The Animal Behavior Podcast

In this episode, Matthew speaks with Tamra Mendelson (@tamram), Professor of Biological Sciences at UMBC.

They talk about Tamra's work studying sexual signal evolution. They discuss the processing bias hypothesis, with a focus on the importance of the ease of processing a signal on the receivers preference for signals. They talk about evidence that efficient processing has shaped human preferences for art and faces, and consider the implications of the same phenomenon in animal signal evolution.

After the break, they talk about ICARE, an NSF-funded Masters program at UMBC that she leads that promotes social and environmental justice by training  a diverse workforce of environmental scientists to solve environmental problems.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Zeke Rowe (@Zeke_Rowe_), a PhD student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam . Read Zeke's paper about camouflage and complexity in moths here.

Media relevant to today's show:

1.  Tamra's synthesis paper laying out the processing bias hypothesis:

Renoult, J. P., & Mendelson, T. C. (2019). Processing bias: extending sensory drive to include efficacy and efficiency in information processing. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 286(1900), 20190165.

2.  Evidence that processing bias has shaped darter signal evolution

Hulse, S. V., Renoult, J. P., & Mendelson, T. C. (2020). Sexual signaling pattern correlates with habitat pattern in visually ornamented fishes. Nature communications, 11(1), 1-8.

3.  Evidence that sparseness shapes human preferences for faces

Holzleitner, I. J., Lee, A. J., Hahn, A. C., Kandrik, M., Bovet, J., Renoult, J. P., ... & Jones, B. C. (2019). Comparing theory-driven and data-driven attractiveness models using images of real women’s faces. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 45(12), 1589.

Credits:
The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by a team of animal behavior researchers and audio professionals. Come meet us here! We receive production support from the Cornell Broadcast studio, directed by Bert Odom-Reed and financial support from the Animal Behavior Society.

In this episode, Matthew speaks with Jenn Smith (@JennSmithSocBeh), associate professor of biology at Mills College.

They talk about Jenn's work directing a long-term study of the social behavior of California ground squirrels, including the opportunities and risks presented by remote data collection technologies. They also discuss Jenn's work connecting animal behavior and sociological questions, such as the female leadership paradox and the inheritance of wealth and privilege.

After the break, they talk about Jenn's experience as a professor at a small liberal arts college, what the students and mentorship environment is like, and what steps students and postdocs who are seeking such a job should take.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Dr. Gabriela Pinho (@Gabriela_MPinho), a researcher at the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas and recent PhD from UCLA . Read Gabriela's open-access paper about aging in marmots here.

Media relevant to today's show:

1.  Jenn's paper about the social networks of ground squirrels above and below ground:

Smith, J. E., Gamboa, D. A., Spencer, J. M., Travenick, S. J., Ortiz, C. A., Hunter, R. D., & Sih, A. (2018). Split between two worlds: automated sensing reveals links between above-and belowground social networks in a free-living mammal. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373 (1753), 20170249.

2.  Female leadership in social mammals:

Smith, J. E., Fichtel, C., Holmes, R. K., Kappeler, P. M., van Vugt, M., & Jaeggi, A. V. (2022). Sex bias in intergroup conflict and collective movements among social mammals: male warriors and female guides. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 377(1851), 20210142.

3.  Jenn's new work on the evolution of privilege:
Smith, J. E., Natterson-Horowitz, B., & Alfaro, M. E. (2022). The nature of privilege: intergenerational wealth in animal societies. Behavioral Ecology, 33(1), 1-6.

And hear the segment talking about this paper on Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by a team of animal behavior researchers and audio professionals. Come meet us here! We receive production support from the Cornell Broadcast studio, directed by Bert Odom-Reed and financial support from the Animal Behavior Society.

Episode Summary:
 
In this episode, Amy speaks with Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy (@AvispaTica), a Research Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Biology at the University of Rochester.

They discuss the selection pressures that favor the evolution of sociality, how brain architecture varies among individuals with different social roles, and brood parasitism in a social insect. Then, after the break they talk about tropical fieldwork, mentoring, and diversity in STEM. They close by discussing the exciting future of animal behavior research.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Bishwarup Paul (@digantabiz), a Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Kolkata. To learn more about his work on opportunistic brood theft in ants, check out his recent paper in Scientific Reports, Opportunistic brood theft in the context of colony relocation in an Indian queenless ant.

The Bonus Material at the end of this episode comes from Elana Geary, an undergraduate in Biology at Towson University. 

