A recent PhD graduate’s excavation of ancient forest near Strahan in western Tasmania has exceeded expectations with the discovery of new plant species.
The fossils were discovered during a 2020 dig led by Dr. Miriam Slodownik, a recent graduate of the University of Adelaide. The goal of the dig was to “understand Tasmania’s ancient ecosystems,” Slodownik told Fox News Digital in an email.
Slodownik’s research was published in the American Journal of Botany on August 27, 2024.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that the regions near the poles, which we associate with extreme cold and ice, were once covered in dense forests,” Slodownik said. “To study this phenomenon, I looked for places where rocks might have formed at the right time and in the right place.”
Dr Miriam Slodownik discovered numerous plant fossils in Tasmania during excavations in 2020. She published her research in August 2024. (Professor Gregory Jordan)
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“Tasmania turned out to be a perfect location, not only because it was accessible (unlike Antarctica, which is much harder to reach), but also because previous research had already indicated the presence of fossils,” Slodownik continued. Fossils had already been discovered during a 2003 excavation led by the University of Tasmania under the direction of Professor Gregory Jordan, Slodownik said.
Although Slodownik had been able to rely on the results of previous excavations, the success of the most recent excavations turned out to be greater than expected.
The goal of understanding ancient ecosystems has been largely exceeded by also discovering new plant species along the way.
“We didn’t expect to find new species,” Slodownik told Fox News Digital.
The fossils were discovered near the town of Strahan on Tasmania’s west coast. (Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Among the important fossils discovered are relatives of living plants such as the araucaria, Slodownik noted, as well as relatives of the Wollemi pine, an ancient and extremely rare plant. Fewer than 100 mature trees are known to exist today.
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Fossils often tell bigger stories about the conditions of the world around them when they lived.
The forest in which these plant fossils were discovered dates back 53 million years, according to a University of Adelaide press release about the discovery.
“The fossils tell an incredible story. About 50 million years ago, a lush, “tropical” forest thrived near the Arctic Circle. This was at a time when global temperatures were soaring that even the regions near the poles that we now think of as icy and barren were covered in dense vegetation,” Slodownik says.
“At that time, Tasmania was on the Arctic Circle and was still connected to Antarctica, which served as a land bridge to South America. Because of this connection, many of the fossil plants we found in Tasmania are quite similar to those of the same age found in South America,” Slodownik continued.
Among the discovered fossils were new species of plants, something Slodownik did not expect during the excavations. (Doctor Miriam Slodownik)
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“Overall, these fossils offer us a fascinating glimpse into how Earth’s climate and continents have changed dramatically over millions of years,” Slodownik concludes.
