Flora of Australia

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/flora-of-australia

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Flora of Australia?7,617,930 square kilometers
2. What is the location?Continent and sovereign state in Oceania, located in the Southern Hemisphere
3. What is the estimated vascular plant species?Over 21,000
4. What makes Australian plants special?Australia has over 21,000 plant species, many of which are found only here. They evolved after the continent split from the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, giving them unique traits.
5. How do Australian plants survive dry weather?Many have tough, leathery leaves called scleromorphy. These leaves keep water inside and protect the plant from heat and herbivores.

Continental Drift: The slow movement of Earth's tectonic plates, which causes continents to change position over millions of years.
Endemism: The ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island or continent.
Scleromorphy: A plant adaptation characterized by the development of hard, stiff, and often leathery leaves, typically in response to arid or nutrient-poor environments.
Serotiny: A reproductive strategy in plants where seeds are released only after exposure to a specific environmental trigger, most commonly fire.