Of caves, bones, and climate change: new insights from old speleothems. Australia has an enviable reputation as a leading innovator in geochronological studies and this research will reinforce that standing. The outcomes will have an immediate and significant impact on studies of global climate change, and provide new insights into the evolution of Australia's unique fossil mammal fauna. In these ways, and as described in more detail elsewhere in the application, this project addresses directly ....Of caves, bones, and climate change: new insights from old speleothems. Australia has an enviable reputation as a leading innovator in geochronological studies and this research will reinforce that standing. The outcomes will have an immediate and significant impact on studies of global climate change, and provide new insights into the evolution of Australia's unique fossil mammal fauna. In these ways, and as described in more detail elsewhere in the application, this project addresses directly our current national research priorities 'responding to climate change and variability' and 'the sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity'. Read moreRead less
Time frame for the evolution of Australia's extraordinary mammals. This Project will refine a national biostratigraphic framework integrating growing understanding about the history of Australia's unique mammals, climate change and geological events. Increasing precision in correlating Australia's phylogenetic, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological events will clarify how these act synergistically to change environments and biodiversity. Increased precision in the biostratigraphic framework ....Time frame for the evolution of Australia's extraordinary mammals. This Project will refine a national biostratigraphic framework integrating growing understanding about the history of Australia's unique mammals, climate change and geological events. Increasing precision in correlating Australia's phylogenetic, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological events will clarify how these act synergistically to change environments and biodiversity. Increased precision in the biostratigraphic framework will also serve evolutionary genetics which needs age data to calculate molecular rates of divergence, economic geologists needing to know the age of Cainozoic sediments, biologists trying to understand the origins and nature of biodiversity and conservationists using divergence dates and relative branch lengths to help determine conservation priorities. Read moreRead less
Reading the past to predict future biodiversity: a deep-time perspective. The extent of human-moderated impact on ecosystems is rapidly increasing. To date, most current research in this field is based on short-term observations or experiments. By examining the characteristics of species and ecosystem response to climate change from a major geological Ice Age ~320-265 million years ago in eastern Australia, this study will investigate how marine species and ecological communities evolved in resp ....Reading the past to predict future biodiversity: a deep-time perspective. The extent of human-moderated impact on ecosystems is rapidly increasing. To date, most current research in this field is based on short-term observations or experiments. By examining the characteristics of species and ecosystem response to climate change from a major geological Ice Age ~320-265 million years ago in eastern Australia, this study will investigate how marine species and ecological communities evolved in response to repeated glacial/interglacial cycles and associated warming/cooling climate changes. Expected findings will help to better understand the long-term links between global warming/cooling climate regimes, sea levels, changing sea-water temperature and chemistry, and species and ecosystem responses to these drivers.Read moreRead less
Unlocking archives of faunal dispersal and extinction: the key to reconstructing palaeoenvironmental change in Southeast Asia. The influence of environmental change on faunal populations is a pressing issue for Australian communities in environmentally sensitive areas. This will be addressed by documenting how fauna (and humans) in Southeast Asia, our nearest neighbours, responded to environmental challenges. Revealing when humans dispersed through the region and how they adapted will contribute ....Unlocking archives of faunal dispersal and extinction: the key to reconstructing palaeoenvironmental change in Southeast Asia. The influence of environmental change on faunal populations is a pressing issue for Australian communities in environmentally sensitive areas. This will be addressed by documenting how fauna (and humans) in Southeast Asia, our nearest neighbours, responded to environmental challenges. Revealing when humans dispersed through the region and how they adapted will contribute to our understanding of the cultural heritage of Australia's indigenous settlers. This project will develop established Indonesian collaborations, encourage new collaborations with Chinese, Thai, English and Dutch researchers to promote Australian research on a world stage, and pioneer new dating methodologies to enhance Australia's place at the forefront of geochronology.Read moreRead less
The mighty ape’s last stand. This project aims to study the fate of primates in southern Asia, where evidence for megafaunal extinction is rare. Why Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest ever primate, disappeared is unknown, while humans in the region survived. This project will model dating techniques across sites to identify a precise extinction window and compare behaviour and past environmental conditions to determine why the ape failed and man persevered. Outcomes will generate a new understa ....The mighty ape’s last stand. This project aims to study the fate of primates in southern Asia, where evidence for megafaunal extinction is rare. Why Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest ever primate, disappeared is unknown, while humans in the region survived. This project will model dating techniques across sites to identify a precise extinction window and compare behaviour and past environmental conditions to determine why the ape failed and man persevered. Outcomes will generate a new understanding of past environmental change as a driver of megafaunal extinction in comparison with human adaption and survival.Read moreRead less
