Dr Alex Wall ‘Traps'n'Maps: collecting data today to better understand the past tomorrow’

Alex, from the ANU, will talk about the value of fossilised pollen for understanding environmental changes over time, and measuring the amounts and types of pollen across Australia today to understand the links, including collection by VegeMap, a citizen science project.

Abstract
Fossilised pollen is a little-known but essential part of our understanding of environmental changes over time. Our team of researchers analyses pollen preserved in sediments, aiming to reconstruct historical vegetation and landscapes. This research helps to explore how vegetation has responded to factors like climate, fire, and human activities through time.

But the association between pollen and actual plant abundance is difficult to assess. This is due to the complexities inherent in pollen production and dispersal. Variations in size and shape as well as the different amounts of pollen produced by different plants all affect the amount of pollen preserved. So, we're measuring the amounts and types of pollen across Australia today to understand these links.

An integral part of our data collection comes from VegeMap, a citizen science project. Through VegeMap, participants build pollen traps and survey nearby plants. VegeMap enables us to gather more data and involve a wider community in real ecological research.

Biography 
Dr Alex Wall is a former teacher and informal educator. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian National University working in the fields of palaeoecology and palynology. That is, he uses fossil pollen to understand how ecosystems have changed over time. To improve, he also educates students and the general public about palynology through a citizen science project called VegeMap"

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

Booking
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 we thank all those who have donated. 

Unless otherwise indicated, talks are held in the ANBG Theatrette.

It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; talks may be booked out very quickly.  Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. 

Booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/CTFWW

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. Many 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.