environment袁夢

1、Environment of New ZealandThe environment of New Zealand is characterized by unique flora and fauna and a variety of landforms contained within a small island nation. Historically having a very isolated and endemic ecosy

2、stem far into modernity, the arrival of first the Maori and then later European settlers began to have significant impacts on this system, with the intentional and unintentional introduction of new species and plants whi

3、ch often overwhelmed their natural competitors, losing to a significant loss of native ecology and biodiversity, especially in areas such as bird life.? Biodiversity of New ZealandFloral diversityThe main two types of fo

4、rest have been dominated by podocarps and southern beech.In the north of New Zealand the podocarp forests were dominated by the ancient giant kauri. These trees are amongst the largest in the world, holding the record fo

5、r the greatest timber volume of any tree. The value of this was not lost on early European settlers, and most of these trees were felled.2. MammalsBefore the arrival of humans, less than 900 years ago, the country was co

6、mpletely free of mammals. This meant that all the ecological niches occupied by mammals elsewhere were occupied by either insects or birds, leading to an unusually large number of flightless birds, including the Kiwi, th

7、e Weka, the Moa, and the Kakapo. *The kiwi is a national symbol of New Zealand.? Climate of New ZealandThe climate of New Zealand is mostly cool temperate to warm temperate.RainfallNew Zealand climates range from semi-ar

8、id in Central Otago, with around 300 mm of rain a year, to decidedly wet (up to 8000 mm) in places west of the Southern Alps. Most New Zealand cities receive between 650 mm (as in Christchurch) and 1500 mm (Whangarei) of

9、 precipitation annually.TemperatureSummer: In the mid-twenties Celsius over most of the country. May rise to 30°C in the east, often due to the Fohn winds.Winter: Generally between ten and fifteen Celsius in the Nor

10、th Island, five and ten Celsius in the South Island. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -25.6°C atRanfurly in Otago in 1903. Tropical cyclonesNew Zealand is hit by a tropical cyclone once every eight to nine y