3.1.

1- an Overview of Australian
outdoor environments before humans
 From the study design
Key Knowledge:
an overview of Australian outdoor environments before humans, including
characteristics of biological isolation, geological stability, and climatic
variations.
Key Skills:
explain the characteristics of the Australian environment before humans.
 Lets set the scene
Australia is an area of just over 7,600,000 square kilometres
It is the flattest continent
Is made up of the oldest and least fertile soils
Is the driest inhabited continent
The climate is influenced heavily by the El Nino and La Nina weather oscillation
patterns rainfall patterns vary dramatically from year to year.
Although much of it is semi-arid or desert, it has a wide range of habitats- from
alpine to tropical forests.
 4 Main Phases
200 mya: The southern continents were all locked together as part of the super
continent Gondwana.
This included Australia, South America, Africa and Antarctica (along with India).
The northern continents made up the supercontinent of Laurasia.
100 mya: Gondwana started to break apart, but Australia and Antarctica remained
locked together.
50 mya: Australia and Antarctica start to separate. This also led to a global cooling
event that turned much of Australia dry.
Present day: The continents have reached their current position- have not stopped
moving.
India continues to push up into Asia, creating the Himalayas.
Africa and South America are moving apart, enlarging the Atlantic Ocean.
Australia is still moving North into Asia.
 continental drift theory
Continental drift is the theory that all of the earths continents are
continuously moving.
Plates move on convection currents beneath the earths continental plates.
The cause of movement is the magma from the earths mantle, as it heats up
and circulates, it creates pressure.
The layout of the earths continents and physical features such as mountain
ranges, mid-ocean ridges and volcanoes are all attributed to this.
There is a range of evidence that supports this.
 Prehistory of Victoria page.139-140
Volcanism, uplift, sedimentation, folding and faulting, and erosion and weathering
have all played part in shaping Victoria and are visible in all of our outdoor
environments.
Most of Victoria and eastern Australia didnt exist in early Australia.
For much of its history Victoria was a part of the sea floor- we evidence of this in
the Grampians and the Alps with fossilised sea life.
Australia and Antarctica breaking apart helped form our mountain ranges-
including the Grampians and Alps.
The low swamp areas around Gippsland and Western Port Bay became the coal
beds of the LaTrobe valley.
The western plains area of Victoria was the largest volcanic field in the southern
hemisphere- area stretching from Werribee through to Ararat.
 Characteristics of pre-human Australia
There are three key characteristics that were a feature of the Australian environment before humans arrived
here:
2. Geological 3. Climate
1. Biological stability variation
isolation

All three have helped shape the land and its various forms, the variety and features of Australian
ecosystems, and the specific behaviours and features of the plant and animal species found across the
continent.
Even after human arrival, these characteristics still shape the interactions we have with the
environment today.
Article review: Australia- an ancient legacy, by David Salt
 Biological isolation
As Australia is an island
continent (isolated from
other continents for 50
million years), Australian
flora and fauna have adapted
to the Australian conditions
in isolation, making them
unique to anywhere else in
the world.
 Australia has a high percentage of endemic species (plants and
animals found no where else in the world).
E.g: 85% of the Australian mammals
91% of Australian flowering plants
Example: Marsupials- Only in Australia are marsupials the
dominant mammal. Most have evolved isolated from other species
and have special adaptations that allow them to thrive in Australia.
 Geological stability
As Australia lies in the middle of a continental plate- there are no major fault lines, meaning
earthquakes are rare and there has been no recent volcanic activity.

This has meant that the main force that has shaped Australia has been erosion.

The biggest consequences =

- very low nutrient levels in the soil: most of our plants are tough species that can survive
low nutrient levels.
- very flat landscape: has affected the way water and fire can move across the landscape.
 Example: The Australian
Alps- much of the Alps rock
was formed in undersea
volcanic eruptions over
500mya. 320mya was the last
folding event, since which
only erosion has shaped our
mountain ranges.
 Climatic variations
Australia experiences a highly erratic climate in comparison to other continents of the world.
There are two extremes:

El Nino years (long, lean droughts) & La Nina years (flooding rains)
Australias variable climate and weather has led to:
Frequent droughts- plants and animals have developed strategies to conserve water or
reduce the requirements for it.
Bushfires are common- plants both fuel these and often require them for their own survival
(reproduction).
Floods occur intermittently- leading to large scale bird migrations to take advantage of the
occasional wetlands
 Survival by Adaptation
Adaptation is the evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes better
able to live in its environment
Many species of Australian flora and fauna demonstrate adaptations that
allow them to survive the challenges presented to them by the characteristics
of the Australian environment
 Adaptation of Australian Plants
Example: Eucalypts have evolved to survive an erratic climate in a number of ways.
They leaves hang downwards, presenting less surface to the hot overhead sun, and they
have a high oil content, helping them retain water.
Their seeds are often held in an insulated capsule, which opens only in response to and
after the devastation of a bushfire.
Fire also provides these seeds with the nutrients they need to grow.
The oils in the leaves make the fire more severe and therefore more damaging to less
attuned species, giving an advantage to the eucalypts.
Many eucalypts have epicormic buds that produce new growth quickly after a fire, helping
them recover faster than other damaged plants.
 Adaptations of Australian Fauna
The Koala has a specially adapted digestive system that allows them to eat
and break down eucalyptus leaves- a highly plentiful food source, but one
that contains oils, poisonous to many animals.
The Bilby has adapted to life in Australias deserts. It is able to obtain all
water it needs to survive from its diet thanks to super efficient kidneys.
The Thorny Devil has a series of channels between the thorns on its skin that
act not only trap condensation, but direct the collected water towards its
mouth.
Example: The Kangaroo- Built for surviving Australian conditions

Raise young in the pouch to save energy, and can halt embryo development
(diapause) in poor conditions.
Able to re-grow their molar teeth- enables them to eat incredibly tough native
grasses that wear them away over time.
Fur is reflective reflects 30% of heat from the sun.
Hopping pushes air into lungs by compressing diaphragm, allowing them to
travel quickly over large distances using very little energy.