Mountain tops are special places for biodiversity. They often harbour endemic and diverse species of plants and animals. This is because mountain tops act as islands, and populations of species that live there are isolated from other populations of the same species, and so evolve independently. Mountain tops can also be refuges for species in times of great change.
In the mountains of the Great Dividing Range, there is a great diversity of species. This is thought to be related to the Range's history. The Range was formed by uplift during the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs, after which it eroded into isolated mountain tops and tablelands. As the climate became increasingly drier and warmer, the mountain tops and tablelands were the only places that the pre-existing rainforests could survive. Species continued to evolve independently on their separate mountain tops, resulting in the radiation of groups of related species. This is best exemplified by a group of carab beetles (genus Philipis) in the Atherton and Carbine Tablelands of north-east Queensland. Nearly all the species are found on tree trunks and associated mosses above 900 metres, and 23 of the 35 known species occur on a single mountain top. Scientists believe that these species are part of an ancient fauna originating in Gondwana that retreated to the rainforests of these increasingly isolated mountain tops and underwent speciation.
Gerry Cassis
CBCR
Australian Museum
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2003
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