Cretaceous marine reptiles from the Eromanga Sea - a research project focussing on the fossils of Outback Queensland. The Eromanga Sea covered large tracts of north and central Australia between 140 and 95 million years ago. Major faunal components of this inland-sea were marine reptiles, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and sea turtles. North Qld has extensive marine fossil deposits remaining to be systematically explored. Many world-significant specimens from these strata are housed in the Au ....Cretaceous marine reptiles from the Eromanga Sea - a research project focussing on the fossils of Outback Queensland. The Eromanga Sea covered large tracts of north and central Australia between 140 and 95 million years ago. Major faunal components of this inland-sea were marine reptiles, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and sea turtles. North Qld has extensive marine fossil deposits remaining to be systematically explored. Many world-significant specimens from these strata are housed in the Australian, Queensland and Richmond Marine Fossil museums. This project intends to resolve fundamental questions concerning the evolution, environment, lifestyle and distribution of Cretaceous marine reptiles by improving their fossil record and analysing newly discovered Australian specimens, including the world's first plesiosaur embryo.Read moreRead less
Environmental change in northern Cenozoic Australia: a multidisciplinary approach. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that by 2020 to 2050, Australia will suffer significant biodiversity loss and water shortages. Our research will document and date the evolution of Australia's biota through three cycles of climate change over the last 25 million years to quantify and thereby better anticipate the nature and dimension of threats facing our natural and cultural communities ....Environmental change in northern Cenozoic Australia: a multidisciplinary approach. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that by 2020 to 2050, Australia will suffer significant biodiversity loss and water shortages. Our research will document and date the evolution of Australia's biota through three cycles of climate change over the last 25 million years to quantify and thereby better anticipate the nature and dimension of threats facing our natural and cultural communities. We will develop innovative techniques to date prehistoric biotic and climatic events and, using a range of tracers, characterize ancient environments and groundwater. This project will assist rural and regional Australia through education and job creation in geotourism and natural resource interpretation and provide a mechanism to combat generational skill shortage.Read moreRead less
Small vertebrates from the Albian-Cenomanian of Queensland - testing hypotheses of provincialism among Australia's mid-Cretaceous dinosaur faunas. This project will add to our knowledge of Australian dinosaurs and the world they inhabited. Dinosaurs are often the means through which many people, especially children, are introduced to science. This project has the potential to greatly enhance this attraction to science, using the results of research on Australian dinosaurs. It has direct links wi ....Small vertebrates from the Albian-Cenomanian of Queensland - testing hypotheses of provincialism among Australia's mid-Cretaceous dinosaur faunas. This project will add to our knowledge of Australian dinosaurs and the world they inhabited. Dinosaurs are often the means through which many people, especially children, are introduced to science. This project has the potential to greatly enhance this attraction to science, using the results of research on Australian dinosaurs. It has direct links with a number of national and international museum exhibitions, and in western Queensland the results will be incorporated into a newly developed regional interpretive centre in Isisford. The enormous social and economic benefits linked to this initiative will open up numerous opportunities for local businesses, and increase the appreciation for science and exploration in outback areas.Read moreRead less
Trace element geochemistry of microbialites: towards an independent record of biogenicity, microbial communities, and seawater chemistry. A vast amount of Australia's mineral wealth is held in rocks of Precambrian age, yet those rocks are notoriously difficult to date and correlate owing to the rarity of fossils. Successful discrimination of different microbialites using biochemically sensitive trace elements will provide a firm basis and rationale for stromatolite biostratigraphy and greatly in ....Trace element geochemistry of microbialites: towards an independent record of biogenicity, microbial communities, and seawater chemistry. A vast amount of Australia's mineral wealth is held in rocks of Precambrian age, yet those rocks are notoriously difficult to date and correlate owing to the rarity of fossils. Successful discrimination of different microbialites using biochemically sensitive trace elements will provide a firm basis and rationale for stromatolite biostratigraphy and greatly increase our ability to understand the geological evolution and distribution of Precambrian rocks and resources. Additionally, a better understanding of the information content of stromatolites will yield considerable insight into the origin of life on Earth and its relationship to Earth's evolving chemistry and environment. Read moreRead less
The evolution of Australian rainforest faunas and the implications of continuing climate change. Australia's rainforest animals and ecosystems have been evolving for millions of years yet we routinely use only the last 200 years to assess changes that will affect their future - far too short a time interval to distinguish short-term perturbations from long-term trends in lineage health or community response. Our multidisciplinary team proposes to learn from 55 million years of response to rainfa ....The evolution of Australian rainforest faunas and the implications of continuing climate change. Australia's rainforest animals and ecosystems have been evolving for millions of years yet we routinely use only the last 200 years to assess changes that will affect their future - far too short a time interval to distinguish short-term perturbations from long-term trends in lineage health or community response. Our multidisciplinary team proposes to learn from 55 million years of response to rainfall and other climate change documented by the spectacular national, natural treasures in the fossil deposits of Tingamarra, Riversleigh and Rockhampton, to assess probable impacts of future environmental change and inform development of effective, long-term conservation strategies for rainforest communities. Read moreRead less
