Predation represents a significant selective pressure in most naturally living species. In primates, in particular, we now know that predation has played an important role in social group structure as well as in the patterns of diurnal and nocturnal activity. Most of our understanding of predation pressure in primates, however, comes from either uncontrolled natural observations of predation events or from controlled playbacks of predator alarm calls. Researchers have rarely attempted to present predators to primate subjects, and most of these involve stuffed models or silhouettes. While a few studies involve presentation or tracking of real predators, none of these involved the use of aerial predators. Since aerial predation represents a significant selective pressure on both ground and tree-dwelling primates, it is important to investigate how primates respond to such predation. The goals of this project are to understand the acquisition, refinement, and transmission of alarm responses to aerial predators by presenting a well-studied population of free-ranging rhesus monkeys with trained raptors that pose, as a function of size and distance, different degrees of threat.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
1F32DC006610-01
Application #
6693173
Study Section
Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes 3 (BBBP)
Program Officer
Sklare, Dan
Project Start
2003-06-01
Project End
2006-05-31
Budget Start
2003-06-01
Budget End
2004-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$48,148
Indirect Cost
Name
Harvard University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
082359691
City
Cambridge
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02138