Research Interests:
I use stable isotopes in plant and animal tissues to gain a better understanding of lemur ecology and physiology. The principle of biological uniformitarianism holds that modern isotopic associations should be maintained in extinct organisms and communities. Thus, in order to better understand the ecology of extinct lemurs, it is essential to assess the isotopic variability and associations in modern lemurs. Yet the extent to which isotopes fractionate in certain lemur tissues and between taxa is largely unexplored. It is, therefore, imperative to ascertain with considerably more precision modern lemur isotopic niches. My research uses a suite of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotopes from hair, muscle, and bone collagen and carbonate to study the isotopic ecology of extant and extinct lemur taxa. This research focuses on how isotope values may vary within animal tissues and how these values compare to those in the diet. These data can then be used to groundtruth isotopic data from subfossil lemurs whose habitats and feeding preferences are unknown.
Publications:
Published Contributions at Professional Meetings
Crowley, B.E., Koch, P.L., Godfrey, L.R., Burney, D.A., 2007. Lemurs through time: using stable isotopes from modern animals to understand extinct communities. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 132 (Suppl. 44):94.
Crowley, B.E., 2007. Sun, sand and spines: isotopic challenges in southern Madagascar, UCSC 2 nd Annual Plant Sciences Symposium.
Crowley, B.E., Koch, P.L., Godfrey, L., 2006, The Future of Madagascar's Lemurs: Coping with Change, 5 th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotope Techniques to Ecological Studies, p. 85.
Crowley, B.E., Koch, P.L., 2005. The Isotopic Rain Shadow and Elevation History of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California," Eos Trans. AGU, v. 86, no. 52, Fall Meeting Supplement, Abstract T31E-07.
Crowley, B.E., Koch, P.L., Davis, E.B., 2004. Tracking Sierran uplift with isotopic records from horses. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24 (Suppl. 3):49A.
Manuscripts in Preparation
Crowley, B.E., Koch, P.L., Davis, E.B. Tracing the isotopic rain shadow and elevation history of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. Submitted to GSA Bulletin.
Crowley, B.E., Koch, P.L. Global versus Local: New insights about the C4 story from enamel carbonate. In preparation for Geology.
Crowley, B.E, Godfrey, L.R., Burney, D.A., Koch, P.L. The isotopic niche: what modern lemurs can tell us about extinct communities. In preparation for American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
Crowley, B.E. Stable isotopes in primate ecology: Pitfalls, insights, and creative applications for primatologists. In preparation for Journal of Human Evolution. Professional Experience:
2006 - Stable Isotopes in Ecology Lecture and Laboratory Short Course, University of Utah
2004-2006 - Center for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS) Science Fellow, UC Santa Cruz
2006 - Professional Development Workshop, Maui, HI
2005 - Internship, Center for Marine Resource Studies, TCI, BWI
2000 - Undergraduate Research Summer Internship, Oneonta, NY
1999 and 2001 - Research Assistant, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Teaching Assistantships:
Human Functional Anatomy
Introduction to Archaeology
Geology of National Parks
Earth Sciences Senior Field Internship (Field Camp)
Evolution of the Earth
Natural History of Dinosaurs |
