How can you utilize stable isotopes in your research?
Examples of stable isotopes being used to support research include, studying water extraction methods from plants, to how habitat changes have incited more attacks by coyotes on humans.
Stable isotopes are a foundational part of food-web studies and how we understand ecosystem dynamics. Isotopes are used to support paleoecologists in learning how sea bird communities developed in the Falkland Islands.
They have help us monitor the effects of air pollution on tropical areas of Mexico. Anthropological applications include research into migration patterns of early humans in areas like the Atacama Plateau.
The Stable Isotope Lab has even assisted in the identification of a local Jane Doe, found 30 years ago.
The Stable Isotope Facility has contributed to the NEON project funded by the US National Science Foundation, which gathers long-term data from 81 field sites across the US, to understand the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on local ecology. We have and run thousands of samples, and contributed 10 years’ worth of site data to this project.
