|
Tongan Tropical Moist Forests
The Tongan tropical moist forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion that includes the Tonga archipelago and Niue. Geography The ecoregion includes the Tonga archipelago, a group of 170 islands that extends 800 km north to south between 15º to 23ºS latitude and 173º to 177º W longitude, and comprise the nation of Tonga. It also includes Niue, which lies 400 km east of Tonga at 19º S latitude and 169º W longitude. The Tonga archipelago lies at the boundary of the Pacific and the Australian tectonic plates, and the islands were created by the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Australian Plate. The islands on the eastern side of the chain are mostly made up of uplifted coraline rocks lying atop blocks of oceanic or continental crust. Some of the larger eastern islands are Foa, Lifuka, Vavaʻu, 'Eua, and Tongatapu. Several of the islands on the western side of the chain are of stratovolcanos, including 'Ata, Tofua, Kao, Late, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oceanian Realm
The Oceanian realm is one of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) biogeographic realms, and is unique in not including any continental land mass. It has the smallest land area of any of the WWF realms. This realm includes the islands of the Pacific Ocean in Micronesia, the Fijian Islands, the Hawaiian islands, and Polynesia (with the exception of New Zealand). New Zealand, Australia, and most of Melanesia including New Guinea, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia are included within the Australasian realm. Conversely, New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand are included in the Oceanian realm in the classification scheme developed by Miklos Udvardy in 1975.Udvardy, M. D. F. (1975). ''A classification of the biogeographical provinces of the world''. IUCN Occasional Paper no. 18. Morges, Switzerland: IUCN.Udvardy, Miklos D. F. (1975) ''World Biogeographical Provinces'' (Map). The CoEvolution Quarterly, Sausalito, Californialink The Juan Fernández Islan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late (island)
Late Island is an uninhabited volcanic island southwest of Vavaʻu in the kingdom of Tonga. Geography The small, 6-km-wide circular island of Late, lying along the Tofua volcanic arc about 55 km WSW of the island of Vavau, contains a 400-m-wide, 150-m-deep summit crater with an ephemeral lake. The largely submerged basaltic andesite to andesitic volcano rises 1500 m from the sea floor, with its conical summit reaching 540 m above sea level. Cinder cones are found north of the summit crater, west and north of a semicircular plateau 100–150 m below the summit, and on the NW coast. A graben-like structure on the NE flank contains two large pit craters, the lower of which is partially filled by a saltwater lake. Only two eruptions have occurred in historical time, both from NE-flank craters, which produced explosive activity and possible lava flows in 1790 and 1854. History It was discovered by Spanish naval officer Francisco Mourelle de la Rúa on 27 February 1781, on board ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pittosporum Arborescens
''Pittosporum'' ( or ) is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Pittosporaceae. The genus is probably Gondwanan in origin; its present range extends from Australasia, Oceania, eastern Asia and some parts of Africa. ''Citriobatus'' can be included here, but might be a distinct (though closely related) genus. They are commonly known as pittosporums or, more ambiguously, cheesewoods. The species are trees and shrubs growing to 2–30 m tall. The leaf, leaves are spirally arranged or whorled, simple, with an entire or waved (rarely lobed) margin. The flowers are produced singly or in umbels or panicle, corymbs, each flower with five sepals and five petals; they are often sweetly scented. The fruit is a woody seed capsule (botany), capsule, which bursts on ripening to release the numerous seeds. The seeds are coated with a sticky resinous substance. The genus is named after their sticky seeds, from the Greek language, Greek meaning "pitch-seed". Pittosporum e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pisonia Grandis
''Pisonia grandis'', the grand devil's-claws, is a species of flowering tree in the ''Bougainvillea'' family, Nyctaginaceae. Description The tree has broad, thin leaves, smooth bark and bears clusters of green sweet-smelling flowers that mature into sticky barbed seeds. Dispersal occurs when seeds stick to bird feathers. Vegetative reproduction frequently results when fallen branches sprout or basal shoots develop into new trees. Distribution ''Pisonia'' trees are distributed throughout the coral cays of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The species often dominates mature coral cay vegetation, growing in dense, thick strands up to tall. ''Pisonia'' wood is rather weak and soft and decays rapidly when the trees fall. ''Pisonia'' forests are a common nesting site for seabirds. One of the best remaining ''Pisonia'' forests can be found on Palmyra Atoll. St. Pierre Island, Farquhar Group, was once covered by a ''Pisonia grandis'' forest. This forest disappeared after guano minin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Litsea Mellifera
''Litsea'' is a genus of evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes a large number of accepted species in tropical and subtropical areas of North America and Asia. Characteristics They are typically dioecious trees or shrubs. The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen depending on species, and aromatic. They have leaves alternate or opposite or in whorls. The inconspicuous flowers range from greenish to white, greenish-yellow, to yellowish. The inflorescences are pseudo-umbels, flat-topped or rounded flower clusters, each pseudo-umbel with an involucre of four or six decussate bracts. Species Currently accepted species include: *'' Litsea aban-gibotii'' Ng *''Litsea accedens'' (Blume) Boerl. *'' Litsea accedentoides'' Koord. & Valeton *''Litsea acrantha'' Ridl. *'' Litsea acutifolia'' (Liou Ho) Kosterm. *'' Litsea acutivena'' Hayata *'' Litsea aestivalis'' (L.) Fernald *'' Litsea akoensis'' Hayata *''Litsea alba'' K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
