Evolutionary impacts of climate change in Australia's fossil record

Grant number: DE180100629 | Funding period: 2018 - 2020

Completed

Abstract

This project aims to identify evolutionary responses to climate change in Australia's fossil record by comparing variation in lizard and frog communities across geological time. Using X-ray techniques on museum specimens, this project will generate a large-scale database for tracking evolutionary shifts in relation to historical climatic events. Expected outcomes include the first anatomical descriptions for many species, filling major gaps in our ability to place fossils in a contemporary framework. This research will demonstrate the value of our national collections for addressing important environmental issues, such as biodiversity, extinction, and future habitat change.

Related publications (5)

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Postnatal development in a marsupial model, the fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata; Dasyuromorphia: Dasyuridae)

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Marsupials exhibit unique biological features that provide fascinating insights into many aspects of mammalian development. These ..

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Ontogenetic origins of cranial convergence between the extinct marsupial thylacine and placental gray wolf

Axel H Newton, Vera Weisbecker, Andrew J Pask, Christy A Hipsley

2021-01-08

Phenotypic convergence, describing the independent evolution of similar characteristics, offers unique insights into how natural s..

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High-throughput microCT scanning of small specimens: preparation, packing, parameters and post-processing

Christy A Hipsley, Rocio Aguilar, Jay R Black, Scott A Hocknull

2020-08-17

High-resolution X-ray microcomputed tomography, or microCT (μCT), enables the digital imaging of whole objects in three dimensions..

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Psychology, not technology, is our biggest challenge to open digital morphology data

Christy A Hipsley, Emma Sherratt

2019-04-26

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Letting the 'cat' out of the bag: pouch young development of the extinct Tasmanian tiger revealed by X-ray computed tomography

Axel H Newton, Frantisek Spoutil, Jan Prochazka, Jay R Black, Kathryn Medlock, Robert N Paddle, Marketa Knitlova, Christy A Hipsley, Andrew J Pask

2018-02-01

The Tasmanian tiger or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was an iconic Australian marsupial predator that was hunted to extincti..

University of Melbourne Researchers