From top; left to right: Savannas, sclerophyll forests, coastal heaths, rainforests and scrublands

The ecology of Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia, is diverse for its size,[1] where it would mainly feature biomes such as grassy woodlands or savannas and some sclerophyll forests, with some pockets of mallee shrublands, riparian forests, heathlands, and wetlands, in addition to small temperate rainforest fragments.[2][3]

There are 79 vegetation communities in the Sydney metropolitan area that are identified, described and mapped.[4] The combination of climate, topography, moisture, and soil influence the dispersion of these ecological communities across a height gradient from 0 to 200 metres (0 to 700 ft).[5] There are many hiking trails, paved and unpaved roads for exploring the many different biomes and ecosystems.[6][7][8]

Savannas (or grassy woodlands), the most predominant biome in the Sydney region,[9] mainly occur in the Cumberland Plain west of Sydney CBD, which generally feature eucalyptus trees that are usually in open, dry sclerophyll woodland areas with shrubs (typically wattles, callistemons, grevilleas and banksias) and sparse grass in the understory, reminiscent of Mediterranean forests.[10] The plants in this community tend to have rough and spiky leaves, as they are grown in areas with low soil fertility.

Wet sclerophyll forests, which are part of Eastern Australian temperate forests, have narrow, relatively tall, dense trees with a lush, moist understory of fleecy shrubs and tree ferns. They are mainly found in the wetter areas, such as Forest District and the North Shore.[11]

It has been calculated that around 98,000 hectares of native vegetation remains in the Sydney metropolitan area, shaping the geography of Sydney, about half of what is likely to have been existing at the time of European arrival.[12]

Historical descriptions

Sydney's vegetation prior to 1750

In 1787, Arthur Bowes Smyth from the First Fleet described the landscape as "...fresh terraced, lawns and grottos with distinct plantations of the tallest and most stately trees I ever saw in any nobleman's grounds in England, cannot excel in beauty those whose nature now presented to our view." Furthermore, early settlers compared the landscapes to the manicured parks of England which also featured well-spaced trees and a grassy understorey.[13]

In 1819, British settler William Wentworth described Sydney's vegetation and landform in great detail:

The colony of New South Wales possesses every variety of soil, from the sandy heath, and the cold hungry clay, to the fertile loam and the deep vegetable mould. For the distance of 5 mi (8.0 km) to 6 mi (9.7 km) from the coast, the land is in general extremely barren, being a poor hungry sand, thickly studded with rocks. A few miserable stunted gums, and a dwarf underwood, are the richest productions of the best part of it; while the rest never gives birth to a tree at all, and is only covered with low flowering shrubs, whose infinite diversity, however, and extraordinary beauty, render this wild heath the most interesting part of the country for the botanist, and make even the less scientific beholder forget the nakedness and sterility of the scene.

Beyond this barren waste, which thus forms a girdle to the coast, the country suddenly begins to improve. The soil changes to a thin layer of vegetable mould, resting on a stratum of yellow clay, which is again supported by a deep bed of schistus. The trees of the forest are here of the most stately dimensions. Full sized gums and iron barks, alongside of which the loftiest trees in this country would appear as pigmies, with the beefwood tree, or as it is generally termed, the forest oak, which is of much humbler growth, are the usual timber. The forest is extremely thick, but there is little or no underwood.

At this distance, however, the aspect of the country begins rapidly to improve. The forest is less thick, and the trees in general are of another description; the iron barks, yellow gums, and forest oaks disappearing, and the stringy barks, blue gums, and box trees, generally usurping their stead. When you have advanced about 4 mi (6.4 km) further into the interior, you are at length gratified with the appearance of a country truly beautiful. An endless variety of hill and dale, clothed in the most luxuriant herbage, and covered with bleating flocks and lowing herds, at length indicate that you are in regions fit to be inhabited by civilized man. The soil has no longer the stamp of barrenness. A rich loam resting on a substratum of fat red clay, several feet in depth, is found even on the tops of the highest hills, which in general do not yield in fertility to the valleys. The timber, strange as it may appear, is of inferior size, though still of the same nature, i. e. blue gum, box, and stringy bark. There is no underwood, and the number of trees upon an acre do not upon an average exceed thirty. They are, in fact, so thin, that a person may gallop without difficulty in every direction.[14]

In 1827, Peter Cunningham described the western plains of Sydney as "a fine timbered country, perfectly clear of bush...without any impediment in the shape of rocks, scrubs, or close forest".[15]

Biomes

Biomes
Warm temperate rainforest in Wahroonga
Grassy woodland/savanna in the Cumberland Plain Woodland
Heathland in Bundeena
A wet sclerophyll forest in Hornsby
A river-flat eucalyptus forest in Georges River

Complete list

Biomes Eco-communities
Rainforests
Wet Sclerophyll Forests
Grassy Woodlands
Coastal Grasslands
Dry Sclerophyll Forests
Heathlands
Freshwater Wetlands
Forested Wetlands
Saline Wetlands

Vegetation

Tree species
Sydney red gum, a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia
White feather honeymyrtle, a paperbark tree with lance-shaped leaves that is covered with creamy-coloured flowers in summer
Casuarina trees are the most widespread in Sydney after the eucalyptus.
Narrow-leaved bottlebrush is a shrub which has a rigid point, and red flower spikes in late spring or early summer.
The curtain fig is one of the most common street trees in Sydney and is used as a shade tree.

