Isotopic analyses of tooth enamel have been utilized to study changes in diet and ecology of fossil mammalian assemblages as well as concurrent changes in terrestrial ecosystems including the spread of grasslands in the Neogene. However, the application to Mesozoic ecosystems has been limited because the utility of such approaches applied to archosaur teeth have not been documented or justified. This pilot study proposes to test the potential effectiveness of oxygen and carbon isotopes from Cretaceous tooth enamel for such studies by analyzing the variability of isotopic patterns within and between taxa from a single locality. This method allows the analysis of a fauna with limited time and space averaging. Determination of the range of values and offsets between taxa will indicate how useful these data will be in reconstructing ecological niche partitioning within these ancient environments. A study of a second locality will help to understand the consistency of these relationships across space different habitats. Successful completion of this project will open a new avenue of research into understanding the ecologic relationships throughout the dominant greenhouse world of the Cretaceous. Completion of this project will involve training of undergraduates in the classroom and laboratory. Students (graduate and undergraduate)will learn the scientific process and some specific techniques involved in analyzing the structure of these teeth and process of isotopic analysis and interpretation. Several semester long class projects will involve students in this research while teaching scientific methods, exploring new topics and procedures all in the process of gaining the data necessary for the completion of the project. Further, the university partnership with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science encourages the dissemination of new data, insights and discoveries to the public and classrooms across the state of North Carolina. Results from this project will also lead to publication of results in scholarly journals, but more importantly will lead to future proposals and research into the ecologic structure and correlation of ecology and climate in the interesting and important period of Earth history.