450 Million year history of plant gas exchange capacity and the role of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our planet faces an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide that is unprecedented in human history, but has occurred in ancient times. By studying the relationship between past changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide, plant gas exchange and climate we will gain powerful global insight into future scenarios of continental carbon and water fluxes. This global perspective is essential for Australia to a ....450 Million year history of plant gas exchange capacity and the role of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our planet faces an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide that is unprecedented in human history, but has occurred in ancient times. By studying the relationship between past changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide, plant gas exchange and climate we will gain powerful global insight into future scenarios of continental carbon and water fluxes. This global perspective is essential for Australia to assess its vulnerability to global climate change in relation to other nations, thereby informing national planning of landscape resource use, including primary industry, water infrastructure and carbon trading.Read moreRead less
Australian fossil marine reptiles: a research and regional museum program. Australian Mesozoic marine reptile fossils are common but poorly studied. Two of the most productive localities - Richmond QLD, Coober Pedy SA - are internationally important, spanning a poorly known stratigraphic interval of marine reptile evolution and representing a high-latitude geographic region subject to near freezing conditions. Such preservation occurs nowhere else and provides a unique opportunity for anatomical ....Australian fossil marine reptiles: a research and regional museum program. Australian Mesozoic marine reptile fossils are common but poorly studied. Two of the most productive localities - Richmond QLD, Coober Pedy SA - are internationally important, spanning a poorly known stratigraphic interval of marine reptile evolution and representing a high-latitude geographic region subject to near freezing conditions. Such preservation occurs nowhere else and provides a unique opportunity for anatomical, systematic and palaeobiological investigations. Such research benefits local communities because it forms the basis for regional museum displays, generates long-term tourism revenue, and encourages geological resources to be viewed as valuable natural assets to be responsibly managed for the future.Read moreRead less
Riversleigh and Cuddie Springs: Unravelling Key Factors in the Extinction of the Late Pleistocene Megafauna. The project will construct a clear picture of faunal change during the Late Pleistocene, a period of well documented extinctions of giant animals (megafauna). Archaeological excavation at Riversleigh, in north-west Queensland and palaeontological excavation at Cuddie Springs, in northern N.S.W. will complete a picture of the animals, people and environment of the prehistoric period at ea ....Riversleigh and Cuddie Springs: Unravelling Key Factors in the Extinction of the Late Pleistocene Megafauna. The project will construct a clear picture of faunal change during the Late Pleistocene, a period of well documented extinctions of giant animals (megafauna). Archaeological excavation at Riversleigh, in north-west Queensland and palaeontological excavation at Cuddie Springs, in northern N.S.W. will complete a picture of the animals, people and environment of the prehistoric period at each site. With this information, the roles of climate and people in the extinction process can be assessed. This study will complement the current research direction and public education programs of the Australian Museum and the EPA's management plans for the World Heritage Riversleigh site.Read moreRead less
Life and environments of the Lower Cretaceous Winton Formation, western Queensland: The Winton Dinosaur Project. This proposal is for research into vertebrate assemblages from newly discovered fossil sites in the Winton Formation, western Queensland. These sites indicate that the Winton Formation is one of the most palaeontologically productive Lower Cretaceous continental sequences in Australia. Within it are preserved vertebrates (including several new types of dinosaurs, crocodilians, turtles ....Life and environments of the Lower Cretaceous Winton Formation, western Queensland: The Winton Dinosaur Project. This proposal is for research into vertebrate assemblages from newly discovered fossil sites in the Winton Formation, western Queensland. These sites indicate that the Winton Formation is one of the most palaeontologically productive Lower Cretaceous continental sequences in Australia. Within it are preserved vertebrates (including several new types of dinosaurs, crocodilians, turtles, lungfish and freshwater sharks), invertebrates, plants and trace-fossils of a restricted biome over a relatively short time span. Research into these new sites will provide us with our first-ever detailed window on northern Australia's Lower Cretaceous lowland and coastal environments during the final break-up of Gondwana.Read moreRead less
Long-term natural ecological consequences of disturbance on coral reefs: the benthic foraminifera perspective. The tropical coastline of Australia encompasses world-renowned coral reefs (Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Marine Park). Even these reefs are not pristine and are increasingly susceptible to disturbance from human impact. The long-term ecological effects of disturbance on reef communities cannot be experimentally determined; but natural experiments from the fossil record provide mech ....Long-term natural ecological consequences of disturbance on coral reefs: the benthic foraminifera perspective. The tropical coastline of Australia encompasses world-renowned coral reefs (Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Marine Park). Even these reefs are not pristine and are increasingly susceptible to disturbance from human impact. The long-term ecological effects of disturbance on reef communities cannot be experimentally determined; but natural experiments from the fossil record provide mechanisms to ensure that managers of Australia's reefs have critical information on how past disturbance frequency and intensity has affected coral reef communities. This information will help ensure the continuation of ecosystem goods and services from Australia's high diversity coral reefs.Read moreRead less