Dr Liz Reed
I am a vertebrate palaeontologist specialising in Quaternary aged cave deposits, notably in the south east region of South Australia. My particular interests are vertebrate taphonomy and site history, Quaternary palaeoclimate and biodiversity records from caves and refining megafauna extinction records.
I am a Research Fellow within the School of Physical Sciences and a member of the Environment Institute. I am also an Honorary Research Associate with the South Australian Museum.
I completed an Honours degree in vertebrate palaeontology at Flinders University, studying how kangaroo skeletons decompose and disarticulate in a natural environment. I was awarded my PhD in 2004. My thesis research involved taphonomic (fossil forensics) studies of large mammal fossils from the Pleistocene-aged deposits within the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves National Park. Since then I have taught at undergraduate and graduate level and continue to study cave deposits in the South East region of South Australia.
My current research projects centre on Quaternary aged vertebrate fossil deposits from caves in the Naracoorte area of the Limestone Coast region of South Australia. In collaboration with colleagues from University of Adelaide's Environment Institute and various institutions in Australia and overseas, I am working on refining the age and palaeoenvironmental context of key deposits at Naracoorte.
Current projects -:
- Refining the chronology and environmental context of megafauna extinctions at Naracoorte.
- Palaeontology and taphonomy of Naracoorte fossil assemblages.
- Investigation of cave deposits found in limestone quarries at Naracoorte.
- Review of fossil faunas including megafauna marsupials, bats, frogs and reptiles.
I am a member of the Environment Institute and Sprigg Geobiology Centre at University of Adelaide. I am also a Research Associate with the South Australian Museum.
Our latest article in The Conversation.
The Environment Institute Annual Report 2015 features a great story about research at Naracoorte Caves.
Check out the July 2015 issue of e-Science magazine to see my article on the fossils of Naracoorte. http://escience.realviewdigital.com/?iid=122820#folio=24
Don't forget to visit the amazing Naracoorte Caves!
Below - Digging for megafauna, Naracoorte Caves National Park. During the Pleistocene, megafauna and other animals fell into caves and became trapped with their remains accumulating in the cave below. Over time these remains were buried by sediments that washed or blew into the cave. Fossil bones are delicate, so we use small dental picks and brushes to expose the long buried fossils. The position of each bone is recorded in detail and samples of charcoal, bone, sediment and cave formations (speleothems) are used to determine the age of the deposits. Photo Steve Bourne.
Below - Peeling back the layers in time - Liz Reed excavating in Blanche Cave (Naracoorte Caves National Park), assisted by Cath Loder. The finely layered strata are visible in the sandy cave sediments. Each layer represents a period of time. Like chapters in a book each has a story to tell about the past animals and environment at Naracoorte. Photo Steve Bourne.
Below - One of the many exceptionally well preserved fossils from Naracoorte Caves. This is the skull of an extinct short-faced kangaroo. The fossil caves of the Naracoorte Caves National Park are deemed so signficant that they are World Heritage listed. Much of my research centres on these deposits. Photo Steve Bourne.
Below - A tiny fossil bat dentary from the late Pleistocene of Naracoorte. Bats have lived in caves at Naracoorte for hundreds of thousands of years. Their fossil remains accumulated from natural deaths beneath roosts in the caves. Other small vertebrates such as rodents and dasyurids fell victim to owl predation, forming large accumulations derived from owl pellets. Photo Liz Reed
Science communication and community service
March 2017 - Faculty of Science, University of Adelaide stand at South East Field Days, Lucindale SA. I ran a fossil sorting activity and provided information regarding courses.
June 2017 - Inspiring South Australia regional science hubs meeting.
