Central Ranges xeric scrub explained

Central Ranges xeric scrub
Biogeographic Realm:Australasian
Biome:Deserts and xeric shrublands
Border1:Gibson Desert
Border2:Great Sandy–Tanami desert
Border3:Great Victoria Desert
Border4:Simpson Desert
Border5:Tirari–Sturt stony desert
Area:287,406
Country:Australia
State1:Northern Territory
State2:South Australia,
State3:Western Australia
Conservation:Vulnerable
Protected:71,805 km2 (25
Protected Ref:)[1]

The Central Ranges xeric scrub is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of Australia.[2] [3] [4]

Location and description

The region consists of sandy plains with some areas of rocky highland. These plains have a dry climate but do get some rain in both summer and winter. This area contains the remote city of Alice Springs while the grasslands are home to a number of Indigenous Australian communities or are used for cattle grazing.

This ecoregion contains four Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia bioregions – Burt Plain, Central Ranges, Finke, and MacDonnell Ranges.

Flora

This ecoregion includes the Central Australian Mountain Ranges Centres of Plant Diversity. The habitats consists of thick, tough spinifex grassland with some wooded areas of western myall and desert oak (Acacia coriacea). The region and the MacDonnell Ranges in particular are home to a number of specialised endemic plant species including the cabbage palms of Palm Valley in Finke Gorge National Park.

Fauna

Birds include the red-tailed black cockatoo and the spinifexbird while animals include the black-flanked rock-wallaby population of the MacDonnell Ranges and the green tree frog.

Conservation and threats

Overgrazing by cattle and introduced animals including horses, donkeys and rabbits are a threat to habitats.

Protected areas

Protected areas include Finke Gorge National Park, Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park, and Watarrka National Park.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix014
  2. Web site: Map of Ecoregions 2017. Resolve. en. August 20, 2021.
  3. Web site: Central Ranges xeric scrub. Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. en. August 20, 2021.
  4. Web site: Central Ranges xeric scrub. The Encyclopedia of Earth. en. August 20, 2021.