Vodcast: Fire, Air, Earth, Water – the elemental drivers of the Australian vegetation. Professor Bob Hill
As part of the Department of Ecology &ÌýEnvironmental Science Seminar SeriesÌýProfessor Bob HillÌýExecutive Dean, Faculty of SciencesÌý³ÉÈË´óƬ, and Director, Environment Institute will presented a seminar entitled:ÌýFire, Air, Earth, Water – the elementalÌýdrivers of the Australian vegetation.
Abstract
The living Australian vegetation is the end result ofÌýhundreds of millions of years of evolution, but the modernÌýcomponent of the vegetation derives from the origin ofÌýflowering plants about 120-140 million years ago.
SomeÌýaspects of Australia’s landform and geographic positionÌýhave had a particularly important impact on the currentÌýmakeup of the vegetation, and chief amongst these are lowÌýsoil nutrients, developing aridity, and more than 30Ìýmillion years of spatial isolation.
Until recently there hasÌýbeen a widely accepted history that encompassed all theseÌýthings, but important discoveries in the last few yearsÌýhave thrown out an enormous challenge to the orthodoxÌýview.
This seminar will summarise those findings andÌýshow how critical the fossil record is in understanding theÌýliving Australian biota.
Abstract
The living Australian vegetation is the end result ofÌýhundreds of millions of years of evolution, but the modernÌýcomponent of the vegetation derives from the origin ofÌýflowering plants about 120-140 million years ago.
SomeÌýaspects of Australia’s landform and geographic positionÌýhave had a particularly important impact on the currentÌýmakeup of the vegetation, and chief amongst these are lowÌýsoil nutrients, developing aridity, and more than 30Ìýmillion years of spatial isolation.
Until recently there hasÌýbeen a widely accepted history that encompassed all theseÌýthings, but important discoveries in the last few yearsÌýhave thrown out an enormous challenge to the orthodoxÌýview.
This seminar will summarise those findings andÌýshow how critical the fossil record is in understanding theÌýliving Australian biota.
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