Light in the Daintree Rainforest,
Northern Queensland, Australia - 16°10' S 145°25' E
Recordings made on 8th October 2006 by Frances Baines
Fig. 1 : Thornton Peak from Cooper Creek, Daintree |
Daintree National Park, north of the Daintree River 110km north of Cairns, is a stretch of ancient tropical lowland rainforest. It is one of the oldest rainforests on the planet, more than 135 million years old, and covering approx. 1,200 sq. km. These recordings and photographs were taken in the Cooper Creek area at the foot of Thornton Peak (fig.1) on a fine day in early October - at the very end of the dry season. The rainforest hardwoods and fan palms cover the slopes of the mountains to the sea and to the riverbanks, which are lined with mangroves. In March 2006, cyclone Larry damaged the forest and there are new clearings in some areas where trees have fallen, although the canopy has grown back well. Sunbeams reach the forest floor in many places creating a mosaic of light and shade. The recordings were made using the following equipment:
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We were lucky enough to be escorted around the Cooper Creek Wilderness Reserve by the land manager herself, Mrs. Prue Hewett, who shared her deep knowledge and love of this amazing place with us and showed us many of its secrets - including the fan palms, tree ferns, a pair of Southern Cassowary birds (Casuarius casuarius) and four beautiful Boyd's Forest Dragons (Hypsilurus boydii) (fig.2). We were able to quietly approach these arboreal lizards quite closely; they were perched in areas of dappled light and shade and did not seem to be basking. Prue said that they do appear to thermoregulate to some extent by moving up and down the tree, in and out of deeper shade.
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Fig. 2: One of four beautiful Boyd's Forest Dragons (Hypsilurus boydii) we encountered at Cooper Creek |
Fig. 5: Cooper Creek |
These recordings are just a simple "snapshot" of the conditions found on one fine day at the end of the dry season. In no way do they give a full picture of the microhabitat of this remarkable rainforest. It is interesting to note the wide range of temperatures, light levels and UVB light levels available on the forest floor - all within feet of each other, and constantly changing as the sunlight moves through the canopy above. Below are some more photographs of the rainforest and of some of the meter readings taken on a walk through the rainforest at about half past eight in the morning on that day. It was a great privilege and a wonderful experience to visit this beautiful and special place.
© 2007 Frances Baines Reproduced here with permission
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Fig.
6: sunlight may even reach the buttress roots in the rainforest |
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Fig.
7: light through the canopy |
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Figs. 8 and 9: 112µW/cm² (fig. 8) and 151µW/cm² (fig.9)
in sunlight |
Fig. 10: The fan palm canopy at Cooper Creek.
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Fig. 12: The Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) which just walked up to us out of the forest, gazed at us demurely and walked on by.... |
Fig. 13: just after dawn in Cow Bay, Daintree, 6.30am |