Dissertation Research: Behavior and Ecology of the Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus mona) in a Seasonal Habitat

灵长类动物社会结构理论认为，食物供应模式对社会组织有着深远的影响。例如，如果食物资源分散在小而分散的群体中，群居个体之间的竞争就会加剧，从而限制了能够一起觅食和移动的动物的数量；这将限制组的大小。这项研究的目的是收集数据来检验这些观点，特别是在季节性食物短缺的时候，食物可能是一个限制因素。研究对象蒙纳猴生活在西非的一系列森林栖息地，但从未成为长期野外研究的对象。对相关物种的研究表明，它的大部分食物是成熟的水果和昆虫，食物种类可能在季节性丰度上波动很大。研究蒙纳猴的行为及其栖息地的生态，将在贝宁的喇嘛森林进行，那里有一个漫长的旱季。拉马是达荷美峡谷（Dahomey Gap）原始干燥森林植被中幸存的最大遗迹，该地区被认为在西非哺乳动物物种的进化中发挥了重要作用。这项研究将有助于更好地保护这一受威胁的生态系统。

Theories of primate social structure argue that patterns of food availability have a profound impact on social organization. For instance, if food resources are dispersed in small, scattered clumps, competition among group-living individuals will increase and limit the number of animals that can feed and move together; this will constrain group size. This study aims to gather data to test such ideas, particularly the proposition that food may be a limiting factor only at times of seasonal food shortages. The study species, the mona monkey, occurs in a range of forest habitats in West Africa, but has never been the subject of a long-term field study. Studies of related species suggest that much of its diet is ripe fruit and insects, food items likely to fluctuate greatly in their seasonal abundance. Research on the behavior of the mona monkey, and on the ecology of its habitat, will take place in the Lama Forest of Benin, which has a long dry season. Lama is the largest surviving remnant of the original dry forest vegetation of the Dahomey Gap, an area thought to have played a major role in the evolution of West African mammal species. This research will contribute to the better conservation of this threatened ecosystem.