About This Project

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

In the mountains of Ethiopia, the world's only grass-eating primate lives. The gelada is a monkey unlike most of its relatives. Geladas are cousins of common baboons, but are unique in their social structure and ecology. Whereas most primates species live in small groups (10-50 individuals) within tropical forests, geladas graze in herds of over 1000 individuals on the grassy plateaus of the Ethiopian highlands. They are quite literally the cows of the monkey world.

Within these large herds of monkeys, smaller permanent subgroups of related females (core groups) live and forage together. These groups may split off and rejoin one another creating new herds that may last for a few hours or several days. Because geladas live in such large and complex societies, it is not known how they make decisions about where to go and who to follow when forming herds. Moreover, we do not know why some herds persist for days while others split up rapidly.

My research aims to understand the social and ecological factors that bind gelada herds together. I will use newly-developed computational methods to answer the following questions:

1. Which individuals are most influential in leading herd movement?
2. To what degree do social relationships mediate movement decisions within a gelada herd?
3. How do ecological factors, like food availability, interact with social factors to produce group-level behavior?

What is the significance of this project?

This project will be one of the first studies to employ dynamic network algorithms to understand primate social organization and behavior. Through using dynamic networks, my research will transform how biologists understand the adaptive value of association in changing environments. Potential findings will be of great interest to computer scientists and behavioral ecologists interested in the evolution of cooperation, coordination, and complex systems.

My research will help conserve the Afroalpine habitat of the Simiens Mountains National Park (SMNP), Ethiopia. The park is a World Heritage Site “In Danger” (1996). While in Ethiopia, I will give public talks on conserving Ethiopian biodiversity at a local ecotourism lodge and train Ethiopian nationals as field assistants. Upon returning to the U.S., I anticipate giving talks to high school biology students.

What are the goals of the project?

To complete this research, I will use a combination of GPS technology, on-the-ground behavioral and ecological data, and satellite imagery. In Ethiopia, I am associated with the University of Michigan Gelada Research Project (UMGRP). Scientists of the UMGRP have been studying a population of wild geladas living in the Simien Mountains for nearly 7 years. Previously, I lived in this remote location for 2 years during my dissertation research. My project has three primary goals.

1. Collect behavioral and movement data of gelada groups using handheld GPS units. The gelada study subjects are fully-habituated to observers on foot.

2. Analyze data using dynamic network algorithms and build models of modular social organization.

3. Educate public on gelada behavioral ecology and conservation through public talks and outreach within the Simien Mountains National Park.