Appointments
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Research Fellow | University of Adelaide |
| 2011 - 2013 | Research Fellow, vertebrate palaeontology | Flinders University |
| 2006 - 2010 | Lecturer in palaeontology | Flinders University |
Education
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Deakin University | Australia | Grad. Cert. Museum Studies |
| 2004 | Flinders University | Australia | PhD |
| 1997 | Flinders University | Australia | BA (Hons) |
Journals
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Reed,EH, 2017, Once more unto the deep: early history of Cathedral Cave, Naracoorte., Journal of the Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association, 106, 9-14 |
| 2016 | Curry,M, Reed,EH, Bourne,S, 2016, Thylacoleo carnifex and the Naracoorte Caves, Australian Age of Dinosaurs: The annual publication of the Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History., 13, 40-51 |
| 2016 | Reed,E, 2016, The mystery photographer and the unknown engraving: new information on the first photographs of the Naracoorte Caves., Journal of the Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association, 103, 5-10 |
| 2016 | Grealy,A, Macken,A, Allentoft,M, Rawlence,N, Reed,EH, Bunce,M, 2016, An assessment of ancient DNA preservation in Holocene-Pleistocene fossil bone excavated from the world heritage Naracoorte Caves, South Australia, Journal of Quaternary Science, 31, 1, 33-45 10.1002/jqs.2830 |
| 2014 | Curry,M, Reed,L, Bourne,S, 2014, Catching the 'marsupial lion' by the tail: Thylacoleo carnifex and the Naracoorte Caves., Journal of the Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association, 97, 6-16 |
| 2014 | Macken,AC, Reed,EH, 2014, Postglacial reorganization of a small-mammal paleocommunity in southern Australia reveals thresholds of change, Ecological Monographs, 84, 4, 563-577 10.1890/13-0713.1 |
| 2013 | Macken,AC, Staff,RA, Reed,EH, 2013, Bayesian age-depth modelling of Late Quaternary deposits from Wet and Blanche Caves, Naracoorte, South Australia: a framework for comparative faunal analyses, Quaternary Geochronology, 17, 26-43 10.1016/j.quageo.2013.03.001 |
| 2013 | Macken,A, Reed,E, 2013, Late Quaternary small mammal faunas of the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 137, 1, 53-67 10.1080/3721426.2013.10887171 |
| 2013 | Macken,AC, McDowell,MC, Bartholomeusz,DN, Reed,EH, 2013, Chronology and stratigraphy of the Wet Cave vertebrate fossil deposit, Naracoorte, and relationship to paleoclimatic conditions of the Last Glacial Cycle in south-eastern Australia, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 60, 2, 271-281 10.1080/08120099.2013.758657 |
| 2013 | Reed,EH, 2013, 'Old' cave, new stories: the interpretative evolution of Blanche Cave, Naracoorte., Journal of the Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association, 90, 11-28 |
| 2012 | Macken,AC, Prideaux,GJ, Reed,EH, 2012, Variation and pattern in the responses of mammal faunas to Late Pleistocene climatic change in southeastern South Australia, Journal of Quaternary Science, 27, 4, 415-424 10.1002/jqs.1563 |
| 2012 | St Pierre,E, Zhao,J, Feng,Y, Reed,E, 2012, U-series dating of soda straw stalactites from excavated deposits: method development and application to Blanche Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia, Journal of Archaeological Science, 39, 4, 922-930 10.1016/j.jas.2011.10.027 |
| 2012 | Reed,EH, 2012, Of mice and megafauna: new insights into Naracoorte's fossil deposits, Journal of the Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association, 86, 7-14 |
| 2011 | Macken,A, Jankowski,N, Price,G, Bestland,E, Reed,E, Prideaux,G, Roberts,R, 2011, Application of sedimentary and chronological analyses to refine the depositional context of a Late Pleistocene vertebrate deposit, Naracoorte, South Australia, Quaternary Science Reviews, 30, 19-20, 2690-2702 10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.05.023 |
| 2009 | Bourne,S, Reed,EH, 2009, The Australian Fossil Mammal sites (Riversleigh/Naracoorte)., World Heritage, 52, 46-47 |
| 2009 | Reed,EH, 2009, Decomposition and disarticulation of kangaroo carcasses in caves at Naracoorte, South Australia, Journal of Taphonomy, 7, 4, 265-284 |
