The carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotope compositions of elephants
in Amboseli Park, Kenya, were measured to examine changes in diet and
habitat use since the 1960s. Carbon isotope ratios, which reflect the
photosynthetic pathway of food plants, record a shift in diet from tre
es and shrubs to grass. Strontium isotope ratios, which reflect the ge
ologic age of bedrock, document the concentration of elephants within
the park. The high isotopic variability produced by behavioral and eco
logical shifts, if it is representative of other East African elephant
populations, may complicate the use of isotopes as indicators of the
source region of ivory.