Behavioral ecology, social dynamics and population recovery of neotropical primates

我的最终研究目标是了解非人类灵长类动物是如何以及为什么通常生活在稳定的、常年的社会群体中的，这是哺乳动物罕见的特征。具体地说，我研究了竞争和合作如何影响多男性、多女性社会中的繁殖成功、觅食模式和种群动态。我特别感兴趣的是，是什么让一些个人、团体和群体比其他人更成功。 自1983年以来，我追踪了三种猴子(卷尾猴、咆哮猴和蜘蛛猴)，它们生活在哥斯达黎加瓜纳卡斯特保护区(ACG)的圣罗萨区。特别是卷尾猴，我的研究项目考察了在该物种的生态、人口和生活史限制下，雄性-雌性和雌性-雌性竞争的方式。我们记录了在觅食行为中的交配和繁殖策略、种群动态和性别差异。为了获得数据，我们使用观察方法和非侵入性技术(例如，粪便和尿液采样)相结合。我们的研究是对新热带灵长类动物进行时间最长的实地研究之一。在接下来的5年里，我们将整合地理信息系统分析、新的实验室技术和合作，整合来自不同野外地点的生活史和人口数据集。 ACG是一个大型恢复项目的所在地，该项目旨在恢复热带干燥森林，此前曾受到数百年的农业和伐木活动的干扰。在过去的27年里，我的团队记录了灵长类种群回到这些再生森林的过程，记录了种群恢复过程中的物种和性别差异。我们对这些猴子的生殖和生态模式的长期研究触及了关于社会性的适应价值和灵长类动物中雄性和雌性竞争与合作的动态的争论的核心。此外，我们对它们的种群增长模式的研究对于恢复栖息地的哺乳动物种群的保护管理计划具有应用价值。

My ultimate research goal is to understand how & why nonhuman primates of both sexes usually live in stable, year-round social groups, a trait rarely found in mammals. Specifically, I study how competition & cooperation affect reproductive success, foraging patterns & population dynamics in multi-male, multi-female societies. I am particularly interested in what makes some individuals, groups & populations more successful than others. Since 1983, I have tracked three species of monkeys (capuchins, howler & spider monkeys) residing in the Santa Rosa sector of the Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), Costa Rica. Focusing in particular on capuchins, my research program examines the ways in which male-female & female-female competition operate within the ecological, demographic & life history constraints of the species. We document mating & reproductive strategies, population dynamics & sex differences in foraging behavior. To obtain data, we use a combination of observational methods & non-invasive techniques (e.g., fecal & urine sampling). Ours is one of the longest running field studies of neotropical primates. In the next 5 years, we will incorporate GIS analyses, new lab techniques & collaborations that integrate life history & population datasets from diverse field sites. ACG is the site of a major restoration project to regenerate tropical dry forest previously disturbed by centuries of agricultural and logging activities. Over the past 27 years, my team has documented the return of primate populations to these regenerating forests, documenting species & sex differences in population recovery. Our long-term study of reproductive & ecological patterns in these monkeys goes to the heart of debates about the adaptive value of sociality & the dynamics of male-female competition & cooperation in primates. As well, our study of their population growth patterns has applied value with respect to conservation management programs for mammalian populations in recovering habitats.