PhD: Sedimentary environments as the theatre for evolution: how angiosperms shaped Mesozoic landscapes

The sedimentary and geomorphological importance of ecosystem-engineering plants in modern rivers is clear. Angiosperms and grasses, aquatic life-habits and C4 carbon fixation are critical aspects of vegetation in modern rivers and yet none appeared on Earth until the Mesozoic. This project will assess how the evolution of these traits as physical parameters affected sedimentary environment and landscape. This holistic combination of sedimentary and palaeobotanic data will enable us to more fully answer fundamental questions surrounding the co-evolution of life and physical environments, the evolutionary context of river functioning and the stratigraphic distribution of distinct (and often economically important) sedimentary facies.