Kakadu is made up of eight main types of ecosystem, savannah woodlands, open forest, floodplains, mangroves, tidal mudflats, coastal areas and monsoon forests. The Savannah plains are very dry in one season and are inundated with rain in the other. Eucalyptus trees are seen scattered around the plains. Open forests that lie in Kakadu are dominated by evergreen eucalyptus trees, these forests are situated in high rain fall areas. In the wet season, the floodplains are flooded from rain fall. The floodplains are nutrients rich which attract plant and wildlife, such as crocodiles and birds. Mangrove forests and tidal flats are located on the coast. Most of Kakadu’s coast is covered in mangroves. During the dry season tidal action deposits silt along the river beds and banks. During the wet season the river beds are eroded by the floodwaters and large quantities of fresh and saline water flow out across the tidal flats, where silt is deposited. Monsoon forests, also called dry forests, are forests that experience a long dry season and then a very wet season, these forests are located in a tropical area.
The Savannah Woodlands The Mudflats Some Mangroves
Kakadu's Contribution to Biodiversity
Kakadu’s eight ecosystems hold many different types of plants and animals to create a ecosytem which has strong ecosystem diversity and species diversity. There are all types of animals, everything from fish to mammals, to reptiles, to amphibians and a lot more. Many of these species are slightly different, making a strong genetically diverse ecosystem. Also, there are 26 species that are naturally threatened living in Kakadu, by housing these species in a national park they are safe from foreign predators, making them more likely to increase numbers.
Kakadu’s eight ecosystems hold many different types of plants and animals to create a ecosytem which has strong ecosystem diversity and species diversity. There are all types of animals, everything from fish to mammals, to reptiles, to amphibians and a lot more. Many of these species are slightly different, making a strong genetically diverse ecosystem. Also, there are 26 species that are naturally threatened living in Kakadu, by housing these species in a national park they are safe from foreign predators, making them more likely to increase numbers.
Adaptions - Eucalyptus Trees
The eucalyptus trees living in the savannah plains have adapted to the seasonally dry ecosystem. These eucalyptus trees roots are sent far into the ground to gain nutrients deep in the ground. The ground near the surface of the dry savannah plains are not nutrient rich and would not be able to contain a eucalyptus tree, therefore the trees have done this to remain strong.
The eucalyptus trees living in the savannah plains have adapted to the seasonally dry ecosystem. These eucalyptus trees roots are sent far into the ground to gain nutrients deep in the ground. The ground near the surface of the dry savannah plains are not nutrient rich and would not be able to contain a eucalyptus tree, therefore the trees have done this to remain strong.