PRIMATE BEHAVIOR AND BIOLOGY

Summer 2000: May 25 - June 19, 2000

This is designed to be a field course which explores the interfaces between primate behavior and biology. The field site will serve as a living laboratory where students experience New World monkeys, their biology and behavior, in their native habitats. The course is comprised of daily lectures and daily field exercises on aspects of primate ecology, biology, behavior, and the rainforest environment. Howler monkeys and possibly capuchins will be observed on a daily basis in forest environments surrounding the field station. All students will develop research proposals which will be done on site during the latter half of the course.

Lecture topics in the course will include:

1. Introduction to primate behavior and biology.

2. What is a primate? A discussion of primate evolution and classification. What characteristics or traits fort out primates into groups? What distinguishes New World primates?

3. What do primates look like-inside and out? An overview of primate morphology including the skeleton, teeth, body size, adaptations of other morphological systems.

4. Life history of primates: How long does it take a primate to grow up? How does appearance and behavior change with age?

5. Primate adaptions in the forest: What are the resources and how do primates respond?

6. A close look at the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta) and capuchin (Cebus): life history and behavior including ecology, resource exploitation, locomotor and positional adaptions, social behavior, reproduction, etc.

7. Neotropical forest conservation: What is the future for primates in the rainforest: What can be done to promote their survival?

Readings:

1. Richard, Allison, Primates in Nature. W.H. Freeman and Co., Salt Lake City, Utah 84104 (ISBN No. 071671647X)

Recommended

1. Milton, Katherine, Foraging Strategies in Howler Monkeys. Columbia University Press (ISBN 0231048505)

2. Paterson, J.D., Primate Behavior: An Exercise Workbook, Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, Illinois 60070 (ISBN No. 0-88133-618-1)

These texts can be ordered from your local college bookstore. Please be advised that it may take 3-4 weeks for the books to be received. Do not wait until the last minute to order. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the material in these books before you leave for Nicaragua. It will help in preparing for the lecture and exams.

As mentioned, Ometepe maintains a small library of journal articles and texts. Each student IS REQUIRED to bring to Ometepe two scientific articles on some aspect of primate behavior, ecology, conservation, or rainforest ecosystems. We ask that you donate these to our field library.

Photo thanks to Toran Hansen

I developed this course as a result of my own interests in primate biology, ecology and conservation. I have begun a project at the field site on howler monkey demographics in which I am presently assessing the genetics and health status of the howling monkeys. My collaborators and I did a capture and release project involving the howling monkeys at Ometepe in July of 1998. We tagged, did physical examinations, and took samples from most of the adults in one troop near the field station. I am analyzing these samples for DNA in the hope of establishing paternity within the howler troops, assessing homozygosity, and allow the Estacion Biologica Ometepe to monitor population size and the movement of young animals (all groups are breeding and producing young) in the environments surrounding the field sites.

Additional skills taught in the field course include:

1. Basic instruction in forest safety
2. Mapping skills and map fomation
3. Research design and hypothesis testing
4. Preparation of data sheets for data collection
5. Behavioral observations and data collection
6. Primate ethograms
7. Animal censusing
8. Vegetation analysis
9. Methods of data analysis

Independentf Research Projects: Each student will work with the faculty in designing and completing independent research project. Students will present their ideas for projects to the entire class during the second week of the course and shortly thereafter begin their independent research. In the final week of the course, each student will present their final report orally to the class. Possible topics include:

1. Mother-infant interactions.
2. Relationship between the distribution of feeding sites and inter-group distribution.
3. Day range and reuse of aboreal pathways during travel.
4. Diet and the role of primates as seed dispersers and seed predators.
5. Patterns of positional behavior in arboreal primates.
6. Survey of avian and non-primate mammals that may compete with primates for food.
7. A survey of the size and composition of primate groups at Ometepe.
8. Parasite analysis within local primate species.
9. Establishing and comparing age composition in the primate groups.
10. Group hierarchy/social relationships.

General Course Schedule

(Length and activities may vary.)

Day 1: (or day before) Arrive in Managua, Nicaragua. Go by bus to Granada for the night. Get settled and acquainted-extensive orientation-brief tour of facilities. If you come in the day before you will need to stay overnight in Managua or in Granada. We will make arrangements for rooms where the instructors are staying. You will need to budget about $25 for a room.

Day 2: Off to Ometepe and the field site. Tour of facilities, orientation, and break up into small groups to learn trail system, use of compass, and begin plant and animal observations in the forest. Daily lectures begin.

Day 3-2: Faculty will divide students into groups of 4-6. Each group will spend two days learning about and working on:

1. mapping and marking the trail system
2. vegetation analysis and sampling
3. observation of social behavior, ranging pattersn, and diet of non-human primates,
4. methods of sampling fruit, insect, and leaf availability in the forest. A day trip may be scheduled during this time.

Day 13: Completion of Research Proposal for Independent Research Project

Day 13: Examination

Day 13-22: Collect and analyze data for independent field project.

Day 22: Meet with Faculty and write-up Independent research projects.

