Isotopic, ecological and technological investigations of the land snail record

In the ever-evolving landscape of the natural world, change is the only constant. Investigating how life accommodates that change can provide valuable insights into the biological, ecological and geological history of our planet. The fossil record is replete with examples of organisms which failed to survive in the wake of ongoing environmental change. However, for as many organisms as succumbed to extinction, there are just as many that not only survived, but thrived. Adaptability, in the face of ecological adversity, is the key to evolutionary success. This trait is no more evident than in the life history of terrestrial gastropods.;This dissertation examines how land snail strategies for survival may reveal valuable paleoenvironmental and paleoecological information and how that information might be more effectively and efficiently managed using mobile technology. The results of stable isotopic analyses of modern and ancient land snail shells from two Algerian archaeological sites and experiments demonstrating the effects of insect and non-insect herbivory on leaf tissue combined with data management techniques exploring the use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Quick Response (QR) Code 2D barcode technology in laboratory research show how dynamic life can be, even when you live it "in the slow lane."...