An important line of inquiry to shed light on changing environmental conditions has been the reconstruction of past climatic histories through paleoecological analyses. The loess deposits of the Lower Mississippi Valley offer a rich source of material within which scientists have been analyzing the changing composition of sediments, pollen, and fossilized plants and animals. One particularly promising approach has been the isotopic analysis of fossil land snails. Isotopic analysis of land snails in the Lower Mississippi Valley has focused so far on one site in Mississippi. This doctoral dissertation research project will broaden the analysis to include samples from six additional sites in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Carefully selected bulk samples from each site will be gathered; snails and carbonic concretions will be removed; the snails will be cleaned, dried, and identified; and their shell fragments will be tested to determine their ages. The information gathered in this manner then will be correlated with information on the paleoecology of the region gathered from other sources. This project will offer valuable insights on a number of fronts. From a methodological perspective, it will provide a means of evaluating the efficacy of sampling and evaluating fossil land snails from a number of sites. The project also offers prospects of adding to our knowledge about climatic and environmental conditions in the Lower Mississippi Valley during the latter stages of the Pleistocene Epoch, and it will contribute to our improved understanding of dynamic interactions among terrestrial, fluvial, oceanic, eolian, and biological systems during a period of substantial environmental change. It also will provide an excellent opportunity for a promising young scholar to continue to develop independent research skills.
