Why is the Wollemi pine fossil important?
Why is it So Important? The Wollemi Pine is a “living fossil”. Its evolutionary line was thought to be long extinct. Range and diversity was greatly reduced at the end of the Cretaceous period, at the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs, when the Araucariaceae became extinct in the Northern Hemisphere.
What are some features of the Wollemi Pine?
The Wollemi Pine is a tree, which can grow up to 40 m in the wild with a trunk diameter reaching up to one metre. The bark of the tree is bubbly in appearance, chocolate brown colour in colour. It is monoecious, meaning that each plant has both male and female sexual reproductive cones.
How was the Wollemi Pine rediscovered?
How were they found? The Wollemi Pine was discovered in August 1994 by David Noble, a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services Officer who, when trekking and abseiling with friends, noticed the unusual nature of the Pine and took a small fallen branch home for identification.
How many Wollemi pines are left?
IUCN Conservation Status The total population consists of about 80 mature individuals and about 300 seedlings, found only in two sites within what is now Wollemi National Park, in New South Wales.
Why is the Wollemi Pine endangered?
Stands within Wollemi National Park are threatened by dieback from the pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi and potentially threatened by the further introduction of plant pathogens and weeds, soil compaction, seedling damage, collectors and catastrophic fire events.
Are Wollemi pines protected?
New South Wales’ Wollemi Pines now protected by law and better management. Australia’s so-called ‘dinosaur trees,’ said to be over 1,000-years-old, will now be protected from bushfires by law.
What is unique in Wollemi Pine tree?
Read more about caring for a Wollemi Pine. The Pine’s habit of spontaneously sprouting multiple trunks from its base (known as self-coppicing) has proved a vital defense in withstanding damage through fire and other natural disasters.
When did the scientists discover the Wollemi Pine?
September 1994
In September 1994, modern day explorer David Noble, an officer with the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, discovered some trees he didn’t quite recognise. In a deep, narrow canyon of the rugged Wollemi National Park, he discovered what we now call Wollemia nobilis or the Wollemi Pine.
Who found the Wollemi Pine?
explorer David Noble
How does the Wollemi Pine survive?
Some species in the family Araucariaceae, to which the Wollemi Pine belongs, have a “masting” seed production habit. This is where enormous numbers of seeds are produced every few years, with very few seeds produced in intervening years. We wondered if Wollemi Pines were also a masting species.
What adaptations have helped the Wollemi Pine?
The thin needle like leaves of a Wollemi pine have a thick cuticle covering the epidermis of the leaf, a fibrous hypodermis and sunken stomata which all reduce the amount of water lost to the Wollemi pine. The shape of the leaf also has a small surface area, which reduces opportunity for water loss.
What is the scientific name for the Wollemi Pine?
Wollemia
Wollemia/Scientific names