Reconstructing Ancient Ecosystems
Reconstruct an ancient ecosystem using multiple independent lines of evidence: isotope analysis of teeth to infer diet and migration, bone histology (growth rings) to estimate age and growth rate, coprolite chemistry for diet, and palaeobotany for habitat — understanding that palaeontology is an evidence-synthesis discipline
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“If your child was asked how scientists know a large dinosaur migrated hundreds of kilometres every year, could they explain what kind of evidence they look for and how they rule out alternative explanations?”
Full guide and materials
- Activity. Reconstruct an ancient ecosystem using multiple independent lines of evidence: isotope analysis of teeth to infer diet and migration, bone histology (growth rings) to estimate age and growth rate, coprolite chemistry for diet, and palaeobotany for habitat — understanding that palaeontology is an evidence-synthesis discipline
What to notice. Explains how stable oxygen isotope ratios in teeth shift with geographic location, allowing detection of seasonal migration • Explains how annual growth rings in bone cross-sections reveal growth rate and approximate age at death • Describes how combining evidence from teeth isotopes, coprolites, and fossil plant assemblages builds a richer picture of ancient ecology than any single source alone
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If your child was asked how scientists know a large dinosaur migrated hundreds of kilometres every year, could they explain what kind of evidence they look for and how they rule out alternative explanations?
Reconstruct an ancient ecosystem using multiple independent lines of evidence: isotope analysis of teeth to infer diet and migration, bone histology (growth rings) to estimate age and growth rate, coprolite chemistry for diet, and palaeobotany for habitat — understanding that palaeontology is an evidence-synthesis discipline
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Check understanding
- Explains how stable oxygen isotope ratios in teeth shift with geographic location, allowing detection of seasonal migration
- Explains how annual growth rings in bone cross-sections reveal growth rate and approximate age at death
- Describes how combining evidence from teeth isotopes, coprolites, and fossil plant assemblages builds a richer picture of ancient ecology than any single source alone
“If your child was asked how scientists know a large dinosaur migrated hundreds of kilometres every year, could they explain what kind of evidence they look for and how they rule out alternative explanations?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Dinosaurs & Paleontology
- Age range
- Ages 12–14