The most widespread eucalyptus species in the Sydney region include:[33]

Non-eucalyptus tree species:

Common shrub species include, but are not limited to:

Introduced

Introduced shrubs and/or vines that are invasive species):[56]

Hardiness zone

Due to the microclimate, the plant hardiness zone in the Sydney area would range:[57]

Wildlife

Common bird species
Commonly sighted in Sydney, Australian magpies are known for their distinctive, "gargling" calls.
Noisy miners are ubiquitous in urban, suburban and woodland areas.
Australian ravens are notable for their screechy, high pitched ah-ah-aaaah calls.
The pied currawong is a common bird in the plain and is usually seen in urban forests and backyards.
Grey butcherbirds, known for their frisky song, are found in woodlands, acacia shrublands and residential townships.
Crested pigeons are usually found in the open grasslands and wooded areas of the plain.
The spotted dove is a small, long-tailed pigeon that was introduced in Australia in the 1860s.

The fauna of the Sydney area is diverse and its urban area is home to variety of bird and insect species, and also a few bat, arachnid and amphibian species. Introduced birds such as the house sparrow, common myna and feral pigeon are ubiquitous in the CBD areas of Sydney.[58][59] Moreover, possums, bandicoots, rabbits, feral cats, lizards, snakes and frogs may also be present in the urban environment, albeit seldom in city centers.[60]

About 40 species of reptiles are found in the Sydney region and 30 bird species exist in the urban areas.[61][62][63] Sydney's outer suburbs, namely those adjacent to large parks, have a great diversity of wildlife.[64] Since European settlement and the subsequent bushland clearing for the increasing population, 60% of the original mammals are now considered endangered or vulnerable, and many reptile species are experiencing population diminution and are becoming elusive.[65]

Tetrapods

This list includes bird species that are widespread in the Sydney metropolitan area:[66]

Although not commonly spotted, these birds are also present in Sydney:[63]

This list includes mammal, reptile and amphibian species that are spotted in the Sydney urban area:[67][68]

Arthropods

This list includes insect, spider and centipede species that are commonly present in Sydney:[69]

See also

References

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  2. "The Native Vegetation of the Sydney Metropolitan Area Volume 2: Vegetation Community Profiles" (PDF). NSW Government Catchment Management Authority and Office of Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  3. Fairley, A.; Waterhouse, D. (2005). West Sydney Wild – Exploring Nature in Sydney's Western Suburbs. Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd.
  4. The native vegetation of the Sydney metropolitan area by NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  5. French K, Pellow B and Henderson M 2000, Vegetation of the Holsworthy Military area. Cunninghamia 6(4): 893-939.
  6. SYDNEY WALKS by Sydney.com
  7. The best bushwalks in and around Sydney by The Daily Telegraph
  8. Sydney’s top 5 walks by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  9. "Coastal Valley Grassy Woodlands". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  10. "Dry sclerophyll forests (shrub/grass sub-formation)". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  11. "Wet sclerophyll forests (grassy sub-formation)". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  12. James, T. McDougall, L. and Benson, D.H. (1999) Rare Bushland Plants of Western Sydney, second edition, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.
  13. ABORIGINAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES DARUG COUNTRY SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE CYCLEWAY ACCESS PROGRAM - NORTH. MARCH 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  14. Statistical, Historical, and Political Description of NSW by William Charles Wentworth, 1819
  15. Kohen, J. (September 1996). "The Impact of Fire: An Historical Perspective". Australian Plants Online. Society for Growing Australian Plants.
  16. Bell SAJ and Driscoll C 2007, Vegetation of the Cessnock-Kurri Region, Cessnock LGA, New South Wales: Survey, Classification and Mapping. Unpublished Report to Department of Environment and Climate Change. Eastcoast Flora Survey. November 2007.
  17. Tozer MG 2003, The native vegetation of the Cumberland Plain, western Sydney: systematic classification and field identification of communities. Cunninghamia 8:1-75.
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  19. Biosphere Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd 2008, Ryde Flora and Fauna Study 2008. Unpublished report prepared for Ryde City Council.
  20. Bangalay Ecological and Bushfire and Eastcoast Flora Survey 2011, Pittwater Vegetation Classification, Vegetation Mapping, pre-1750 Vegetation Mapping and Vegetation Profiles’. Report prepared for Pittwater Council.
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