BIO

A second-year undergraduate student from Naples, Florida on the pre-medical track and pursuing a BA in English Literature. Research interests include topics in the fields of chemistry, medicine, and literature.

Isotopes and the Analysis of the Diet and Environments of Mammoth Species

Abstract

The analysis of isotopic composition has been a leading source of research material and methods in the field of geochemistry. This research paper is an analysis of the Carbon and Oxygen isotopes present in enamel samples of both Pygmy and Columbian mammoths. The goal of analyzing these enamel samples and their isotopes is to paint a clearer picture regarding their diet and how diet, climate, and environment shaped their lives. Two sets of samples from each type of mammoth were used to graph the relationships between the types of isotopes digested by these animals. The isotopic values allow us to estimate the dominance of C3 and C4 plants in the mammoths' respective environments. Furthermore, the types of plants present during the animals' lives serve to help us more accurately learn about the earth's past conditions at given points in time. The findings of past studies are compared with the results of this one to compare the relative accuracy and precision of lab procedures.

Keywords: Geochemistry, Carbon Isotopes, Oxygen Isotopes, Diet, Environment