The Carpentaria tropical savanna is a
tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is dominated by grass and/or shrubs located in semi-arid to semi- humid climate regions of subtropical and ...
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
in northern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
Geography
The ecoregion lies in northwestern
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
and northeastern
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, south of the
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary is ...
. It includes much of Queensland's
Gulf Country
The Gulf Country is the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia. The region is also called the Gulf Savannah. It ...
, and a portion of the
Barkly Tableland
The Barkly Tableland is a rolling plain of grassland in Australia. It runs from the eastern part of the Northern Territory into western Queensland. It is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory and covers , 21% of the Northern Terr ...
in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
. The ecoregion includes the
Wellesley Islands
The Wellesley Islands, also known as the North Wellesley Islands, is a group of islands off the coast of Far North Queensland, Australia, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a locality within the Shire of Mornington local government area. The t ...
and
Pellew Islands in the gulf.
The
Roper Roper is a craftsman who makes ropes; a ropemaker.
It may also refer to:
Places
*Roper, North Carolina, USA
*Roper River, Northern Territory, Australia
People
* Roper (surname)
Other
*'' Roper v. Simmons'', a decision of the United States Sup ...
,
Limmen Bight
Limmen Bight is a bight, or large, open bay, located in the Northern Territory of Australia at the western end of the Gulf of Carpentaria about east of the town of Katherine. It is part of the traditional lands and waters of the Marra peopl ...
,
McArthur McArthur may refer to:
People
* McArthur (surname)
Geography
* McArthur, Arkansas, an unincorporated town in Desha County
* McArthur, California, in Shasta County
* McArthur, Modoc County, California
* McArthur, Ohio
* McArthur Basin, a large int ...
,
Calvert,
Nicholson
Nicholson may refer to:
People
*Nicholson (name), a surname, and a list of people with the name
Places Australia
* Nicholson, Victoria
* Nicholson, Queensland
* Nicholson County, New South Wales
* Nicholson River (disambiguation)
* Nicholson ...
,
Leichhardt Leichhardt may refer to:
* Division of Leichhardt, electoral District for the Australian House of Representatives
* Leichhardt Highway, a highway of Queensland, Australia
* Leichhardt Way, an Australian road route
* Leichhardt, New South Wales, inn ...
,
Flinders
Flinders may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula
Australia New South Wales
* Flinders County, New South Wales
* Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour
* Flinders, New South Wa ...
,
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
,
Gilbert Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South ...
,
Staaten, and
Mitchell
Mitchell may refer to:
People
*Mitchell (surname)
*Mitchell (given name)
Places Australia
* Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate
* Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst
* Mitchell, Northern Territo ...
rivers drain into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Most have freshwater and brackish wetlands in near the gulf.
[
It is bounded on the northeast by the ]Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna
The Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northern Australia. It occupies the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, mai ...
, on the east by the Einasleigh Uplands savanna
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 ...
, on the south by the Mitchell Grass Downs
The Mitchell Grass Downs is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northeastern Australia. It is a mostly treeless grassland, characterised by Mitchell grasses (''Astrebla'' spp.).
Location and descrip ...
, on the west by the Victoria Plains tropical savanna
The Victoria Plains tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northwestern Australia.
Geography
The ecoregion lies in the central Northern Territory, extending into northeastern Western ...
and Kimberley tropical savanna
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.
Geography
The ec ...
, and on the northwest by the Arnhem Land tropical savanna
The Arnhem Land tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in Australia's Northern Territory.
Geography
The ecoregion occupies the peninsula of Arnhem Land and its offshore islands, includin ...
.
IBRA regions
The ecoregion includes three IBRA region
The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeography, biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities ( ...
s – Gulf Coastal, Gulf Fall and Uplands
The Gulf Fall and Uplands, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Northern Territory and Queensland, , and Gulf Plains
The Gulf Plains, an interim Australian bioregion (IBRA), is located in the Northern Territory and Queensland, comprising . It is one of 89 such bioregions defined in Australia, with 419 subregions as of IBRA version 7, compared with the 85 bior ...
.
Climate
The ecoregion has a tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...
. Rainfall is strongly seasonal. The monsoon winds bring rainfall during the Southern Hemisphere summer from November to March, followed by a dry season during the rest of the year. Average annual rainfall generally decreases from north to south. It is highest (1000 mm to 1200 mm) in the northwestern portion of the ecoregion in the Northern Territory, and over 900 mm in the northeastern part of the ecoregion east of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Rainfall is approximately 750 mm along the southern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and decreases to less than 500 mm further south. Temperatures are generally warm year-round, with a wider range between maximum and minimum monthly temperatures as one moves further from the coast.[
]
Flora
The vegetation of the ecoregion includes grasslands, savanna, open woodlands, and small patches of forest.
