Format: ORAL

Russell L. Barrett1,2, Matthew D. Barrett3, Francis Nge1 and Limin Lu4,5Russell L. Barrett1,2, Matthew D. Barrett3, Francis Nge1 and Limin Lu4,5

1 National Herbarium of New South Wales, Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Australian Botanic Garden, Locked Bag 6002, Mount Annan, New South Wales 2567, Australia 2 Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia 3 Australian Tropical Herbarium, Sir Robert Norman Building (E2), James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia 4 State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China 5 China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China

Biodiversity knowledge of north-western Australias Kimberley region remains low. However, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the region has acted as an important gateway for the transfer of biodiversity between Sunda and Sahul due to its proximity to the Indonesian archipelago. We present data based on thirty years of field- and herbarium-based biodiversity discovery demonstrating changes in our understanding of plant diversity in the Kimberley, supporting its regional significance. Covering 100,000 km2 in the Australian tropical savanna bioregion, the Kimberley is home to nearly 3,400 angiosperm taxa, of which 40% have only been recognised in the last 30 years. Endemism had been assumed to be low (10%), but new species records have mostly been localised, and endemism is now 22%. Biogeographic connections are very varied, but include SW, Central, SE and tropical Australia, many parts of SE Asia west to India, and also Madagascar. We present example phylogenies that demonstrate the relevance of the Kimberley region for biogeographic analyses, demonstrating that some groups have followed multiple tracks into and from Australia. We summarise additional groups that would benefit from inclusion in future phylogenetic studies for the purpose of biogeographic reconstructions. Potential mechanisms of dispersal will be discussed.