Aquatic ecosystem response to late Pleistocene and Holocene climate variations : a palaeolimnological investigation of three lakes on Fraser Island, Australia

High resolution palaeoecological data is a valuable tool to determine past climate variability and ecological responses. This thesis examined the aquatic community response of three lakes on Fraser Island using biological and geochemical records for the last 18,000 years. The lake records demonstrate a trend of decreasing precipitation throughout the late Holocene, with increased climatic variability represented by episodic events. From these records, a more detailed knowledge of climate change in eastern Australia during the Holocene has been identified.