Select papers relevant to today's show:

1. Context-dependent acceptance of non-nestmates in a primitively eusocial insect
2. Dynamic neurogenomic responses to social interactions and dominance outcomes in female paper wasps 
3. Differential investment in visual and olfactory brain regions is linked to the sensory needs of a wasp social parasite and its host

Credits:

 The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). If you like what you heard, please subscribe wherever you’re listening now, leave us a rating or review, and share us with your friends and colleagues.

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod). Our Communications Director is Casey Patmore (@paseycatmore).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a Researcher at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a Master’s Student in Ecology and Evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety).

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Matthew speaks with Mike Ryan, the Clark Hubbs Regents Professor in Zoology in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas as well as a senior research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Balboa, Panama.

They focus their conversation around Mike's book, A Taste for the Beautiful. They discuss the túngara frog system in detail, as well as the sensory exploitation hypothesis. After the break they talk about some compelling examples of sexual beauty that span modalities in non-human animals, and close by discussing human and non-human perception of non-sexual beauty.

For more content from this interview with Mike, check out the Supplemental Material bonus episode in your feed.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Dr. Emily Bray (@DrEmilyBray), a postdoc at the University of Arizona Canine Cognition Center and Canine Companions. Read the paper that Emily references in the episode here.

Media relevant to today's show:

1.  Read more about the ways in which bats and female frogs respond to variation in male túngara frogs

Akre, K. L., Farris, H. E., Lea, A. M., Page, R. A., & Ryan, M. J. (2011). Signal perception in frogs and bats and the evolution of mating signals. Science, 333(6043), 751-752.

2.  For a deep-dive on the sensory exploitation hypothesis, read Mike's book chapter on the topic

Ryan, M. J. (1990). Sexual selection, sensory systems and sensory exploitation. Oxford surveys in evolutionary biology, 7, 157-195.

3.  Check out the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama 

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss).

Casey Patmore (@PaseyCatmore) is the communications director.

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), assistant professor in evolutionary anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a researcher at the primate research institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a master’s student in ecology and evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety)

Bonus content to accompany Episode 9.

We recommend listening to the full episode with Mike first before listening to this bonus content.

Let us know what you think about this new bonus format at [email protected]

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Amy speaks with Jeff Podos, a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and a previous President of the Animal Behavior Society.

They start out discussing how a diet of fruit can explain elaborate sexual ornamentation in animals. Then, we learn about Jeff's work on Darwin's finches in the Galápagos Islands. They also talk about what drives bellbirds to sing such piercingly loud songs.

After the break, Amy and Jeff talk about his new approach to teaching Animal Behavior (sparked by the pandemic), and his recent sabbatical in Brazil. They close by discussing the future of the field of animal behavior.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Ellen Pasternack (@EllenPasternack), a final year PhD student at The University of Oxford. She studies the mechanisms of sexual selection through behavioral observation of domestic chickens and their ancestor species, the red junglefowl. She's particularly interested in the role of female resistance to mating attempts. 

Select papers relevant to today's show:

1. Costs, constraints, and sexual trait elaboration
2. Extremely loud mating songs at close range in white bellbirds
3. Correlated evolution of morphology and vocal signal structure in Darwin's finches

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). If you like what you heard, please subscribe wherever you’re listening now, leave us a rating or review, and share us with your friends and colleagues.

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod). Our Communications Director is Casey Patmore (@paseycatmore).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a Researcher at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a Master’s Student in Ecology and Evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety).

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Matthew speaks with Dai Shizuka (@ShizukaLab), an associate professor in the school of biological sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

They start out by talking about social networks in humans and non-human animals. They discuss applying these techniques to non-model organisms, like the golden-crowned sparrows that Dai has studied. Then they talk about the relationship between space use and sociality, and the feedback between the two.  After the break, they talk about how Dai was drawn to animal behavior while growing up in urban environments, and his work to promote justice for those in his academic and non-academic communities.

For more content from this interview with Dai, check out the Supplemental Material bonus episode in your feed.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Brett Hodinka (@BrettHodinka), a graduate student at Simon Fraser University. Read more about Brett's work here.

Media relevant to today's show:

1.  Dai's paper establishing the existence of stable social networks in golden-crowned sparrows

Shizuka, D., Chaine, A. S., Anderson, J., Johnson, O., Laursen, I. M., & Lyon, B. E. (2014). Across‐year social stability shapes network structure in wintering migrant sparrows. Ecology Letters, 17(8), 998-1007.

