Local Ecosystems Links

Introduction
Welcome Stage 6 Biology and Senior Science students. This list of Australian sites provides information and photos that supports your fieldwork in the mangroves at Buffalo Creek Reserve and in the dry sclerophyll forest of Sugarloaf Hill. Good luck with your report writing. If you find any other great links please let us know so they can be added to the list.

Background Information
Buffalo Creek Reserve - Information on Buffalo Creek Reserve and Sugarloaf Point, including history of the area. Includes photos.
Urban Bushland in the Ryde LGA - Pages 14 and 15 provide a plant list of native plants in Sydney Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland, as found on Sugarloaf Hill
Flora & Fauna of the Field of Mars Reserve. This PDF outlines the results of a flora and fauna survey carried out in 2006 for Ryde City Council

Human Impacts on Ecosystems
Lane Cove National Park Plan of Management - This is a detailed an comprehensive document on the management of the whole national park. Scroll through the Natural Heritage section for management strategies.
Remnant Vegetation - A fact sheet on remnant vegetation outlining its importance, threats and management with an emphasis on biodiversity.
Weeds of Sydney North - Stop the Spread - This web site identifies weeds in the local area. The site also defines weeds and describes their threat to urban bushland.

Mangroves
A local ecosystem - mangroves - A virtual field trip of a mangrove site at Port Hacking. Covers most of what was covered during your mangrove fieldwork. Provides explanations of concepts and terms used in your study and includes photos.
Grey Mangrove - Description of the characteristics that identify the Grey Mangrove - a Queensland site but all the information is relevant apart from the flowering calendar.
Our mangrove forests - adaptations - Explains the adaptations of mangroves and their ecological importance (scroll down a little bit for adaptations).
Sustainable Oceans and Coastal Zones - Contains general information about the values of mangrove ecosystems.

Dry Sclerophyll Forest/Woodland
Common Ringtail Possum - A comprehensive fact sheet on the ringtail possum.
Dry sclerophyll forest - Briefly explains adaptations of eucalypts in dry sclerophyll forests.
Flowers in Lane Cove National Park - Photographs of shrubs in flower that you may have plotted on your transect - listed by the month.
Sclerophyll Forests - Explains the characteristics of sclerophyllous plants and where sclerophyll forests are found.

Interactions Between Species
Food and energy - Clearly explains trophic interactions: producers, consumers, decomposers, food chain, trophic level.
Interactions - Explains mutualism, parasitism, commensalism and allelopathy and gives examples with photos.
Mangrove ecosystems - Describes the food chain and nutrient cycle in a mangrove ecosystem.