The contrasting biology of tropical versus temperate Nothofagus species and its relevance to interpretations of Cenozoic rainforest history in southeast Australia

Given the uncertain impacts of global climate change, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the factors controlling vegetation change, species distributions and vagility. The fossil record provides the only real source of long-term data for changes in distributions and characteristics of species and vegetation types. However, while making an enormous contribution to our knowledge of vegetation history, interpretation is limited by the incomplete fossil record, understanding of the biology of fossil species, and insufficient precision regarding the timing of key environmental events.