Herpetofaunal diversity changes with climate: evidence from the Quaternary of McEachern’s Deathtrap Cave, southeastern Australia

The Quaternary Period is characterized by dramatic global climatic changes. fossil deposits, which can offer excellent stratigraphic resolution, provide a unique opportunity to understand how fauna respond past environmental change. Here, we test if the herpetofauna of McEachern’s Deathtrap Cave, late Pleistocene Holocene pitfall trap deposit from Victoria, Australia, shows climate-related shifts in taxonomic relative abundance through time. During last 14,000 years, southeastern Australia experienced pronounced periods aridity, while temperatures remained relatively stable. We show that layers this are different abundances reptile subfamilies, and changes subfamily between correlate with known based on percentage C4 grasses present region. further identify 13 lizard morphotypes compare diversity present-day fauna. Our analyses indicate gradual community structure, typically observed Australian vertebrate communities during Pleistocene–Holocene transition, partly be explained changing aridity. These findings represent an important contribution understanding change particularly because evidence faunal succession amphibian Victoria lacking. results demonstrate utility herpetofaunal record for detecting responses climate shallow timescales at higher levels identification.