| 2009 | Darrénougué,N, De Deckker,P, Fitzsimmons,KE, Norman,MD, Reed,L, van der Kaars,S, Fallon,S, 2009, A late Pleistocene record of aeolian sedimentation in Blanche Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia, Quaternary Science Reviews, 28, 25-26, 2600-2615 10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.05.021 |
| 2009 | Reed,E, Bourne,S, 2009, Pleistocene fossil vertebrate sites of the South East region of South Australia II, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 133, 1, 30-40 10.1080/03721426.2009.10887108 |
| 2009 | St Pierre,E, Zhao,J, Reed,E, 2009, Expanding the utility of Uranium-series dating of speleothems for archaeological and palaeontological applications, Journal of Archaeological Science, 36, 7, 1416-1423 10.1016/j.jas.2009.02.004 |
| 2008 | Reed,EH, 2008, Pinning down the pitfall: Entry points for Pleistocene vertebrate remains and sediments in the Fossil Chamber, Victoria Fossil Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia., Quaternary Australasia, 25, 2, 2-8 |
| 2006 | Reed,EH, 2006, In Situ Taphonomic Investigation of Pleistocene Large Mammal Bone Deposits from The Ossuaries, Victoria Fossil Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia, Helictite, 39, 1, 5-15 |
| 2005 | Reed,E, Hutchinson,M, 2005, First record of a giant varanid (Megalania, Squamata) from the Pleistocene of Naracoorte, South Australia, Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 51, 1, 203-213 |
| 2001 | Reed,E, 2001, Disarticulation of kangaroo skeletons in semi-arid Australia, Australian Journal of Zoology, 49, 6, 615-632 10.1071/ZO01010 |
| 2000 | Reed,E, Bourne,S, 2000, Pleistocene fossil vertebrate sites of the south east region of South Australia, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 124, 2, 61-90 |
Books
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 2006, Proceedings of the 10th Conference on Australasian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics. Alcheringa Special Issue 1., 1-475 |
Book Chapters
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Reed,EH, 2012, South Australia: Naracoorte Caves, pp. 69-70 |
| 2009 | Reed,EH, 2009, A vertebrate CSI, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, pp. 37-41 |
| 2003 | Reed,EH, Gillieson,D, 2003, Mud and bones: cave deposits and environmental history in Australia., University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, pp. 89-110 |
Conference Items
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Gray,J, Reed,EH, Hutchinson,M, Jones,M, McDowell,M, 2016, Agamid lizard fossils from South Australian caves and their implications for environmental change during the Quaternary, Palaeo Down Under 2, University of Adelaide |
| 2016 | Reed,EH, Reardon,T, 2016, Fossil bats from Quaternary cave deposits at Naracoorte, South Australia., Palaeontology Down Under 2, University of Adelaide |
| 2015 | Gray,J, Reed,, McDowell,M, 2015, Agamid (Reptilia: Squamata) assemblages from South Australia suggest differences between Pleistocene and modern distributions that reflect climate change, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting, Dallas, Texas, USA |
| 2015 | Reed,EH, 2015, Site formation processes and their influence on chronological records from cave deposits: examples from Naracoorte Caves, 4th Asia Pacific Luminescence and Electron Spin Resonance Dating Conference, University of Adelaide |
| 2015 | Reed,EH, 2015, Priests, parties and palaeontologists: a potted history of the Naracoorte Caves., Reflections: The 22nd State History Conference, Robe, South Australia |
| 2006 | Reed,EH, Wells,R, Bourne,S, Sellar,A, 2006, Discovering the history of life on Earth in South Australia, Conference on Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics, Naracoorte, SA |
| 2006 | Reed,EH, Wells,R, Bourne,S, Sellar,A, 2006, Discovering the history of life on Earth in South Australia, Conference on Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics, Naracoorte, SA |
| 2006 | Wells,R, Grun,R, Forbes,M, Sullivan,J, Bestland,E, Reed,EH, 2006, The Black Creek Swamp Megafauna Site, Kangaroo Island: pre or post blitzkreig?, Conference on Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics, Naracoorte SA |
