all areas marked with red/yellow/orange on the Australian map is where the prickly currant bush is found.
ENVIRONMENT: The prickly currant bush is found in damp, shaded areas. They are mainly found by rivers and creeks in Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and South Australia. These states of Australia are further away from the equator therefore they are the cooler regions in Australia. The prickly currant bush are found in the cooler states of Australia where there is a sufficient amount of damp areas where this plant can grow. The prickly currant bush is evergreen and can grow to a height of around three to four metres tall. The prickly currant bush is found in the cooler regions of Australia, temperature directly influence evaporation rates and is most often related to light intensity. The currant bush is found is cooler regions as it will not be able to sustain life in the hotter areas of Australia (for example Queensland and the Northern Territory). High amounts of light intensity will destroy the prickly currant bush.
CHALLENGES: The prickly currant bush live in the cooler regions of Australia (NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, SA) in moist, well drained soil next to river banks and creeks. Challenges that impact the survival of the prickly currant bush include: flood, droughts, root rot, frost.
As the prickly currant bush survives mostly off the creek/river water when there is a drought the river and creeks water levels drop. With an insufficient amount of water being taken up by the prickly currant bush it will no longer be able to survive in prolonged droughts. The prickly currant bush can withstand short periods of dryness, however ultimately they require a sustainable amount of water to survive, as they are constantly getting their water from the rivers/creeks near by. The prickly currant bush can not store water in the plants tissues for the bush to continue living in extreme cases of prolonged periods of dryness.
Although prickly currant bushes love living in moist areas near river banks and creeks they do not like floods. The prickly currant bush can not survive in floods. Root rot can be the result if the prickly currant bush is exposed to an overdose of water. Root rot is a condition found in the rots of a plant when there is a poor drainage. This is a result of overwatering a plant. The prickly currant bush needs to have good roots; otherwise there will be no form of transportation of water and food to the plant. Roots are also necessity as they are important for the uptake of oxygen. In floods the currant bush drowns. When there is a flood due to, too much rain the soil will constantly be extremely wet, therefore there won’t be enough air pockets and the roots can not breathe. When the prickly currant bush are in droughts (and as a result get root rot) they can not absorb the fertilizer in the soil.
ADAPTATIONS: Structural Adaptations: The prickly currant bush has prickles on the plant so that animals cannot easily eat their fruits and so that the plant is difficult to harvest. This helps the survival of the plant as their fruit will be able to stay on the bushes for longer and will have more of a chance of growing to their full size. The prickles help protect the plant from any animals which prolongs the survival of the prickly currant bush.
Physiological Adaptation: The prickly currant bush produces large seeds inside their red fruits. The prickly currant bush produces sweet, slightly astringent fruit that can be cooked. The prickly currant bush is ever green; this means it is a plant that has green leaves throughout the whole year. Evergreen plants lose their leaves individually on an ongoing basis, rather than losing their leaves all at once. The prickly currant bush can produce delicious fruit all year round due to this. The prickly currant bush can hold their foliage in winter, because they are so adaptable to all of the Australian weather conditions they are able to survive all year round. The constant supply of underground water (from rivers and creek) help the survival of the prickly currant bush.
FACTS: -The prickly currant bush grows to a height of around 3 metres, and can sometimes reach four metres,