Pilbara shrublands

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Coordinates: 21°42′S 118°42′E / 21.7°S 118.7°E / -21.7; 118.7
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Pilbara shrublands
Great Sandy-Tanami desert
  • Kimberley tropical savanna,
  • Western Australian mulga shrublands
    • Geography
    Area177,693 km2 (68,608 sq mi)
    CountryAustralia
    StatesWestern Australia
    Coordinates21°42′S 118°42′E / 21.7°S 118.7°E / -21.7; 118.7
    Conservation
    Conservation statusVulnerable
    Protected11,224 km2 (6%)[1]

    The Pilbara shrublands is a

    IBRA region.[2][3] For other definitions and uses of "Pilbara region" see Pilbara
    . [4] [5] [6]

    Geography

    The Pilbara shrublands is bounded on the north by the

    Great Sandy-Tanami desert
    to the east and northeast.

    The Pilbara geographic region covers most of the ecoregion, and extends east into the Great Sandy desert.

    The

    Chichester Plateau lies north of the Fortescue Plains. The Roebourne subregion encompasses the coastal plain along the Indian Ocean, including the Dampier Archipelago.[7][8]

    The ecoregion lies on the

    Pilbara craton, a block of ancient Archean rock. The Chichester region is characterized by exposed granite and greenstone
    basement rocks. The Hamersley region includes iron-rich carbonate sedimentary carbonate rocks over a volcanic substrate (the Fortescue formation) which rest on the older craton. The Fortescue basin and coastal plain are alluvial.

    Climate

    The climate is tropical semi-desert. Rainfall averages 300 mm annually, typically from summer cyclonic storms and thunderstorms.[8]

    Flora

    In the Hamersley region, mulga woodland occurs on fine-textured valley soils, with Acacia aneura over the grasses Aristida spp. and Enneapogon spp. Snappy gum (Eucalyptus leucophloia) occurs with the grass Triodia brizoides on the skeletal soils of the ranges.[8]

    The Fortescue Plains include the northernmost mulga woodlands, along with short grasslands. Year-round watercourses and springs support stands of red river gum, (Eucalyptus camaldulensis refulgens), Melaleuca, and the palm Livistona alfredii. Sheltered gorges along the edge of the Chichester Plateau provide water and protection from fire, and support relict communities of Terminalia, Erythrina, and Ficus.[9]

    The Chichester Plateau is principally scrub steppe, with the shrub Acacia inaequilatera and the bunch grass Triodia wiseana. Scrub steppe also dominates the Roebourne coastal plain, with Acacia translucens and Triodia pungens.[7]

    "

    Australian harvester termites since the Pleistocene.[10][11]

    Fauna

    Native animals include the

    Airlie Island ctenotus (Ctenotus angusticeps).[12]

    Pilbara threadtail
    (Nososticta pilbara) are endemic to the ecoregion.

    Subregions

    IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
    IBRA region / subregion IBRA code Area States scope="col" Location in Australia
    Pilbara PIL 17,823,126 hectares (44,041,900 acres) WA
    Chichester PIL01 8,374,728 hectares (20,694,400 acres)
    Fortescue PIL02 1,951,435 hectares (4,822,100 acres)
    Hamersley PIL03 5,634,727 hectares (13,923,710 acres)
    Roebourne PIL04 1,862,236 hectares (4,601,690 acres)

    Protected areas

    6.47% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include:[5]

    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. [1]
    2. ^ "IBRA7: Pilbara Bioregion (PIL" (PDF). Retrieved 20 April 2018.
    3. ^ "IBRA7: Pilbara subregions (PIL01-PIL04" (PDF). Retrieved 20 April 2018.
    4. ^ "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
    5. ^ a b "Pilbara shrublands". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
    6. ^ "Pilbara shrublands". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
    7. ^ a b Heterick, B.E., B. Durrant, and N.R. Gunawardene (2010). "The ant fauna of the Pilbara Bioregion, Western Australia". Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 78: 157–167 (2010).
    8. ^ a b c Kendrick, Peter (2001). "Pilbara 3 (PIL3 – Hamersley subregion)". in A Biodiversity Audit of Western Australia’s 53 Biogeographical Subregions in 2002, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Western Australia Government, October 2001.
    9. ^ Kendrick, Peter (2001). "Pilbara 2 (PIL2 – Fortescue Plains subregion)". in A Biodiversity Audit of Western Australia’s 53 Biogeographical Subregions in 2002, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Western Australia Government, October 2001.
    10. PMC 10089917
      . Retrieved 4 April 2023.
    11. ^ Angeloni, Alice (4 April 2023). "Indigenous knowledge leads scientists to reveal 'fairy circles', termites linked". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 4 April 2023.
    12. ^ "Pilbara Conservation Strategy". Department of Parks and Wildlife, Government of Western Australia. 2017. [2]

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pilbara_shrublands&oldid=1224516851"