The Gulf Coastal region, which encompasses the coastal plains along the western Gulf of Carpentaria in Northern Territory, is covered mostly in woodlands of Darwin stringybark (''Eucalyptus tetrodonta'') with an understory of grasses, chiefly curly spinifex (''Triodia pungens'').[
The Gulf Fall and Uplands, which lies west and south of the gulf coastal plain, is mostly woodland and savanna of Darwin box (''Eucalyptus tectifica'') and long-fruited bloodwood (''Corymbia polycarpa''). curly spinfex is the most common grass, with areas of tall '']Sorghum
''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...
'' grasses, like those typical of Arnhem Land's savannas, in more humid areas of the uplands.[
The Gulf Plains, which lie south and southeast of the Gulf, are mostly open grasslands of bluegrass (''Dichanthium'' spp.). In the southwestern Gulf Plains, along the northern edge of the ]Mount Isa Inlier
Mount Isa Inlier, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Queensland,[IBRA Versio ...](_blank)
, there is a narrow belt of Eucalyptus and Melaleuca
''Melaleuca'' () is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of '' Leptospermum''). They range in size ...
woodlands, with a grassy understory dominated by ''Chrysopogon fallax
''Chrysopogon'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants in the grass family. They are widespread across Eurasia, Africa, Australia, southeastern North America, and various islands.
Species
Source:
Formerly included
Source:
Resea ...
''. In the southeastern Gulf Plains close to the Einasleigh Uplands
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 ...
, there are Eucalyptus woodlands, and low woodlands of Melaleuca
''Melaleuca'' () is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of '' Leptospermum''). They range in size ...
with the grasses ''Aristida
''Aristida'' is a very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family. ''Aristida'' is distinguished by having three awns (bristles) on each lemma of each floret. The genus includes about 300 species found worldwide, often in arid war ...
'' spp. and ''Chrysopogon fallax''. On the higher plateau remnants in the southeast, there are woodlands of narrow-leaved ironbark
''Eucalyptus crebra'', commonly known as the narrow-leaved ironbark, narrow-leaved red ironbark or simply ironbark, and as muggago in the indigenous Dharawal language, is a species of small to medium-sized tree endemic to eastern Australia. It ha ...
(''Eucalyptus crebra'') and bloodwood
Bloodwood is a common name for several unrelated trees, including:
* '' Baloghia inophylla'' (Brush or Scrub bloodwood), '' Baloghia marmorata'' (Marbled bloodwood), '' Baloghia parviflora'' (Small-flowered bloodwood), all found in Australia
* ' ...
(''Corymbia'' spp.), interspersed with stands of lancewood (''Acacia shirleyi'').[
The ecoregion's rivers form freshwater and saltwater wetlands as they approach the gulf. There are extensive ]mangroves
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...
along the coast.
Fauna
The Carpentarian rock rat
The Carpentarian rock rat (''Zyzomys palatalis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in Australia.
Taxonomy
The description of the species was published by Darrell Kitchener in 1989, emerging from a revision of the g ...
(''Zyzomys palatalis'') is endemic to the ecoregion, and found only in patches of ravine forest and vine thickets on sandstone outcrops in Wollogorang Station
Wollogorang Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station straddling the border the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Location
The property is situated approximately north west of Doomadgee and west of Burketown. The homes ...
. The station is located close to the gulf in the Northern Territory near the border with Queensland.[Bowman, D. M. J. S., G. K. Brown, M. F. Braby, J. R. Brown, L. G. Cook, M. D. Crisp, F. Ford, S. Haberle, J. Hughes, Y. Isagi, L. Joseph, J. McBride, G. Nelson and P. Y. Ladiges (2010). "Biogeography of the Australian monsoon tropics". ''Journal of Biogeography'', February 2010. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02210.]
Protected areas
A 2017 assessment found that 24,914 km², or 7%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[ Protected areas in the ecoregion include ]Limmen National Park
Limmen National Park, announced in 2012, is the third largest national park in the Northern Territory, after Judbarra / Gregory National Park, with an area of approximately . Located about 600 km south-east of Darwin on the Gulf of Carpenta ...
, Rutland Plains Nature Refuge, Staaten River National Park, Thuwathu-Bujimulla Indigenous Protected Area, Nijinda Durlga Indigenous Protected Area, Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary
Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary is a 3060 km2 private protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) which purchased Pungalina Station in 2009, with some assistance from the ...
, Wongalara Sanctuary, the southern portion of South-East Arnhem Land Indigenous Protected Area, and the northern portion of Boodjamulla National Park
Boodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia. The Riversleigh World Heritage Area is a World Heritage Site within the park.
The park lies on the traditiona ...
.[UNEP-WCMC (2020). Protected Area Profile for Australia from the World Database of Protected Areas, September 2020. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net]
External links
*
References
{{Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA)
Ecoregions of Queensland
Ecoregions of the Northern Territory
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands