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https://theconversation.com/idiotfruit-and-tree-kangaroos-heres-why-the-ancient-rainforests-of-queenslands-wet-tropics-are-so-distinctive-228195>
"In Queensland’s northern reaches lie the Wet Tropics, spanning about 450
kilometres between Townsville and Cooktown. These mountainous rainforests are a
relic of the ancient continent of Gondwana, dating back million of years when
Australia and parts of Antarctica were covered in rainforest.
While much of the rest of Australia has dried out, the Wet Tropics have stayed
wet. It’s here you find green-eyed treefrogs, wompoo fruit-doves and striped
possums with elongated fourth digits, for digging out grubs. It’s a particular
hotspot of endemic and unique plant species too, including the colourfully
named idiotfruit tree.
Why is the region so distinctive? It has many different niches for species,
from cool mountaintops down to hot and humid lowland rainforest. As a result of
its unique evolutionary history, the Wet Tropics are a biodiversity hotspot,
hosting an array of species found nowhere else on Earth.
Like many ecosystems, it is under serious threat from land clearing, invasive
species and climate change. And these threats could be worse than we think due
to the indirect, and often hidden ways they can affect the whole environment.
My research explores how species in these rainforests interact to forecast how
rising temperatures and other environmental changes can lead not just to
extinctions of individual species, but to the possibility of cascading
extinctions as the loss of important species ripples through the web of life."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
