What is the role of Gradle in a Flutter project, and how does a 'flutter java error' relate to it?

Gradle is the build system used by Android Studio and Flutter to manage dependencies and build the Android app. A 'flutter java error' often arises because of issues with Gradle configuration (e.g., incorrect dependency versions, sync problems, or problems with the `build.gradle` files). The Java layer in Flutter relies heavily on Gradle for compilation and linking.