LTREB: Social dynamics and fitness in a complex primate society

关于复杂的哺乳动物社会是如何从个体社会行为的相互作用中发展起来的，我们知之甚少。在动态/流动的社会群体中，两个至关重要的问题是：是什么让较小的核心群体聚集在一起，以及是什么让他们分裂？本研究将研究具有高度社会性的东半球猴猴(Theropithecus Gelada)。狐狸是解决这个问题的一个很好的模式系统，因为它们有复杂的社会群体，而且是生活在高密度环境中的易于观察的陆地动物。这项研究结合了人口统计和行为数据、社会网络分析和种群遗传数据，以确定直接导致其社会复杂性的个体狐狸行为。此外，这项研究将使用行为、生活史、生理和生殖指标来衡量不同社会互动的成本和收益。这项研究的结果不仅将确定复杂的社会是如何从个人行为中产生的，而且还将确定为什么个人表现出这些特定的行为，这代表着理解一些动物，如人类，是如何从简单的社会转变为复杂的社会的关键一步。长期项目已经并将继续：(1)加强美国国内以及美国和非洲之间的合作关系；(2)为美国和埃塞俄比亚的本科生、硕士和博士生提供培训；(3)通过保护国家公园来协助埃塞俄比亚的保护工作；(4)在埃塞俄比亚境内(定期向埃塞俄比亚国民和国际游客举办关于狐猴行为生态学的研讨会)和在美国境内(通过为K-12学生的互动讲座)提供宣传。具体地说，这个项目的成员有矛头密歇根州灵长类外展，其中包括一系列适合年龄的关于灵长类和保护所有年龄段的学生的讲座(所有外展活动见项目网站：http://www.umich.edu/~gelada/UMGRP/Home.html).

Very little is known about how complex mammalian societies develop from the interaction of individual social behaviors. In dynamic/fluid social groups, two critically important questions are: what brings smaller core groups together, and the flip side of what splits them apart? The research in this study will study the highly social Old World Monkey geladas (Theropithecus gelada). Geladas are an excellent model system to address this question as they have complex social groups and are easy-to-observe terrestrial animals that live at high densities. This research uses a combination of demographic and behavioral data, social network analyses, and population genetic data to pinpoint the individual gelada behaviors that contribute directly to their social complexity. Additionally, using behavioral, life-history, physiological, and reproductive measures, this research will measure the costs and benefits of different social interactions. The results of this research will establish not just how complex societies emerge from individual behaviors but also why the individuals exhibit those particular behaviors, representing a critical step in understanding how some animals, like humans, moved from simple to complex societies.The long-term project has and will continue to: (1) strengthen collaborative relationships both within the U.S. and between the U.S. and Africa; (2) provide training to American and Ethiopian undergraduate, masters, and Ph. D. students; (3) assist conservation efforts in Ethiopia through the preservation of national parks, (4) provide outreach both within Ethiopia (offering regular seminars on gelada behavioral ecology to both Ethiopian nationals and international tourists), and within the U.S. (through interactive lectures for K-12 students). Specifically, the members of this project have spear-headed Michigan Primate Outreach, which involves a series of age-appropriate lectures on primates and conservation for students of all ages (see project website for all outreach activities: http://www.umich.edu/~gelada/UMGRP/Home.html).