Dissertation Research: Intraspecific Variation in Foraging of Redtail Monkeys in the Kakamega Forest, Kenya

灵长类觅食策略和适应的进化研究通常假设存在物种典型的觅食模式。然而，这种物种典型模式存在的程度是有争议的，因为在大多数物种中还没有研究过物种内的变异。这项研究考察了肯尼亚森林中两个相邻的红尾猴群体在取食和取食行为上的物种内差异。这两个种群在大小和组成上相似，但它们的栖息地不同，因为一个种群生活在森林边缘，而另一个种群居住在森林内部。我们将比较两组人的每月饮食，并记录他们对特定食物的偏好的共同程度，组间的差异与可获得食物的差异的程度，以及特定的范围模式与饮食相关的方式。通过直接观察动物和监测它们的食物来源，将在一个年度周期内收集有关觅食和食物丰度的数据。这项研究不仅将深入了解红尾鱼觅食的物种内差异的程度和解释，而且还将提供宝贵的比较数据，这些数据有助于建立最佳饮食模型，并规划保护和管理策略。

Evolutionary studies of primate foraging strategies and adaptations often assume that there are species-typical foraging patterns. The degree to which such species-typical patterns exist is debatable however, as within-species variation has not been studied in most species. This study examines within-species variation in feeding and ranging behavior of two neighboring groups of redtailed monkeys in a Kenyan forest. The groups are similar in size and composition, but their habitats differ, as one group lives along the forest edge while the other occupies the interior. We will compare the monthly diets of the two groups, and will document the degree to which preferences for particular foods are shared between them, the degree to which differences between groups are related to differences in which foods are available, and the ways in which specific ranging patterns are related to diet. Data on foraging and food abundance will be collected over an annual cycle by directly observing the animals and monitoring their food sources. This study will not only provide insight into the extent and explanations of within-species variation in redtail foraging, but will also contribute valuable comparative data that are useful for models of optimal diet, and for planning conservation and management strategies.