| 2006 | Sullivan,J, Wells,R, Reed,EH, Forbes,M, Bestland,E, 2006, A taphonomic investigation of the Black Creek Swamp megafaunal accumulation., Conference on Australasian vertebrate evolution and systematics, Naracoorte 10.1080/03115510609506876 |
| 2006 | Reed,EH, 2006, A modern taphonomic analogue for Pleistocene pitfall cave deposits at Naracoorte, South Australia., Conference on Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics, Naracoorte SA |
| 2006 | Wells,R, Grun,R, Forbes,M, Sullivan,J, Bestland,E, Reed,EH, 2006, The Black Creek Swamp Megafauna Site, Kangaroo Island: pre or post blitzkreig?, Conference on Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics, Naracoorte SA |
| 2006 | Wells,R, Reed,EH, 2006, Naracoorte Caves World Heritage site: history and research overview., Conference on Australasian vertebrate evolution and systematics, Naracoorte 10.1080/03115510609506876 |
| 2006 | Reed,EH, 2006, A modern taphonomic analogue for Pleistocene pitfall cave deposits at Naracoorte, South Australia., Conference on Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics, Naracoorte SA |
| 1999 | Reed,EH, 1999, A taphonomic study of the disarticulation of macropodid skeletons in a semi-arid environment., Conference on Australasian Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics, Perth, Australia |
Report for External Bodies
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Reed,EH, 2003, Draft fossil-based tourism scoping study. |
Theses
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Reed,EH; 2003; Vertebrate Taphonomy of large mammal bone deposits, Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area. |
Internet Publications
| Date | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Reed,EH, Arnold,L; 2017; Naracoorte, where half a million years of biodiversity and climate history are trapped in caves |
| 2015 | Reed,EH; 2015; Underground archives: Naracoorte's fossil caves and their record of deep time. |
- 2017 ARC Linkage Project Scheme. LP160101249 Dr Lee Arnold, Prof. Bob Hill, Dr Elizabeth Reed, Prof. Alan Cooper, Assoc. Prof. Jeremy Austin, Dr John Tibby, Associate Professor Russell Drysdale; Dr John Hellstrom; Dr Gilbert Price; Dr Helen Macdonald; Dr Daniel Rogers; Dr Mark Hutchinson; Adjunct Professor Nigel Spooner. Naracoorte caves: a critical window on faunal extinctions and past climates. $669,000.
- 2017 Babara Kidman Women's Fellowship, Dr Elizabeth Reed, University of Adelaide. $20,000.
- 2016 DVCR Interdisciplinary Research Grants University of Adelaide - Dr Elizabeth Reed, Professor Alan Cooper, Dr Lee Arnold, Dr John Tibby, Professor Nigel Spooner. Preliminary investigation of Quaternary vertebrate fossil sites from caves in central and northwest Tasmania: testing a multi-proxy approach for reconstructing past biodiversity and environment. $23,600.
- 2015 Environment Institute grant - Refining the timing and palaeoenvironmental context for megafauna extinction records at Naracoorte, South Australia. EI Investigators – Dr Liz Reed (CI), Dr Lee Arnold, Dr Francesca McInerney, Dr John Tibby, Dr Jonathan Tyler and Dr Juraj Farkas. $50,000.
I am currently teaching osteology, vertebrate palaeontology and palaeoecology in ENV BIOL 3550 Evolution of the Australian Biota III (6 units) - including the Naracoorte Caves Field Trip in September.
Below - The reconstructed skeleton of Thylacoleo carnifex looms large over the fossil bed in Victoria Fossil Cave, Naracoorte Caves NP. Photo Steve Bourne
- Supervising at Honours and PhD level.
- Projects in palaeontology, palaeoecology, taphonomy and Quaternary deposits.
Current HDR students -:
Jessie-Briar Treloar PhD, Earth Sciences (Principal Supervisor)
Henri Garon PhD, Earth Sciences (Co-Supervisor)
Below - Enormous sand cones in a cave at Naracoorte. These cones formed from sand that was blown or washed into a cave entrance. Photo Steve Bourne.
Memberships
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Member | Geological Society of Australia | Australia |
| 2016 | Australian Mammal Society | Australia | |
| 2015 | Member | Society of Vertebrate Paleontology | United States |
| 2015 | Member | Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association | |
| 2015 | CSIRO Scientists in Schools | Australia | |
| 2009 | Member | Australasian Quaternary Association |