Learn the amazing tale of hundreds of species of tropical plants that grew in the ancient polar forests in Tasmania revealing rates about Australia’s climate history and the evolution of its flora.
A Glimpse into the Past
The discovery of a 53-million-year-old polar forest has provided new insights into how plants lived in the region.
A new Ph. D.) study conducted by Dr. Miriam Slodownik The fossil remains, which were discovered by a Ph. D student at the University of Adelaide, reveal the ancestral origins of countless rainforest plants that still grow in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and South America today
This amazing discovery provides a unique opportunity to explore the conditions under which forests could blossom in polar areas during the early Eocene epoch, an era when average rates of planetary warming were far higher than current day. The find underscores the flexibility, as well as hardiness of these old plants to grow even in the face of enormous swings in seasons at dawn and near the South Pole.
Revealing the Diversity of the Forest with an Antarctic Flavor
A range of interesting plant species has been revealed from the excavation near Strahan, Western Tasmania that include the new conifers Podocarpus paralungatikensis and Araucaria timkarikensis.
At the following sites, the researchers also found diverse fern and tree species including ancestral forms of many of the plants that exist across contemporary Australia and nearby regions.
Among the most striking discoveries are fossils linked to iconic Australian trees, including species from the Kauri, Bunja and Wollemi pine families. These ancestral relatives are extremely important aids in understanding the evolution of these iconic animals.
The researchers have employed advanced techniques like ultraviolet photography and microscopic analyses to bring out the intricate details of the ancient plants’ leaf and cellular structures. That was essential in developing a sense of the link between both the fossils and their living analogues.
The new fossil species have been named in palawa kani, the Aboriginal language of Tasmania, in recognition of the fact that Australia and greater Melanesia were formerly home to more than a hundred native languages.
Conclusion
This finding of ancient tropical plants in Arctic Australia provides a snapshot through time to understand how our planet has forever changed. In describing its findings, the research team explains that these fossils provide insights not only into past climate as well as the evolution of iconic Australian plant groups but also into the historical links between Antarctica, South America and Australia; all of which were once part of a supercontinent known as Gondwana.
Such vegetation evolved and migrated towards the equator [69], eventually giving rise to a complex array of ecosystems that differs across regions of present distribution. Yet this study provides a sad reminder of how much more there is to learn if we are prepared to endure the long haul, and are ready to find out about the deep past of our own planet.
