Flora of New Zealand

The flora and vegetation of New Zealand was able to develop New Zealand and the expansion of the islands over 14 degrees of latitude as a unique diversity in its flora, due to its isolated location.

Geographical conditions

Until about 200 million years ago was one of New Zealand - like most of today's land masses of the Southern Hemisphere - the supercontinent of Gondwana. The exact date is not certain, but not later than 85 million years ago, ie in the upper Cretaceous to Zealandia facilities, and the New Zealand separated from the land mass that is now Antarctica is before today's Australia also breaking away from this ancient continent. Since then a consequence, independent of all other land flora and fauna could develop in New Zealand.

During the Oligocene, the land area was reduced to small, barely protruding from the sea islands. To date, there is volcanism.

Biodiversity

Approximately 85% of the approximately 2,300 native New Zealand plant species are endemic, ie occur only there. Nevertheless, there are no endemic plant family in New Zealand, but 35 endemic genera. Except for the genus Raoulia with 35 species and the genus Hoheria with five species remaining endemic genera comprise only about one to three species.

Furthermore, floristic centers with high levels of local endemic species can be identified on the two main islands: the northern part of the North Island with about 125 endemic plant species and the northern and the southern part of the South Island with about 190 or 120 local endemics. This can be explained with the higher geological ages of these regions. The gaps between them were during the Pliocene and Pleistocene to recent below sea level or were separated by mountain ranges.

A crucial turning point in the flora of the islands was the human settlement. Although they began only about 1000 years, since the vegetation has changed fundamentally and there are about as many entrained as native plant species.

Flore relations

The coniferous forests in the north with many epiphytes are somewhat reminiscent of the forests of New Guinea, about 4,000 kilometers north- west of New Zealand, while the southern beech in cooler regions are comparable with those in the 9000 km eastern Chile. The Tussockgrasländer the intramontane basins and above the tree line can still be found elsewhere in the high mountains of the tropics.

Ecological adaptations

Besides a high degree of endemism and diversity of climates, the New Zealand flora on some peculiar mark. Thus, only a few species are annual, and nitrogen fixation is rare. The majority of the species is evergreen, dioecious also is very common. Another common feature is a so-called " filiramulate " habitus, in the bushes are very little, but in many cases and densely branched. Only a few species are resistant to the cold. Bird propagation is a very common feature adaptations to grazing or fire missing. Flowers are usually inconspicuous, white and small.

Vegetation

New Zealand has a high number of different zones of vegetation. The climatic conditions ranging from subtropical in the north to cool temperate - alpine in the South, accordingly different habitats may be encountered. This diversity has several reasons. Firstly, about 1600 km north-south extension in comparison to the relatively small land area are extremely long, Germany is for comparison with a land area of ​​357,000 km ², only about 880 km long. Another important reason for the variety of vegetation zones are large differences in altitude in New Zealand, from sea level up to 3,754 meters high summit of Mount Cook. For example, although Australia is about 28 times larger than its "little neighbor " is his biggest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, only 2,228 meters high. Last but not least, the uneven distribution of rainfall makes due to the location of the mountain for a variety of vegetation zones.

While almost the entire west coast of the South Island is covered by dense rainforest, including the Southern Alps to the alpine vegetation zone. The proximity of these completely different zones is unusual. So rich as in any other place on earth glaciers so close to rainforest approach as in New Zealand. The most famous glaciers are the Franz Josef, Fox and the Tasman Glacier. On the plains of modern intensive agriculture, extensive grazing during prevails in many other places. East of the central level, the landscape is dominated steppe due to the low rainfall. The northern parts of the North Island lying in the subtropical vegetation zone and are mostly covered in less populated places with rain forest.

Steppe -like vegetation: The Castle Hill, South Island

Subtropical vegetation zone: The Waitakere Ranges

Rainforest meets glacier: The Franz Josef Glacier

Sprawling beaches in the Kahurangi National Park