Draft:Gumlands
 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 5 weeks or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 2,701 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
The Gumlands are a scrubby wetland community apart of the heathlands that grow on low-nutrient and acidic soils. They were once dominate by the kauri tree. Plants associated have adapted to the harsh environments, so most plants found here are rare. They are found on the North Island of New Zealand, specifically the Auckland Region and Northland. They are known for having kauri gum in their soil.
Description
[edit]The Gumlands are apart of a scrubby vegatation zone known as the heathlands.[1] They are one of the least fertile soils but the most acidic soils, and grow on soft sloping ridges that were once dominated by the kauri tree.[2] A study showed that they have lower nutritional value than soil in South Africa and Australia.[3] They have strongly leeched soil coming from deeply weathered old consolidated sands, sandstones, and claystones.[4] They have changed over thousands of years, the mix of kauri leaf litter creates a distinct soil called podozol, impeding drainage, causing them to surprisingly stay wet.[5] Gumlands are not often looked as wetlands, as they are found on hilltops.[2] They can stay dry all through summer and become waterlogged during winter, [2] The Gumlands are named for having kauri gum in their soil.[6]
Distribution
[edit]The Gumlands had a restricted distribution in The North Island, specifically in the Auckland Region and Northland,[7] but the only site in Auckland that hosts true Gumland is Waikumete Cemetery.[5] The extent of the Gumlands had extended after the arrival of the Māori and the Europeans, primarily due increased fire activity, as well as wildfires and soil removal.[8] The largest area of Gumland remaining is on Mount Ahipura, and it is frequently being burnt.[9]
Biodiversity
[edit]Flora
[edit]
47% of the vascular flora of the Gumlands are endemic,[8] Most of them are also native to Australia.[8] The soil also Gives a strong diversity for orchids, including undescribed species Prasophyllum, and many undescribed species of Thelymitra.[4] The most dominant species is the Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), and the kūmarahou.[1] other dominant scrubby plants include Gumland Grass tree, Bog schoenus, Tangle fern, Tall mingimingi and Epacris pauciflora.[2][6] There are threatened species also present in this ecosystem including King fern, Mauve sun orchid, and Sun orchid.[6]
Fauna
[edit]Fauna thriving in the Gumlands include, ths Black Mudfish, an endemic Northland Mudfish, and the New Zealand fernbird.[4] The ecosystem includes threatened species such as the North Island brown kiwi and Northland green gecko.[4] Over 160 species of lepidoptera have been found in the found on the Gumlands, with several undescribed taxa that have not been found anywhere else.[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Heathlands | Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- 1 2 3 4 "Gumlands-Northland Region". Northland Regional Council. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
- ↑ "Gumlands". New Zealand Geographic. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Gumlands". Manaaki Whenua. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- 1 2 "Mānuka, gumland grass tree – Machaerina scrub and sedgeland ecosystem (WL1)". Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau | Conservation Auckland. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- 1 2 3 "Gumlands". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- ↑ "cultural landscapes | NZES". newzealandecology.org. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- 1 2 3 Taylor, Riki; Stavert, Jamie; Pou, Dion; Wilmshurst, Janet; Perry, George (2025-03-19). "Ecology, history, threats, and management of gumland ecosystems in Aotearoa | New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Ecology. doi:10.20417/nzjecol.49.3589.
- ↑ Wardle, Peter (1991). Vegetation of New Zealand. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-25873-9.
Category:Heaths Category:Flora of New Zealand