The outback is a big part of our national identity. But many Australians don't know its full history and complexities.
He says on one end of the spectrum are the "perennial plants" which "through physiological adaptation … can withstand the harsh, long dry spells that go on for years".
Then at the other end of the spectrum are the "ephemeral plants" that "don't bother to fight this – they just create seeds, which last for years, grow after a pulse of rain, then set more seeds and disappear".Dr Morton points to insects like termites and ants, that "have colonies they can bring back supplies to, which allow them to harvest when abundance is there, and then sustain themselves by locking down … during the intervening dry periods".
"They are called the 'boom and bust species' … [It's a] strategy that is almost unique to Australia," he says.
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