Understanding the drivers of individual and group-level movements in gregarious species

The intricate movements of animal groups across landscapes and of individuals within groups are not well understood. This project aims to understand the important factors underlying group-level and individual-level movements using two species of group-living nonhuman primates at Lake Nabugabo, Uganda. Angolan black-and-white colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) form the only multi-level society seen in African colobines with small, cohesive core units fusing into higher orders of social organization at the clan, band, and troop level. Angolan colobus are used to understand group-level movements and this project will determine what factors influence fission and fusion events, the ways that core units synchronize their movements, and the trade-offs for different individuals. Vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) form smaller, cohesive, matrilineal groups and provide the perfect system to examine individual-level movements.

This project is examining why individuals choose to join group progressions and how they decide which resources to visit based on specific food attributes and the presence or absence of competitors and allies. This project will aid in clarifying how gregarious animals balance the costs and benefits of living with others and the underlying drivers of animal movement patterns at multiple scales.