Past Ecosystems

Overview

• Analyse palaeontological and geological evidence that can be used to provide evidence for past changes in ecosystems, including but not limited to:
  • Aboriginal rock paintings
  • Rock structure and formation
  • Ice core drilling
• Investigate and analyse past and present technologies that have been used to determine evidence for past changes, for example:
  • Radiometric dating
  • Gas analysis
• Analyse evidence that present-day organisms have evolved from organisms in the past by examining and interpreting a range of secondary sources to evaluate processes, claims and conclusions relating to the evolution of organisms in Australia, for example:
  • Small mammals
  • Sclerophyll plants
• Investigate the reasons for changes in past ecosystems, by:
  • Interpreting a range of secondary sources to develop an understanding of the changes in biotic and abiotic factors over short and long periods of time
  • Evaluating hypotheses that account for identified trends