Plant adaptations

Have you ever looked closely at the features of the plants in your backyard or around your neighborhood? You might have seen a gum tree at school or in a park. Plants have adaptations that help them survive in their environment. A rainforest tree probably wouldn't last long in the dry desert, and a tall gum tree probably wouldn't last long on a coastal cliff.

Here at the Royal National Park, we have a range of different environments including woodlands, rainforest and mangroves. Each of these environments have their own unique plants and animals.

Australia’s rainforests have high rainfall, lush green growth and a canopy where the branches touch to create a forest roof. Rainforests rarely experience fire and the trees found growing there are species that love the shade. Young plants will grow happily in the understory of mature forest.

If you have ever been on a bush walk, chances are it was in a woodland. The term woodland is used in Australia to describe an environment which contains widely spaced trees, the crowns (tops) of which do not touch. Woodlands are often dominated by Eucalyptus species, also known as gum trees.

Journal Work: Go to activity 5 in your journal or make a new page in the one you've created at home. Answer the following questions:

• What is the difference between a rainforest and a woodland environment?

• When I visited the virtual reality rainforest environment I could (see, hear and feel)?

• When I visited the virtual reality woodland environment I could (see, hear and feel)?