Doctoral Dissertation Research: Ecological influences on coming to the ground in tree-dwelling primates

树栖(也称为树栖)灵长类动物巧妙地适应了树上的生活，应该不需要下降到地面，但树栖灵长类使用地面的频率比预期的要高。由于在野生动物研究中越来越流行的运动激活相机陷阱，间接观察树栖灵长类动物的地面使用(或陆地行为)正变得越来越常见。这一博士论文研究项目结合了最先进的遥感调查，利用广泛的相机陷阱网络，并使用现有的关于食物可获得性和天气的长期数据来确定这些生态方面对树栖灵长类陆地行为的影响。这项研究调查了灵长类动物从树上下来使用森林地面的地点、时间、地点和原因。该项目还支持公共科学推广和公共数据获取。该项目将新数据与超过5年的现有生态数据集结合在一起。将收集的新数据包括从详细的3D LiDAR(光探测和测距)图像测量森林结构和连通性。现有的数据集包括地面灵长类动物的相机陷阱视频，捕食者的相机陷阱视频，水果可获得性的估计，以及温度和降雨量等天气指标。这项研究的重点是在一个既定的野外地点的树栖灵长类群落中的多种物种。灵长类的陆地行为是使用占有率模型来模拟的，检查上述数据的组合以确定这些生态变量对灵长类地面使用的影响。这项研究的结果对于了解树栖灵长类求助于地面的特定生态条件具有相关性。此外，这项研究还可以为树栖灵长类动物的保护科学提供关键数据。随着全球灵长类栖息地的迅速变化，在物种和群落层面上更好地了解影响灵长类生态和行为灵活性的因素，对于成功的保护工作至关重要。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Tree-dwelling (also known as arboreal) primates are masterfully adapted to life in the trees and should have little need to descend to the ground, yet arboreal primates have been observed using the ground more frequently than expected. Indirect observations of ground use (or, terrestrial behavior) among arboreal primates are becoming more common due to the increasing popularity of motion-activated cameras traps in wildlife research. This doctoral dissertation research project combines state-of-the-art remote sensing surveys, utilizes an extensive network of camera traps, and uses existing long-term data concerning food availability and weather to identify the influence of these aspects of ecology on the terrestrial behavior of arboreal primates. The research investigates where, when, which, and why primates descend from the trees to use the forest floor. The project also supports public science outreach and public data access. This project combines novel data with over 5 years of existing ecological data sets. Novel data to be collected include measures of forest structure and connectivity from detailed 3D LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) imagery. Existing data sets include camera trap videos of primates on the ground, camera trap videos of predators, estimates of fruit availability, and weather metrics such as temperature and rainfall. The research focuses on multiple species in an arboreal primate community at an established field site. Primate terrestrial behavior is modeled using occupancy models, examining combinations of the data described above to determine the influence of these ecological variables on primate ground use. The results of this research have relevance for understanding the specific ecological conditions under which otherwise arboreal primates resort to using the ground. Additionally, this research can yield critical data for conservation science of arboreal primates. With primate habitats rapidly changing across the globe, having a better understanding of what factors influence primate ecological and behavioral flexibility, at both the species and community level, is crucial for successful conservation efforts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.