PRIMATE BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY

PRIMATE BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY

There will be one Winter Primate Behavior and Ecology course and three summer Primate Behavior and Ecology courses as follows:

Winter: Dec 27 to Jan 18 - Eric Worch

Summer: May 25 to June 19 - Eric Worch

June 22 to July 17 - TBA

July 20 to August 14 - TBA

This course covers the behavior and ecology of Old and New World primates from an evolutionary perspective. Emphasis will be given to the three species present at La Suerte: Cebus capucinus, Alouatta palliata, and Ateles geoffroyi. The material and topics covered in this course are equivalent to an upper division university course in primate behavior and ecology. A background in biology or physical anthropology is helpful but not required. It is far more important to have a serious interest in learning about primates and a desire to do field work in a tropical rainforest.

Each day will be a mix of lectures, seminars and field work, but there will be also be opportunities to relax, take care of personal business (laundry, etc.) and explore the forest in small groups. Although the focus while in the field will be on primates and their immediate environment, other flora and fauna of interest will be pointed out and discussed as they are encountered.

A textbook is not required, but students will be required to purchase a coursepack at the field station (< 15 US dollars). The materials in the coursepack will include readings relevant to general primatology and to the species found at La Suerte, information relevant to conducting primate field work and descriptions of the field activities, group projects and individual projects. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves in advance with general information about primates, tropical ecosystems and Costa Rica. The following books are useful and available at many university libraries:

Dolhinow, P., & Fuentes, A. (1999). The nonhuman primates. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing.

Janzen, D.H. (Ed.). (1983). Costa Rican natural history. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (available in the La Suerte library).

Jolly, A. (1985). The evolution of primate behavior. New York: Macmillan.

Kricher, J.C. (1989). A neotropical companion. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (available in the La Suerte library).

Napier, J.R., & Napier, P.H. (1985). The natural history of primates. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Richard, A. (1985). Primates in nature. Salt Lake City, UT: W.H. Freeman (available in the La Suerte library).

Although the station is relatively new, the library at La Suerte has a variety of texts and field guides. A collection of articles is being assembled at the station as well. To this end, STUDENTS ARE ASKED TO DONATE TO THE STATION ONE RECENT SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE WHICH THEY HAVE FOUND INTERESTING AND PERTINENT TO PRIMATE BEHAVIOR, ECOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT OR CONSERVATION.

The lecture topics are listed in the approximate order in which they will be presented; however, topics may be added or deleted according to time constraints and student interests.

1. Photo essay on the living primates.
2. What is a primate? Primate phylogeny and distribution.
3. Primate social organization.
4. Primate social organization - continued.
5. Primate anatomy, morphology and positional behavior.
6. Historical roots of primatology.
7. Feeding ecology and foraging behavior.
8. What limits primates?vPrimates as members of rain forest communities.
9. Natural selection, kin selection and sexual selection.
10. Predation, reproduction and life history.
11. Mothers and infants.
12. Group size and group transfer.
13. Dominance, aggression and competition.
14. Alliances.
15. Juvenile primates.
16. Infanticide.
17. Primate intelligence.
18. Tool use and play.
19. Primate language and communication.
20. Primate and rainforest conservation.

Field and research techniques will be introduced through group projects and seminars. The skills to be taught include: trail and site mapping, habitat description, analysis and comparison, plant phenology, censussing, aging and sexing primates, primate observation and ethograms, research design and data analysis. Group projects will be comprised of instructor-designed and student-designed activities.

Working closely with the faculty, each student will be responsible for designing and completing an independent research project. Prior to commencement of the research project, a proposal indicating the research question, design and expectations will be completed and presented to the class. During the latter part of the course, data will be collected and analyzed. At the end of the course, each student will make an oral presentation to the class. Possible research topics include but are not limited to:

1. Play behavior.
2. Female-female interactions.
3. Female-male interactions.
4. Male-male interactions.
5. Mother-infant interactions.
6. Interspecific interactions.
7. Vigilance behavior.
8. Feeding/foraging behavior.
9. Activity budget by age/sex.
10. Day range and reuse of arboreal pathways during travel.
11. Positional/locomotor behavior.
12. Survey of size, composition and distribution of primate groups.
13. Habitat preference for capuchins and howlers.
14. Vertical canopy usage by age/sex.
15. Tree crown usage by age/sex.
16. Avian-primate competition for food resources.
17. Hand preference during locomotor and postural activities.
18. Relationship between forest structure and primate density

Course Schedule

Please endeavor to arrive in San Jose THE DAY BEFORE THE STARTING DATE FOR THE COURSE and stay overnight in a local hotel/guest house. Suggested places to stay are given on the La Suerte web pages and in the La Suerte-Ometepe information packet. I can also send you names and telephone numbers by request. NOTE. The days for the scheduled events during the 23-day winter course are given in parentheses.

DAY 1 (1): We will arrange to meet late morning either at the airport or at a hotel, and will then travel to La Suerte Biological Field Station. A brief stop will be made at Braulio Carillo National Park, to view cloudforest habitat. In the evening you will be given talks on the background to the field station, and on rules, regulations, course content, etc.

DAY 2 (2): Orientation walks and lectures, to familiarize students with field station and forests.

DAY 3-10 (3-7): Additional forest walks and lectures; learning of field techniques; group projects.

DAY 11 (8): Work on independent research proposal, leading to presentation of proposal in evening.

DAY 12-14 (9-10): Trip to Tortuguero, Barro del Colorado, Santa Rosa or a location of equal interest.

DAY 15-22 (11-19): Data collection for the independent research projects; lectures continue.

DAY 23-24 (20-21): Analysis and write-up of project.

DAY 25 (22): Presentation of project, and end-of-course party.

DAY 26 (23): Departure from La Suerte.

NOTE: The mid-course trip during the is optional, but highly recommended, as it provides opportunity for seeing a different tropical environment, and therefore new plants and animals. The cost of this extra tour is usually about 80 US dollars not including meals and souvenirs. A day trip to another location of interest may be possible near the end of the course at a cost of less than 20 US dollars per person.