ethodology to analyse communication via the face. We will combine the Facial Action Coding System (an anatomically-based system designed to break-down facial expressions into their most basic observable units, the contraction of individual facial muscles) with Social Network Analysis (a method to measure relationships between units in a system) to develop a novel framework to study communication via the face: NetFACS. In NetFACS, facial expressions will be conceptualised as a network of facial muscles, interacting to produce communication. This method will take into account the dynamic nature of facial expressions and therefore, better reflect its complexity. Once developed, we will use NetFACS to test the hypothesis that social complexity drives the evolution of facial communication complexity by comparing four closely related macaque species, including rhesus macaques at Cayo Santiago Field Station.
Mechanisms of Paternal Kin Discrimination
Dr. Anja Widdig, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and University of Leipzig
To date, there is limited information on the impact of paternal relatedness upon the evolution of social behavior, and of its underlying mechanisms. Therefore the aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms and cues rhesus macaques use to identify their paternal kin. To do so we combine long-term behavioral, demographic and genetic data to distinguish between the two most likely mechanisms: familiarity and phenotype matching. Furthermore, we investigate potential cues used such as visual, odor, and acoustics via different experimental approaches conducted in the field.
The role of gastrointestinal parasites in rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) behavior and sociality: Implications for wildlife management
Carla Escabi, MA, PhD(c), Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico
This research investigates the relationship of gastrointestinal parasites with social and reproductive behavior in a habituated population of rhesus macaques in Cayo Santiago Island, Caribbean Primate Research Center. Parasite species diversity, prevalence and density will be compared between seasonality (birth vs. mating and rainy vs. dry), demography, and status in the dominance hierarchy. This research will broaden the understanding of the relationship between parasites and wildlife hosts and can be translated into wildlife management and conservation practices in <em>Macaca</em> and other mammal species
Grooming exchange: Cooperation and supply and demand among free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) on Cayo Santiago
Erica Dunayer, Ph.D candidate, University at Buffalo, SUNY
Dr. Carol Berman, University at Buffalo, SUNY
This doctoral dissertation will investigate cooperative exchanges in order to test predictions from several competing evolutionary hypotheses about cooperation. Specifically, the project will examine how well reciprocal grooming exchanges resemble those predicted by several competing theoretical hypotheses (kin selection, reciprocal altruism, biological markets theory, and social bond investment), in one comprehensive and integrated analysis. Additionally, there will be a more detailed investigation of biological markets theory. By focusing on exchanges of grooming for mates or infant handling, this study will also test a key prediction that exchanges conform to supply and demand relationships. The extent to which apparent supply and demand relationships may be artifacts of, or mediated by, stress responses will be examined behaviorally and physiologically.