Dr Liz Reed ‘Australia’s fossil caves: underground archives of past biodiversity’

Liz, from the University of Adelaide, will talk about refining the age and palaeoenvironmental context of key deposits from caves in the Naracoorte area of the Limestone Coast region of South Australia.

Abstract
Hidden beneath the surface in Australia’s caves are fossil deposits that preserve detailed records of past environments and biodiversity. These caves provide ideal environments for the preservation of organic remains, and often contain exquisitely preserved fossils of Australia’s extinct giant marsupials – the ‘megafauna’. This talk will provide a summary of key finds from various Australian caves, and introduce megafauna species that once roamed this continent. A detailed case study of the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves will demonstrate how caves yield information about past climate and biodiversity, shedding light on the past, present and future.

Biography 
Dr Reed is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide, and a researcher in palaeontology at the South Australian Museum. She is a vertebrate palaeontologist specialising in Quaternary cave deposits in caves, notably at Naracoorte and Nullarbor. She is a self-confessed ‘cave addict’ and finds all aspects of caves fascinating, particularly their palaeontology, biology and conservation.

Booking Link: https://www.trybooking.com/CGTIG

Lunchtime talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November.  Talks last for 1 hour.  We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations received at each talk to support Gardens’ programs and development and thank all those who have donated.  Please note: unless otherwise indicated, talks are in the ANBG Theatrette.

It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; several talks are booked out very quickly.  Bookings can be made from the Friday before the talk until Wednesday night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. 

The Booking Link is:  https://www.trybooking.com/CGTIG

The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Some summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au

The talks are in line with COVID-19 guidelines which can change rapidly.