Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Late Pleistocene Climate And Proboscidean Paleoecology In North America: Insights From Stable Isotope Compositions Of Skeletal Remains, Jessica Z. Metcalfe

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis uses the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope compositions of mammoth (Mammuthus) and mastodon (Mammut) skeletal remains to reconstruct paleoclimate and paleoecology in Late Pleistocene North America. Analytical methods, sampling strategies, environmental adaptations and seasonal behaviors of proboscideans were investigated.

Reliable and reproducible results are crucial for a study of this nature. A persistent methodological problem in the isotope analysis of structural carbonate in bioapatite was solved by reacting bioapatite under “sealed vessel” conditions.

Growth rate determinations are critical for designing sampling strategies and interpreting results. Histological and isotopic measurements demonstrated variations in enamel growth …