Glauconite: Archive Recording Timing and Triggers of Cambrian Radiation . This project aims to constrain the timing and speed of the Cambrian radiation of complex animals, and to test potential environmental triggers of this milestone bioevent. New laser mass spectrometry and mineral mapping technology will be integrated to precisely date glauconite – a silicate mineral commonly formed in Cambrian shallow marine animal habitats. This innovative and cost-effective approach will produce the first ....Glauconite: Archive Recording Timing and Triggers of Cambrian Radiation . This project aims to constrain the timing and speed of the Cambrian radiation of complex animals, and to test potential environmental triggers of this milestone bioevent. New laser mass spectrometry and mineral mapping technology will be integrated to precisely date glauconite – a silicate mineral commonly formed in Cambrian shallow marine animal habitats. This innovative and cost-effective approach will produce the first high-resolution timeline of early animal evolution, where the glauconite-based marine isotope record identifies the most likely environmental trigger for the Cambrian Radiation. Outcomes of this study include improved understanding of the drivers of animal evolution, and a new dating tool for basic and applied research.Read moreRead less
Deep time extinctions and environments in Australian underwater caves. This project aims to investigate the unique submerged Mt Gambier fossil deposits to determine the role environmental change had on large Australian mammal extinctions. By using a combination of technical diving and scientific expertise to study untouched fossil deposits from underwater caves, this project expects to provide greater understanding of past ecosystems and animals, advancements in geochronological techniques, and ....Deep time extinctions and environments in Australian underwater caves. This project aims to investigate the unique submerged Mt Gambier fossil deposits to determine the role environmental change had on large Australian mammal extinctions. By using a combination of technical diving and scientific expertise to study untouched fossil deposits from underwater caves, this project expects to provide greater understanding of past ecosystems and animals, advancements in geochronological techniques, and data critical to prepare Australians for action in protecting our biological heritage. Expected outcomes include insights into cave conservation and protection of underwater cave systems, updated policies on cave management, and promotion of our understanding of Australian geo-heritage through education and displays.Read moreRead less
Extricating extinction histories at Lake Callabonna’s megafauna necropolis. This project aims to determine the nature, timing and causes of megafaunal extinction in arid Australia using an extensive fossil necropolis at Lake Callabonna. An approach combining geochronology, morphology and histology studies will be used to generate novel understanding of both the life and death of Australia’s most iconic megafaunal species. Expected outcomes of the project include generating critical new insights ....Extricating extinction histories at Lake Callabonna’s megafauna necropolis. This project aims to determine the nature, timing and causes of megafaunal extinction in arid Australia using an extensive fossil necropolis at Lake Callabonna. An approach combining geochronology, morphology and histology studies will be used to generate novel understanding of both the life and death of Australia’s most iconic megafaunal species. Expected outcomes of the project include generating critical new insights into the globally significant megafauna extinction debate, and enhancing institutional and international collaborations in palaeoecological research. By providing a deep time perspective on Australia’s extinction dynamics, this project will benefit future conservation management strategies.Read moreRead less
Naracoorte caves: a critical window on faunal extinctions and past climates. This project aims to establish an unprecedented record of biodiversity and environmental change at Australia’s richest Quaternary fossil site – Naracoorte Caves. The study will integrate all aspects of the preserved deposits, employing new approaches in geochronology, palaeontology and geochemistry to develop truly comprehensive palaeoecological and palaeoclimate histories. This project will establish a benchmark datase ....Naracoorte caves: a critical window on faunal extinctions and past climates. This project aims to establish an unprecedented record of biodiversity and environmental change at Australia’s richest Quaternary fossil site – Naracoorte Caves. The study will integrate all aspects of the preserved deposits, employing new approaches in geochronology, palaeontology and geochemistry to develop truly comprehensive palaeoecological and palaeoclimate histories. This project will establish a benchmark dataset on past ecological and environmental change, strengthening scientific innovation in key research priority areas. It will have significant implications for understanding megafauna extinctions and past biodiversity responses, and will inform future conservation and climate change adaptation strategies. The project will transform the scientific profile of Naracoorte Caves, ensuring socioeconomic benefits to regional communities through education, ecotourism and knowledge marketing.Read moreRead less
Trying times: Millennial to million year luminescence chronologies for improved reconstructions of Australian megafaunal extinctions. The causes of megafaunal extinction in Australia continue to be fiercely debated owing to chronological gaps in the palaeontological record, poorly constrained palaeoenvironmental histories and limited data on long-term faunal responses to climate change prior to human arrival. This project will utilise and advance new luminescence dating methods to provide unpara ....Trying times: Millennial to million year luminescence chronologies for improved reconstructions of Australian megafaunal extinctions. The causes of megafaunal extinction in Australia continue to be fiercely debated owing to chronological gaps in the palaeontological record, poorly constrained palaeoenvironmental histories and limited data on long-term faunal responses to climate change prior to human arrival. This project will utilise and advance new luminescence dating methods to provide unparalleled reconstructions of faunal turnover and environmental change over millennial to million year timescales. The chronologies generated through this work will provide a crucial new perspective on the ongoing megafaunal debate and will be used to test key assumptions underpinning anthropogenic- and climate-driven extinction hypotheses on local, regional and continental scales.Read moreRead less