Geographical Areas of Specialization:
- Uganda; Costa Rica; Panama
Research Interests:
- primate ecology and evolution; environmental endocrinology; conservation biology and sustainability; evolutionary medicine and EcoHealth; nutritional anthropology
My research interests include primate ecology and evolution, environmental endocrinology, nutritional anthropology, evolutionary medicine, and conservation and sustainability. I am currently examining ecological and evolutionary relationships between wild primates and their estrogenic plant foods, with relevance to understanding the roles of endocrine disruptors in primate conservation, human evolution, and modern human health and diet.
Specifically, our lab examines the prevalence of steroidal chemicals in the wild plant foods of primates and how these chemicals, along with a number of other ecological and anthropogenic factors, influence endocrine systems, behaviors, and populations of various primate species.
Skills and Expertise:
- Conservation Biology
- Wildlife Conservation
- Ecology
- Ecology and Evolution
- Conservation
- Climate Change
- Biodiversity
- Behavioral Ecology
- Wildlife Ecology
- Evolution
Their current project is 'Assessing the effects of human activity related to sustainability and biodiversity conservation on tropical forests and primates '.
My research interests include primate ecology and evolution, environmental endocrinology, nutritional anthropology, evolutionary medicine, and conservation and sustainability. I am currently examining ecological and evolutionary relationships between wild primates and exogenous chemicals that interact with the endocrine system, including naturally-occurring phytosteroids and anthropogenic pesticides, with relevance to understanding the roles of endocrine disruptors in primate conservation, human evolution, and modern human morbidity, mortality, and reproduction.
Our Primate Environmental Endocrinology Lab (PEEL) explores how ecological interactions and global environmental change driven by human activity affect primates via the endocrine and immune systems, as well as the gut microbiome. We study primates, including humans, around the world, including our own research in Uganda, Costa Rica, and Panama, as well as collaborations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Specifically, our lab examines the prevalence of hormone-active chemicals, both naturally-occurring phytosteroids and anthropogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds, in the foods and environments of primates and how these chemicals influence physiology and behavior leading to differences in morbidity, mortality, and reproduction. We also examine the effects of light pollution, ecotourism, research, forest fragmentation, and other ecological and anthropogenic factors on primates as measured by biomarkers of endocrine and immune functioning, the gut microbiome, and behavior.
Research questions with relevance to the dietary ecology of primates and evolution of modern human biology currently addressed in PEEL include: How prevalent are endocrine-active chemicals in the diets of various primate species? Are there differences in exposure based upon dietary niche (e.g., frugivores vs. folivores) or phylogeny (e.g., monkeys vs. apes)? What environmental factors influence the phytosteroid content of wild plants and how does this affect primate feeding behavior? Does the ingestion of phytosteroids alter rates of aggressive, anxiety-related, or mating behaviors? We are currently addressing these questions using a comparative framework in which we examine the relative exposure and susceptibility to endocrine-active chemicals across various primate species in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
Research: Primate ecology and evolution; Environmental endocrinology; Conservation biology and sustainability; Evolutionary medicine and EcoHealth; Nutritional anthropology
Research Area:
- Human Environment Interaction and Sustainability
- Environment and Human Health
- Environmental Science
Research Interests:
- primate ecology and evolution; environmental endocrinology; nutritional anthropology; evolutionary medicine; conservation and sustainability
Research + Teaching Interests
- primate ecology and evolution; environmental endocrinology, conservation biology and sustainability; evolutionary medicine and EcoHealth; nutritional anthropology
Regional Expertise
