Fire and rain: Drivers of deep-time ecosystem assembly in Australia

该项目旨在调查丛林大火和变化的降雨模式对澳大利亚主要生态系统发展的影响。通过结合一系列新的地球化学、同位素和古生物学技术，这项研究试图揭示澳大利亚从森林景观转变为以草原、灌木和稀树草原为主的开阔景观的原因和后果。预期的结果是详细了解火和雨的变化如何塑造动植物的生态和进化。这些知识对于理解澳大利亚生态系统如何运作以及保护它们的文化、经济和环境价值至关重要，特别是在气候和火灾制度持续变化的未来。

This project aims to investigate the influence of bushfires and shifting rainfall patterns on the development of Australia’s dominant ecosystems. By combining a range of novel geochemical, isotopic and palaeontological techniques, this research seeks to reveal the causes and consequences of Australia’s transformation from a forested to mainly open landscape of grassland, shrubland and savannah. The expected outcome is detailed knowledge of how changes in fire and rain shaped the ecology and evolution of plants and animals. This knowledge is key to understanding how Australian ecosystems function and to protecting their cultural, economic and environmental values, especially as climate and fire regimes continue to change into the future.