance. Although much of the peninsula remains pristine, with a diverse repertoire of endemic flora and fauna, some of its wildlife may be threatened by industry and overgrazing as well as introduced species and weeds.

<i>Heptapleurum bractescens</i> Species of flowering plant

Heptapleurum bractescens is a species of plant in the family Araliaceae. It is native to New Guinea and to far northern Queensland in Australia. Originally named from a New Guinea collection, it was identified as a different species, Schefflera versteegii, when first discovered in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archer River</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The Archer River is a river located on the Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McIlwraith Range</span> Mountain range in Queensland, Australia

The McIlwraith Range is a rugged, dissected granite plateau on Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland, Australia. Part of the Great Dividing Range, the McIlwraith Range covers about 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi) and lies about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of the town of Coen, and 550 kilometres (340 mi) north of Cairns. The Archer and Stewart Rivers rise in the range, with the Archer draining the range's western slopes into the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Stewart draining east into the Coral Sea. The range receives an annual rainfall of about 1,500 millimetres (59 in).

The Ducie River is a river located on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigalow Belt</span> Ecoregion in Queensland, Australia

The Brigalow Belt is a wide band of acacia-wooded grassland that runs between tropical rainforest of the coast and the semi-arid interior of Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) divides the Brigalow Belt into two IBRA regions, or bioregions, Brigalow Belt North (BBN) and Brigalow Belt South (BBS). The North and South Brigalow Belt are two of the 85 bioregions across Australia and the 15 bioregions in Queensland. Together they form most of the Brigalow tropical savanna ecoregion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buff-sided robin</span> Species of bird

The buff-sided robin is a small, diurnal, insectivorous, perching (passerine) bird in the family Petroicidae, a group commonly known as the Australo-Papuan or Australasian robins. It is also known as the buff-sided fly-robin, buff-sided shrike-robin and Isabellflankenschnäpper (German). The buff-sided robin is endemic to northern Australia, where it primarily occurs in riparian forests and monsoon vine thickets from the Kimberly region of Western Australia to the north-west Queensland Gulf of Carpentaria. The plumage of the adult birds is characterised by a dark hood and back with a prominent white stripe on the supercilium; a white throat, white wing and tail bars, and a striking buff to orange patch on the flank below the wings. Adult birds are not sexually dimorphic; however, males are generally larger and can be separated from females based on morphological measurements. Buff-sided robins predominantly take insects from the ground by sallying from an observational perch. Insect prey are also occasionally taken by hawking on the wing or by gleaning from the trunk or foliage of riparian vegetation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Australian temperate forests</span> Ecoregion in Australia

The Eastern Australian temperate forests is a broad ecoregion of open forest on uplands starting from the east coast of New South Wales in the South Coast to southern Queensland, Australia. Although dry sclerophyll and wet sclerophyll eucalyptus forests predominate within this ecoregion, a number of distinguishable rainforest communities are present as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnhem Land tropical savanna</span> Ecoregion in Northern Territory, Australia

The Arnhem Land tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in Australia's Northern Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpentaria tropical savanna</span> Ecoregion in Australia

The Carpentaria tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimberley tropical savanna</span> Terrestrial ecoregion in Western Australia

The Kimberley tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northwestern Australia, covering portions of Western Australia and the Northern Territory south of the Timor Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Einasleigh Uplands</span> Bioregion in Queensland, Australia

The Einasleigh Uplands is an interim Australian bioregion, with vegetation consisting of savanna and woodland located on a large plateau in inland Queensland, Australia. It corresponds to the Einasleigh Uplands savanna ecoregion, as identified by the World Wildlife Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Plains tropical savanna</span> Ecoregion in Australia

The Victoria Plains tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northwestern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seasonal tropical forest</span> Type of tropical forest

Seasonal tropical forest, also known as moist deciduous, semi-evergreen seasonal, tropical mixed or monsoon forest, typically contains a range of tree species: only some of which drop some or all of their leaves during the dry season. This tropical forest is classified under the Walter system as (i) tropical climate with high overall rainfall and (ii) having a very distinct wet season with dry season. These forests represent a range of habitats influenced by monsoon (Am) or tropical wet savanna (Aw/As) climates. Drier forests in the Aw/As climate zone are typically deciduous and placed in the Tropical dry forest biome: with further transitional zones (ecotones) of savannah woodland then tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Eastern Queensland</span> Region in Australia

South Eastern Queensland is an interim Australian bioregion located in south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. It has an area of 7,804,921 hectares. It is one of the most biodiverse bioregions in Australia. The bioregion is home to eucalypt forests and woodlands, with rainforests on mountain slopes and in stream valleys and wallum heaths near the coast. South Eastern Queensland bioregion is the northernmost part of the Eastern Australian temperate forests ecoregion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainforests and vine thickets</span>

Rainforests and vine thickets are a major vegetation group in Australia. It consists of temperate to tropical rainforests, monsoon forests, and vine thickets. Rainforests and vine thickets are generally found in small pockets across the eastern and northern portions of the continent, including western Tasmania, eastern New South Wales, eastern Queensland, the northern portion of the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley Region of northeastern Western Australia.

References

  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. "Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. "Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) regions and codes". Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Commonwealth of Australia. 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  4. "Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, Version 7: regions" (PDF). Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  7. "Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  8. Stanton, J. P. (James Peter); Morgan, M. G; University of New England. School of Natural Resources (1977), The rapid selection and appraisal of key and endangered sites : the Queensland case study, the University of New England School of Natural Resources, p. 3, retrieved 11 February 2022
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Environment Australia. "Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) and Development of Version 5.1 - Summary Report". Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 4 September 2006. Retrieved 6 May 2018.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. 1 2 Wetland Summary—facts and maps. Wetland Info, Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cape York Peninsula Tropical Savanna. One Earth. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  12. Environment Science and Services (NQ) (1995). "Stage 1 Overview Reports: Overview of Current Resources, Land Uses and Issues". Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy, Department of the Premier, Economic and Trade Development, Brisbane, and Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra.
  13. "IBRA7 subregions and codes" (PDF). Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  14. "Littoral rainforests and coastal vine thickets of eastern Australia". Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) policy statement – Nationally threatened species and ecological communities guidelines. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. March 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 4 BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Iron and McIlwraith Ranges. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  16. Neldner, V.J and Clarlcson, J.R. (1995). 'Vegetation Survey and Mapping of Cape York Peninsula'. (Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy, Office of the Co-ordinator General of Queensland, Brisbane, Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra, and Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage, Brisbane.
  17. 1 2 Wannan, Bruce (2014). Review of the phytogeography of Cape York Peninsula: a flora that illustrates the development of the Australian sclerophyll biota. Australian Journal of Botany 62, 85-113. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT13295
  18. 1 2 BirdLife International (2024). Endemic Bird Areas factsheet: Cape York. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  19. Burnett, S & Winter, J. 2016. Melomys capensis . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T13117A22420633. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T13117A22420633.en. Accessed 20 August 2024.