The ecology of Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia, is diverse for its size, where it would mainly feature biomes such as grassy woodlands (i.e. savannas) and some sclerophyll forests, with a few pockets of mallee shrublands, subtropical and temperate rainforests (evergreen), heathlands, and wetlands. 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). There are many hiking trails, paved and unpaved roads for exploring the many different biomes and ecosystems. Savannas (or grassy woodlands), the most predominant biome in the Sydney region, 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. The plants in this community tend to have rough and spiky leaves, as they're 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 understorey of fleecy shrubs and tree ferns. They are mainly found in the wetter areas, such as Forest District and the North Shore. The Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest, one of six main indigenous forest communities of Sydney, is an example of a dry sclerophyll forest, containing trees around 20–30 metres tall, with ground cover composed of flowering shrubs and native grasses. The Blue Gum High Forest, strictly found in northern parts of Sydney, is a wet sclerophyll forest example, where the annual rainfall is over 1100 mm (43 in), with its trees between 20 and 40 metres tall. 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. (en)
The ecology of Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia, is diverse for its size, where it would mainly feature biomes such as grassy woodlands (i.e. savannas) and some sclerophyll forests, with a few pockets of mallee shrublands, subtropical and temperate rainforests (evergreen), heathlands, and wetlands. 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). There are many hiking trails, paved and unpaved roads for exploring the many different biomes and ecosystems. (en)