From the Big to the Small: Big data and Compound-Specific Isotopes to understand Pleistocene Ecology

The Pleistocene mammoth steppe was a megacontinental ecosystem that spanned northern Eurasia and northwestern North America where diverse species of megafauna  co-existed (e.g. woolly mammoth; Mammuthus primigenius, horse; Equus spp., and bison; Bison spp.). Understanding the species’ individual dietary niches, and how those changed with environmental shifts and interactions between species, is essential to revealing how this complex ecosystem was maintained, and what contributed to its extinction. Compound-specific stable isotopic studies of amino acids can be used to separate dietary niches from metabolic effects. These revealed that the woolly mammoth consumed a distinct diet from other mammoth-steppe herbivores, and that the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N differences between caribou bone and antler reflect seasonal differences rather than isotopic shifts caused by rapid-growth. Specific amino acids isotopic compositions hold potential to reveal further information about the diets of mammoth steppe megafauna including mammoths, mastodons, and giant beavers, but care must be taken in their application. 

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/98578019100?pwd=VkI3Vk5pVUY1amlCR0ZCV0hqNFQ5dz09