Interdisciplinary PhD student Juliette Funck will give a talk on her research mapping bison paleo migration patterns using strontium isotopes.
When: April 17, 2018
Where: 403 ELIF (New Engineering Building, 4th floor, ACEP conference room)
Summary:
This talk consists of an overview of my research to date for my Phd in Paleoecology.
The landscape of Interior Alaska was once dominated by large herbivorous mammals, with the steppe bison (Bison priscus) as the most abundant among them. Through the use of isotopes, including strontium isotope ratios, we can learn about the movement behavior of individuals in the past to better understand their land use patterns over time. I am investigating the seasonal migration and habitat use of bison through isotopes integrated into enamel of their teeth. To accomplish this I have compiled a high-resolution map of bio-available strontium isotope variation in Alaska. This map is being used to interpret the paleontological tooth samples from bison that have been serially sampled for strontium. Additionally, I will briefly discuss ancillary projects on bison ecology and paleoecology.
