Australia's Monsoon Tropical Flora: Invader or Relict?

Most of northern Australia experiences a monsoonal climate of extreme wet and dry seasons. It has outstanding wilderness value and includes three World Heritage areas. However, little is known about the evolutionary origins of the unique flora that includes savannah and dry-season deciduous rainforests. This project will compare and integrate two contrasting theories: that the Australian monsoon tropical flora has evolved in situ by fragmentation and ecological sifting of an ancient Gondwanan flora; or that it consists of elements that have immigrated from elsewhere. Our novel approach will construct an integrated history of the flora by comparing multiple dated molecular phylogenies of key plant groups.