Many gelada infants experience an extremely stressful life event early in their lives: new group males attempt to kill (and often succeed) dependent offspring when they become the dominant male in the unit. To prevent the complete reproductive loss, mothers will prematurely wean their offspring, which may prevent their death. However, this life-saving strategy is likely accompanied by severe consequences for offspring growth, survival, and reproduction. The SMGRP is characterizing normative infant growth, feeding, and development, and how this early-life adversity alters their developmental trajectory. Here, we use a combination of cutting edge non-invasive approaches including photogrammetry (to measure growth); microbiome sequencing (to measure gut development and immunity); stable isotope analysis (to measure transition from weaning to solid food); and urinary and fecal hormone measure (to quantify metabolic and immune outcomes).
Our Relevant Publications
- Social drivers of maturation age in female geladas
- Distribution and diversity of primates and threats to their survival in the Awi Zone, northwestern Ethiopia
- Developmental responses to early-life adversity: Evolutionary and mechanistic perspectives
- Juvenile social relationships reflect adult patterns of behavior in wild geladas
- Testosterone related to age and life-history stages in male baboons and geladas
- Growth trajectories in wild geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
- Effects of climate variability on the demography of wild geladas
- Leopard predation on gelada monkeys at Guassa, Ethiopia
- Human-geladas conflict and assessing local human attitudes for community-based conservation in Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia
- Human–Gelada Conflict and Attitude of the Local Community toward the Conservation of the Southern Gelada (Theropithecus gelada obscurus) around Borena Saynit National Park, Ethiopia
- Potential changes in the extent of suitable habitats for geladas (Theropithecus gelada) in the Anthropocene