page_title: Variation of Tasmanian vegetation from East to West
section_title: The East
hierarchical_section_title: Variation of Tasmanian vegetation from East to West / Vegetation variation / The East
caption_attribution_description: English: Distribution of dry sclerophyll forest in Tasmania
context_page_description: Tasmania can be broadly divided into two distinct regions, eastern and western, that exhibit major differences in climate, geology and vegetation. This divide, termed Tyler’s Corridor, runs from just south of the northwestern corner, and continues south, cutting roughly down the center of the island. The vegetation changes occur principally due to variations in soil types, which are a result of the geological composition, and the vast difference in climate across the state. Generally, the west has a higher mean rainfall but poor acidic soil while the east has a lower mean rainfall but slightly more fertile soil. This results in a larger proportion of rainforest, moorland and wet sclerophyll vegetation dominating in the west and predominantly dry sclerophyll in the east.
context_section_description: To the east dry winds and greater sun exposure result in vegetation bearing smaller leaves and thick waxy cuticles. The dominant vegetation communities are dry sclerophyll forests and Acacia/ Collitris dry woodland. Dry sclerophyll is a huge community occupying over 25% of the state. It is much more open with only 20–25% light interception. Eucalyptus species form the canopy layer and are varied across dry sclerophyll forests depending on altitude, soil type, amount of water and aspect. Closer to the coast Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus brookeriana and Eucalyptus regnans are dominant. When merging with wet Eucalypt forests or in areas with more moisture or shade, Eucalyptus obliqua and Eucalyptus viminalis are present.
  
   In contrast to the wet sclerophyll forests in the west of the state, dry sclerophyll lacks a tall understorey. The understorey is typically composed of a sparse scatter of low trees from the genera Exocarpus, Allocasuarina, Banksia and Bursaria. The shrub layer is very diverse and contains many species from families Asteraceae (daisy family), Fabaceae (pea family), Epacridaceae (heath family) and Myrtaceae. 
  Dry woodlands are formed by either genus Allocasuarina or Callitris in habitats where it is difficult for eucalypts to thrive. On the east coast Allocasuarina verticillata woodlands inhabit shallow and rocky soils in very dry climates. Understorey is usually composed of Dodenea and Bursaria, sometimes with a prostrate shrub layer of Astroloma, Acrotriche and Lissanthe. The Allocasuarina has reduced scale leaves and photosynthetic branchlets, among other adaptations such as drooping leaves that allow it to thrive in dry habitats and infertile soils. Callitris woodlands occur on the dolerite and basaltic soils of the east coast and are sensitive to fire, limiting distribution. Understorey is usually limited to a few shrubs such as Dodonea and grasses.
  Both the east and west have relatively similar coastal vegetation, however due to the larger swells of the west and the depositional process of the eastern shores, the west is much rockier and the east has more beaches. The west also has much more fire disturbance than the east. In the west, frontal dunes are vegetated with genera Disphyma, Carpobrotus and Acaena. Leptospermum species and Leucopogon australis are common on the upper strata and the lee faces of dunes support Banksia and Leucopogon parviflorus. The dunes in the east have more grass such as Spinifex hirsutus, Festuca littoralis and Poa species. Behind these dunes, Banksia woodland merges with dry sclerophyll E. viminalis dominated woodland.
caption: Distribution of dry sclerophyll forest in Tasmania
exif: {"Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image ExifOffset": "78", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "221", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "219"}