Tag

Aridification

All articles tagged with #aridification

science-and-environment2 years ago•4 min saved

"Scientists Unearth Massive Fossil of Giant Trapdoor Spider in Australian Rainforest"

Scientists have discovered the largest fossil of a trapdoor spider in Australia, belonging to the Barychelidae family. The fossil, named Megamonodontium mccluskyi, lived 11 to 16 million years ago and was found at the McGraths fossil site in New South Wales. This discovery is significant as very few spider fossils have been found in Australia, providing new information about their evolutionary history and filling a gap in our understanding of the past. The finding suggests that the spider lineage went extinct as Australia became more arid.

via WION|

#aridification #australia #barychelidae

earth-science2 years ago•2 min saved

Australia's transformation from lush to dust revealed by Nullarbor rocks.

Researchers from Curtin University have used iron-rich layers in ancient sediments to determine that the Nullarbor plain in Australia shifted to dry conditions between 2.4 and 2.7 million years ago due to changes in climate, shedding light on how ancient climate change altered some of the driest regions of our planet. The study provides a clearer timeframe for the evolution of several native species and explains how the drying of Australia's interior separated the common ancestors of many species that once roamed freely across Australia, leading to the independent evolution of these isolated populations on the east and west coasts, eventually resulting in distinct species or sister species.

via Phys.org|

#aridification #australia #biodiversity