Day 23: Oral presentation of independetn field projects.

Day 24-25: Farewell fiesta, leave for Granada, stop and see some of Nicaragua along the way. You will spend two nights in Granada.

Students from the last two summer's Primate Behavior and Biology classes have put together a website of pictures from their experiences. You can visit this website at:

http://ucsu.Colorado.EDU/~salzbery/

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Lair/9505/

Faculty: Dr. Linda Winkler - University of Pittsburgh

Grading: The course is divided into two components:

1. Field techniques for studying primates and
2. Knowledge of primate behavior, research design and data analysis

1. Field techniques: This part of the course involves daily field exercises and rotations taught by faculty or staff on data collecting techniques, methods and procedures used under actual field conditions. Participation is mandatory. Instruction and experience in the following field techniques is included:
   1. methods of collecting behavior on non-human primates (free-ranging in their natural habitat)
   2. establishing demographic profiles of monkey groups
   3. methods of vegetation sampling and establishing plant diversity
   4. methods of habitat description
   5. mapping a field site
   
   

   Grading for the field techniques will be based on:
   Participation and completion of field exercises: 25%
   Mastery of techniques during field technique rotations: 15%
   Score on exam given on field techniques: 25%
   Cooperation and ability to work with others: 10%
   Mid-term exam: 25%

2. Lecture component, research design, and data analysis: This component will be based on your participation in the lecture portion of the course, developing and writing a research proposal, collecting data for this research proposal on site, analyzing the results of the research proposal for a final report and an oral presentation to the class.

   Grading for the lecture-research component will be based on:
   Research article presentation: 10%
   Writing the research proposal: 25%
   Collecting data (doing the research): 25%
   Project: 20%
   Report: 20%

Assignments

Lecture/Research Design (throughout the course)
There will be lectures or presentations scheduled every day from 4-5:30 PM, except the day of the midterm (June 7). We will also meet after supper every day to discuss our daily adventures, research projects, etc.

Lecture topics and readings include:

May 25-26	Introduction to primates (Primates in Nature pp. 1-39)
May 27-28	What is a primate? (Primates in Nature pp. 40-123)
May 29-30	What do primates look like (inside and out)? (Primates in Nature pp. 206-230)
May 31	Primate diets (Primates in Nature pp. 125-205)
June 1	Life history and demography (Primates in Nature pp. 233-288)
June 2-3	Primate social organization (Primates in Nature pp. 290-341)
June 4	Primate adaptations (Primates in Nature pp 342-379)
June 5	Proposals due for research project. Review
June 6	Exam, Begin projects
June 7	Primates and plants (Primates in Nature pp. 427-463)
June 8	A look at local monkey species
June 9	Parasites
June 10	(Call your airline to reconfirm seat.)
June 10-14	Presentations from faculty (DNA analysis, etc.) Student will be doing independent research projects.
June 15	Each student must hand in their completed research report by 6:00 PM. See below for description of what must be included.
June 16	Oral presentations of research reports beginning at 8:00 am (see below). Pack and prepare to leave (very sad )
June 17-18	Good-bye wonderful jungle and monkeys. Good-bye Ometepe. Off to see more of Nicaragua before heading home..

Research projects and reports
The thought of doing a research project can seem very overwhelming. However, we will help you develop your ideas and the project while you are in the course. Some of you already have ideas about what you want to do, and all of you will think of many more once you are there.

Your research proposal (Due June 5 - we will have a party after they are all in) should include:

OBJECTIVES AND SIGNIFICANCE (What do you want to accomplish and what is its significance?)
BACKGROUND (What types of research have other people done?)
RESEARCH QUESTIONS (HYPOTHESES) (What specific questions or hypotheses are you going to test?)
METHODS (Identify the specific data collection techniques, which you are going to use.)

SUMMARY

In addition, you should include descriptions and detailed definitions of the behavioral, biological variables, which you will be studying in your proposal. This can be put in an appendix, figure, or table.

Research projects have to be approved by me before you begin your project.

The research reports (Due June 15) should include:

ABSTRACT (Summary)
INTRODUCTION (brief background and indicating research question)
METHODS (be concise and give detail)
RESULTS (present your data)
DISCUSSION (talk about your results in comparison to other research and issues)
CONCLUSIONS (list at least four conclusions)
REFERENCES, TABLES, FIGURES
We have a small library at Ometepe and you are welcome to use the reprints and books there for your projects and reports.

Oral Presentations
We will begin oral presentations at 8:00 am. Each student will have 15 minutes for presentation of their research results and 5 minutes for discussion. You can use note cards or an outline to help you.

Field trips
The class will do at least one day trip on Ometepe during the course. The previous classes have chosen to hike to the crater lake at the top of the Volcano Maderas. In addition, we will spend the last two days in the area around Granada, seeing some of southern Nicaragua. Granada is a beautiful Spanish colonial city founded by the conquistadors in 1524. It is a short ride from there to Masaya where we can see (and buy) hammocks being made and visit the large craft market.

For information on the Primate Behavior and Biology, please contact: