Welcoming Sign, Unwelcoming Weather

Author: Gisell Maldonado | Major: Anthropology | Semester: Spring 2025

About Me

Hello, my name is Gisell Maldonado, I am a senior biological anthropology major. I have been
working in Dr. Amelia Villaseñor’s human paleoecology lab since fall semester 2023. She
explores a wide breadth of research topics, including one. For example, she is interested in
understanding the roles of large mammals in fossil and living ecosystems from North America to
Zambia. Together, we are looking at a unique ecosystem, a remnant tallgrass prairie, in our
neighboring state of Oklahoma. Participating in this kind of research combines many experiences
and skills such as research design, performing common–, while also experimenting with and
adjusting– lab protocols and methods, data synthesis and visualization, all of which are essential
training for future laboratory researchers.

My Research Landscape

The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie is a fascinating preserve managed by the Nature
Conservancy that has prospered and protected the national mammal (Bison) thanks to resilient
grassroots since the late 80s. The preserve encompasses 39,650 acres and is the largest piece of
tallgrass prairie left in the United States. This is an ecosystem that used to occur throughout the
Midwest and into Northwest Arkansas. The conservancy attempts to mimic a past ecological
behavior to maintain the prairie ecosystem by exploiting the grazing behavior of free ranging
bison and domesticated cows. Bison, cows, and fire all occur in different zones, and the Nature
Conservancy uses tactics, such as a “patch-burn” model, that mimic what would’ve been natural
wildfires on the tallgrass prairies to maintain the health of this ecosystem. Amazingly, all of this
happens just three hours from NWA and is open to the public to explore.

Holistic Elements

In my research, I learned that this region also has both cultural and historical insights relevant to
the near decimation of bison and their early relationships with humans in the region. Pawhuska,
OK is located only 20 minutes from the prairie and is the capital of the Osage Nation. The book
and recent movie Killers of the Flower Moon detail the history of the region and the rapid
economic shifts that include substantial oil wealth and environmental degradation.
Together, Dr. Villaseñor and I focus on two large mammals in the prairie, one indigenous, the
bison, and the other is human introduced, the cow. Specifically, we are interested in grazing
differences that are chemically recorded in their tissues, such as feces and hair. Using these
tissues, I will examine differences in their diets through a technique called stable isotope
analysis.
Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for investigating the role of large mammals (their
ecological niche) and an innovative approach steering palaeoecological research in a new
direction within the study of ecological dynamics. Isotopes provide an indirect and non-invasive,
yet precise, method for reconstructing animal interactions with their environment. I use
information from two different isotope systems to determine the ecological roles of bison and
cows. Carbon stable isotopes (δ13C) aid in diet reconstruction and provide valuable insights into
the proportional consumption of plant types. Nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) indicate the amount
of protein consumed. In animals at the bottom of the food chain, like bison and cattle, the stable
isotope signals in their tissues reveal the base of food webs.

Field Notes

In April 2025 we made our second trip to the tallgrass prairie; however, I know it won’t be my
last. It was an extremely rainy weekend. The creeks were flooded, and the early wildflowers
were blooming. We collected some soggy bison and cow patties from different patches of the
prairie, which are back at the lab and ready for preparation.
Spending Easter weekend with the Villaseñor family meant collecting samples from the TGP and
setting up an egg hunt

Reflections and Future Work

This Honors College Research Grant allowed me to gain great experience during the data
collection process. I learned a great deal about research design, observation, and detail-oriented
work. I learned to form critical questions about our variables and constants of our design as well
as develop a deeper connection to the ecosystems that make our country unique and prosperous. I
am a fortunate individual to witness the efforts of past and current generation in maintaining this
ecosystem.

Collecting a soggy, very fresh cow patty

I hope to continue to update this research project and have a bigger picture with more conclusive
results by the time of my honors thesis defense and am currently proud of taking steps to add to
the literature to preserve current fragile biome and native faunal dynamics and give insight into
past faunal and floral dynamics of the tall grass prairies.