1. Types and Characteristics of Different Environments By Martin Eriksson

2. Student Activity List down all the outdoor environments you have been to. Next to these briefly describe the main characteristics/features of these? Vegetation – tree types etc. Terrain – rocky, hilly, flat Weather – snow, hot, cold, wet, dry, windy What type of environment would you consider this to be?

3. Factors of Natural Environments Geology Climate Position and aspect From OES VCE 1-4 (2002)

4. Geology Type of soils and rocks How much rock has eroded to become soil Drainage of soil and rocks Topography Shape of the land

5. Climate Rainfall Temperature Wind patterns Daylight hours Evaporation Frosts Snowcover

6. Position and Aspect Aspect refers to the direction slope Eg. A southerly aspect faces south therefore having more shade than a northerly aspect. This may effect the vegetation that grows there. Geographical location Eg. Queensland compared to Victoria

7. Some Different Environments Alpine Dry Forests and Woodlands Wet forests and rainforests Grasslands Heathlands Coastal Marine Arid and semi-arid Wetlands

8. Alpine

9. The word alpine means ‘above the treeline’. Area where it is too cold for trees to survive. Often snow country is referred to as alpine. Main vegetation is grasses, flowers, heath and shrub. Snow cover is common, particularly in winter months.

10. Australian Alpine - Summer

11. Australian Alpine - Winter

12. Dry Forests and Woodlands

13. Consisting often of tall trees. Support a variety of plants and animals. Much of Victorias dry forests and woodlands have been effected by: clearing during gold rush mining timber harvesting Grazing Box-Ironbark forest at Rushworth, or Mt. Samaria

14. Wet Forests and Rainforests

15. Forests with less sunlight due to canopy. The worlds largest flowering plant – Mountain Ash (up to 100m tall) Tall trees subject to timber harvesting. Lake Mountain, Wilsons Prom.

16. Grasslands

17. More open plains. Target for grazing and free to settlers. Less than 1% left today in small pockets under threat. Once extensive between the Murray Valley and the Great Dividing Range.

18. Heathlands

19. Low, shrubby with twisted trees. Exposed to dry winds. Close relationship with fire – hard woody seed pods open after fire. Over 80 species of birds inhabit this ecosystem in Victoria. Coastal areas up to Divide – Eg. Wilsons Promontory.

20. Coastal

21. Area dividing land and ocean. Coastal weather generally more moderate than inland. Waters edge may be significantly eroded by wind and water. Intertidal wildlife require great adaptability to dry and wet conditions.

22. Wilsons Promontory

23. Marine

24. Seas and oceans. 2/3’s of the worlds surface. Still largely unexplored and unknown. Great variety of wildlife. Ocean currents of warm and cold follow patterns from season to season.

25. Jarasite Reef

26. Arid/Semi Arid

27. Arid/Desert Dry environment. Often sandy due to vast inland sea millions of years ago. Commonly low mallee scrub of eucalypts that withstand long periods of harsh conditions. Often considered uninhabitable and not interesting. Eg. Little Desert.

28. Little Desert

29. Wetlands

30. Rivers, creeks, lakes and swamps. Inland areas often flood during winter although this has changed with irrigation weirs and dams. A major function is water purification. Ideal for recreation. Eg. Barmah Lake, Gippsland Lakes.

31. Barmah State Forest