The River Red Gum EcosystemDeveloped by Paul Greenwood REEC and Sara Vanzella, Burrumbuttock Public School, June 2010

http://riverredgumrescue.blogspot.com/2008/09/fact-sheet-river-red-gum-eucalyptus.html

Eucalyptus camaldulensis is also known as the River Red Gum.

• River red gums need 1100mm of water to remain healthy. • They grow over much of Australia and can be found along river edges.• River red gums can also grow in areas with lower rainfall.

They survive off the floodwaters during the winter and spring time.

On the flood plains of the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers, River Red Gums grow in large forests called monocultures

No other species has adapted tospring flooding and dry summers like the River Red gums.

•The forests have natural channels called runners. •The runners flow across the floodplain.

• Water flows into these runners in times

of flood and spreads over the land

There are no shrubs in River Red gum forests.

The understory plants have to survive floods and dry periods too

Swamp wallaby-grass Sedge Common spike rush Giant rush

Plants in the River Red Gum ecosystem

Problems in the River Red Gum Ecosystem:

1. Carp feed by sucking up the mud like a vacuum

2. Erodes the river banks

3. The River Red Gum roots become exposed on the bank.

4. Eventually the River Red Gum falls over

5. The banks erode

causing turbid water

6. Catfish lay their eggs in pebble beds on the bottom of the river. The sediment settles on the eggs killing the eggs

AnimalsMammal populations in red gum ecosystems include:

Terrestrial speciesYellow-footed antechinus Eastern grey kangaroo Many reptile species

Amphibian species Perrons tree frog Eastern Banjo Spotted marsh frog

Growling Grass frog

Arboreal speciesSuperb fairy-wren Thornbills Superb parrot

Brush tailed possum Weebill Brown treecreeper

Striated pardalote Sulphur-crested White-plumed cockatoo honeyeater

Aquatic speciesFish- Murray cod Golden perch Catfish

Silver perch Purple spotted gudgeon

Trout cod Crismon spotted rainbow fish

Diagram of River Red Gum Ecosystem

1. Rainfall

4. Water taken up by the roots

5. Transpiration from River Red

Gum trees

3. Water soaks down

to the water table

2. River rises and floods with

spring rains.

Runner

DefinitionsEucalyptus camaldulensis: Is the scientific term for the River Red gumMonoculture: is an area dominated by a single species. Forexamples lawns and crops.Species: a group of animals or plants.Runners: are the natural flood channels in low lying forests.Ecosystem: A community of interdependent organisms living andInteracting together in their physical environment.Understory: the term for the area of a forest which grows atthe lowest heightSediment: matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.Turbid: having sediment or foreign particles stirred up or suspended.Terrestrial species: animals that live on land.Arboreal species: animals that live in trees.Aquatic species: animals that live in water.Amphibian species: are creatures which spend part of their lifein water and part of their life on dry land.

Revised by REEC and Sara Vanzella, Burrumbuttock Public School( June 2010)

River Red Gum Ecosystems DefinitionsEucalyptus camaldulensis: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Monoculture:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Species: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Runners: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ecosystem: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Understory: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sediment: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Turbid: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Terrestrial species: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arboreal species: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

Aquatic species: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Amphibian species: ______________________________________________________________________________________

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