WASER LAB - MEMBERS

Jennifer Cooper | Maureen McColgin | Jamie Skvarla | Molly Steinwald | Jonathan Winters

Jennifer Cooper

    I received a BS in Zoology and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999. I have undergraduate research experience in primate functional morphology (examining the spinal kinematics of prosimian locomotion with Dr. Liza Shapiro), and great ape behavior (investigating the link between external environmental variables and self-directed behaviors in captive chimpanzees).
    I received a MS in Anthropology from Purdue University in 2001. My thesis research explored the effect of group size and group cohesion and social dynamics in captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla). In January 0f 2002 I accompanied Dr. Melissa Remis of Purdue University to the Central African Republic to assist in a study aimed at measuring the impact of human activities on forest mammal densities. While I was there I had the opportunity to collect some pilot data for my PhD research. I plan to return to central Africa to further this goal.
    My PhD research addresses questions of western lowland gorilla behavioral socioecology. I am interested in how ecological variables such as food distribution and availability influence gorilla social behavior. I am particularly interested in how grouping patterns influence and are in turn influenced by intra-group female-female relationships. For my PhD research, which will be conducted on wild populations in central Africa, I have proposed the hypothesis that female gorillas which are more closely related genetically develop and maintain closer social bonds than females that are not genetically related. I plan to construct individually distinctive genotypes at multiple loci in the nuclear genome of my subjects using microsatellite markers. I will utilize DNA extracted from fecal samples obtained from night nests. Genotyping individuals will help me to determine relatedness among gorillas within social groups.

Maureen McColgin

My research concerns the mating and social systems of coatimundis (Nasua narica) in Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona. Coatis are social carnivores related to raccoons; females travel in large groups (up to 25 individuals in number) with their offspring. At two years of age, males leave their natal band and remain solitary, with the exception of breeding seasons. I am currently focusing on this male śdispersal” and possible reasons for it, most recently I have been using a combination of radio telemetry data and microsatellite DNA analysis to examine whether males leaving bands is a possible mechanism of inbreeding avoidance.

Jamie Skvarla

IĂve addressed two questions about dispersal with our banner-tailed kangaroo rat populations located in Southeastern Arizona. First, I asked how well four general models of dispersal (island, stepping-stone, isolation-by-distance, and habitat-specific) fit data collected from these populations between 1994 and 2001.‹ Second, I asked how dispersal in this species was influenced by biological factors like age, sex, and seasonality.‹ I performed the analyses within MSSRVRD, a computer program that was developed for this project to combine multi-strata and robust design techniques of capture-recapture statistics.‹ I used a modification of AkaikeĂs Information Criterion (QAICc) to examine the fit of the data to alternative models of capture probability, survival, and dispersal.‹ Recent work includes using the reverse-time approach of estimating recruitment of banner-tailed kangaroo rats with capture-recapture models.

Image: estimates of female dispersal rates under the isolation-by-distance model, statistically the best fit to the data among the models tested.‹ Dispersal rates differ between adults and juveniles but are constant across years.

Molly Steinwald

Via spool-and-line tracking, direct observation, and microsatellite analysis, I am investigating the factors that affect the adult social interactions within our banner-tailed kangaroo rat populations. Attributes I am considering as influential in social interactions are relatedness, age, body size, and proximity. I'm also looking for behavioral differences between the sexes in both mate-seeking and foraging patterns as revealed by track left as a "spooled" animal's thread pays out behind it during its nightly movements. A paper assessing the effects of spool-and-line tracking on small mammals is currently in review with the Journal of Mammalogy.

Jonathan Winters

Hello. I am also working with the kangaroo rat populations.   I used genetic data from microsatellite loci developed specifically for bannertails to reveal their mating patterns and to ask how, or if, they avoid mating with close relatives.  My scientific interests include Wildlife Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Molecular Ecology.  Some more specific topics I am interested in are; breeding systems, sexual selection, and dispersal.  I recently completed my master's thesis (December 2001) under Dr. Waser and plan to continue to earn a Ph.D. under Dr. Andrew DeWoody of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.  If you would like to know more about me and my work, visit my web page
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