This project uses a novel technique to investigate the effect of interspecific feeding competition on primate population growth; the lessons learned from this study will improve primate population assessments worldwide. Specific objectives include:
- Determining whether interspecific feeding competition is the primary constraint on the growth of the blue monkey population at the Ngogo research station in Kibale National Park, Uganda;
- Field-testing the use of urinary C-peptide, an indicator of energetic status, as a means of determining whether a population is food-limited throughout the year, only during critical reproductive periods, or not at all; and,
- Providing a field-based training opportunity for an undergraduate student belonging to an under-represented minority within STEM fields, in order to strengthen her prospects for admission to a top graduate program in behavioral ecology and conservation. ($8,100)