Research

My multidisciplinary research uses an evolutionary perspective to focus on social behavior and conservation of nonhuman primates. To achieve both, I incorporate field and laboratory components that intersect in important ways. The field component involves the collection of behavioral, ecological, and demographic data on a population of mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) at La Pacifica, Costa Rica. La Pacifica is a 1330 ha privately owned cattle ranch located in the Guanacaste province of northwestern Costa Rica. I integrate molecular primatology into my behavioral ecology research to investigate the extent to which genetic relatedness impacts individual fitness and social structure, as well as to examine the genetic population structure within fragmented primate populations like La Pacifica. Ultimately, I hope to gain a better understanding of those factors constraining social flexibility in primates, and to use those data to inform future conservation management plans. Additional collaborative projects with colleagues in other departments and institutions that I am currently involved include: 1) investigating the relationship between gut microbes and parasites in this and other howler populations; 2) field health assessments of this species to determine drivers of population decline; and 3) in situ conservation efforts aimed at community education and the implementation of programs to expand dispersal corridors for the La Pacifica howler population.

Lisa waving at camera and mosquitoes while conducting field work at La Pacifica, Costa Rica

Using telemetry to locate study groups at La Pacifica, Costa Rica