Australia a country full of aquatic and
terrestrial life it is home to a variety
of plants and animals that have adapted
to the different conditions over 80% of
the animals are unique to Australia and
cannot be found anywhere else in the
world Australia's most iconic biome is
the desert ecosystem known for its
kangaroos and dingoes the desert biome
is a system of plants and animals that
have adapted to the harsh conditions of
the outback
the Australian outback in the Northern
Territory has two different climates the
Darwin climate is tropical with high
humidity and a wet season from October
to April and a dry season from May to
September the central region climate is
a desert requirement with very little
rainfall and the hottest months from
October to March soil erosion is a large
problem in the Northern Territory of
Australia due to topsoil being washed
away by water this causes a loss of
vegetation and increase in the turbidity
of waterways and a decrease in soil
fertility the soil is rocky low in
nutrients and slightly acidic so it
doesn't have the capabilities of
agricultural development
some of the animals that live in the
Northern Territory are Dingles
freshwater and saltwater crocodiles
kangaroos wombats billa bees insects and
various types of snakes and lizards the
producers in the Northern Territory are
small shrubs and short desert grasses
water is not always available in the
outback
so herbivores have adapted to the
situation by being able to survive long
periods of time without water red
kangaroos eat early in the morning when
there's dew on the plants as a source of
water wombats get the water they need by
storing their food in burrows where the
air is humid the food absorbs the humid
air so that when the wombats eat their
food they get water as well a keystone
species in the outback is a dingo
dingoes are wild dogs that either live
alone or hunt in packs they hunt small
game such as wombats kangaroos birds and
lizards and they also eat fruits and
plants because they eat so many
different kinds of animals they have
many different roles in the food chains
Dingles have also evolved to survive in
this region the fur of the dingoes coat
is largely determined by where it lives
a standard coat color is ginger with
white feet but in the desert areas their
fur is golden yellow desert dingoes are
also smaller and more compact and their
coats are double layered with a thick
undercoat to insulate them from both
extreme heat and cold weather their
bottle shaped tails help them to balance
and their large heads and narrow chest
and shoulders and proportionate body
make them successful hunters
human contributions to global warning
have greatly changed the habitats for
animals in kakadu park over the past 50
years saltwater intrusion has caused the
tidal range of creeks to move 400
kilometers inland to the East Alligator
River catchment which resulted in an
increase of saline mud flats that killed
two thirds of the Molalla kueh forests
this forest was an important resting
spot for many water birds and used to be
used for spawning by aquatic animals
another environmental problem caused by
humans is the introduction of the cane
toad in June 1935 the toad was brought
from Hawaii by the Bureau of sugar
experiment stations because it was
intended to control the native cane
beetle which was harmful to the
sugarcane plantations in Australia this
told population rapidly increased and
spread from Queensland to New South
Wales and to the Northern Territory the
population is now estimated to be over
200 million and these toads migrated
about 25 miles per year these poisonous
toads have decreased the biodiversity in
Northern Territory ecosystems in local
areas the population of the Verena span
hopes decreased by 90% once it was
invaded by the cane toads there has also
been a decline in the populations of the
northern Quall clearing land for
agricultural purposes is also a cause
for the decreased biodiversity in the
Northern Territory 17 million hectares
of land have been cleared since 1973
urban development also serves as an
aspect of the country that will further
increase the clearing of natural
environments
the northern koala is an endangered
northern native cat
it is a carnivorous marsupial that is
now only found in the Northern Territory
and Cape York Australia the cane toad
population is blamed for the reduction
of this animals population because they
compete for the koalas food and shelter
the calls also die from the toads fatal
poison when they try to eat them
scientists at the University of Sydney
are trying to teach calls not to eat the
toads by putting a chemical into the
toads that make the calls feel nauseated
thus discouraging them from eating the
toad the Tasmanian Devil is another
endangered carnivorous marsupial it has
the most powerful bite of any animal in
the world measured by the power of the
bite per unit of body mass in 1941 there
was a law to protect these animals from
hunters but the Tasmanian Devil
population is threatened by the devil
facial tumour disease this disease is a
genetic trait that causes tumors to grow
around the animals mouth and hipot the
animals ability to eat the starving the
animal to death devil facial tumour
disease has affected between 50 to 90%
of the Tasmanian Devil population
here are some animals in the Australian
outback food web dingoes are carnivorous
scavengers they eat red kangaroos
wombats bilbies and lizards wedge-tailed
Eagles eat small kangaroos wombats
abilities and lizards frill-necked
lizard and Phil V's eat bulldog ants
bulldog ants eat wood white butterflies
desert plants are producers and are
eaten by kangaroos wombats bilbies
butterflies and Bulldog ant the
Australian outback is a biome that is
home to a diversity of plants and
animals many of the plants and animals
are unique to Australia and it is
important that we protect them from
becoming extinct
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