Western_Australian_mulga_shrublands

Western Australian mulga shrublands

Western Australian mulga shrublands

Terrestrial ecoregion in Western Australia

The Western Australian Mulga shrublands is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of inland Western Australia.[2] It is one of Australia's two mulga ecoregions, characterized by dry woodlands of mulga trees (Acacia aneura and related species) interspersed with areas of grassland and scrub.[3][1][4]

Quick Facts Ecology, Realm ...

Location and description

This is a hot, dry area with little rainfall.

The region consists of the Gascoyne and Murchison bioregions of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA).[5][6]

The IBRA regions, with Gascoyne in red
The IBRA regions, with Murchison in red

Flora and fauna

The predominant vegetation is mulga trees, a type of acacia adapted to the hot, dry climate by means of long tap roots. In some areas the mulga trees are surrounded by Eriachne grassland.

Wildlife of the region includes birds such as emus, Australian bustards and honeyeaters.

Most of the area is uninhabited but there is some mining activity and some sheep grazing, both of which cause damage to native habitats.

Protected areas

4.53% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas in the ecoregion include:[1]

  • "Western Australian Mulga shrublands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

References

  1. [1]
    "Western Australian Mulga shrublands". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Western Australian Mulga shrublands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. [3]
    "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  4. [4]
    "Western Australian Mulga shrublands". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  5. [5]
    Environment Australia. "Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) and Development of Version 5.1 - Summary Report". Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  6. [6]
    IBRA Version 6.1 data
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Australian mulga shrublands.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Western_Australian_mulga_shrublands, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.