2.  Dai's work demonstrating that manipulation of badges of status does not fool sparrows that know each other

Chaine, A. S., Shizuka, D., Block, T. A., Zhang, L., & Lyon, B. E. (2018). Manipulating badges of status only fools strangers. Ecology letters, 21(10), 1477-1485.

3.  Check out the Asian Community and Cultural Center in Lincoln, NE

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss).

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), assistant professor in evolutionary anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a researcher at the primate research institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a master’s student in ecology and evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety)

Bonus content to accompany Episode 7.

We recommend listening to the full episode with Dai first before listening to this bonus content.

Let us know what you think about this new bonus format at [email protected]

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Amy speaks with Eileen Hebets (@hebets_lab), a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and the current President of the Animal Behavior Society.

They start out discussing sensory systems and the evolution of multimodal communication in arachnids. Then, we learn about sexual cannibalism and the evolution of this terminal investment strategy by males in many spider species. They also talk about Eileen's research into cognition and learning in arachnids.

After the break, Amy and Eileen talk about the importance of basic research for innovation and discovery, as well as Eileen's experience learning to quantify and evaluate her science communication efforts.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Emily Ray (@emilyjray21), a doctoral student at Louisiana State University studying filial cannibalism control in a maternal mouthbrooding cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. Currently, she is investigating the sensory signals that drive parent-offspring recognition and aims to identify its neural correlates.

Select links relevant to today's show:

1. Barron, AB*, E.A. Hebets*, T.A. Cleland, C.L. Fitzpatrick, M.E. Hauber, & J.Stevens. 2015. FORUM: Embracing multiple definitions of learning. Trends in Neuroscience 38:405-407. (*shared first author)

2. Hebets, E. A. 2003.  Subadult experience influences adult mate choice in an arthropod: Exposed female wolf spiders prefer males of a familiar phenotype. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 100: 13390-13395. 

3. Learn about one of Eileen's ongoing outreach projects: Eight Legged Encounters

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). If you like what you heard, please subscribe wherever you’re listening now, leave us a rating or review, and share us with your friends and colleagues.

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a Researcher at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a Master’s Student in Ecology and Evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety).

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Matthew speaks with Marcela Benítez (@mebenitez85), an assistant professor in the department of Anthropology at Emory University and co-director of the Capuchinos de Taboga research project.

They start out by talking about social comparisons in humans and non-human primates. They discuss mutual assessment and Marcela's work exploring mutual assessment in geladas. Then they talk about non-human primate perceptions of inequity, its implications for cooperation, and the role of outgroups in promoting in-group cooperation. After the break, they discuss the overlap between psychology, anthropology, and evolutionary anthropology as well as the work of Marcela and her colleagues to make primate fieldwork for accessible for undergraduates.

For more content from this interview with Marcela, check out the Supplemental Material bonus episode in your feed.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Sateesh Vankatesh (@SVenkatesh__), a graduate student in the labs of Dr. Joshua Plotnik (@cccanimals) and Dr. Shifra Goldenberg (@ShifGold), working with the Smithsonian (@NationalZoo). Read more about the Comparative Cognition for Conservation lab here.

Papers relevant to today's show:

1. The discussed review of social comparisons and their evolutionary origins

Benítez, M. E., & Brosnan, S. F. (2019). The Evolutionary Roots of Social Comparisons. Social Comparison, Judgment, and Behavior, 462.

2.  Marcela's paper demonstrating mutual assessment of fighting ability in geladas

Benítez, M. E., Pappano, D. J., Beehner, J. C., & Bergman, T. J. (2017). Evidence for mutual assessment in a wild primate. Scientific reports, 7(1), 1-11.

3. Sarah Brosnan's TED talk, including video of a capuchin rejecting a cucumber in the face of inequity (~2:40 into the talk)

Video here 

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss).

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), assistant professor in evolutionary anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a researcher at the primate research institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a master’s student in ecology and evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety)

Bonus content to accompany Episode 5.

We recommend listening to the full episode with Marcela first before listening to this bonus content.

Let us know what you think about this new bonus format at [email protected]

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Amy speaks with Ted Stankowich (@CSULBMammalLab), an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Biological Sciences at California State University Long Beach.

They start out discussing the ecological conditions that favor extreme morphological traits such as armor and weaponry. Then, they talk about Ted’s research into mammal coloration, including the relationship between skunk stripes and their infamous spraying abilities. We also learn about Ted’s involvement in the Urban Wildlife Information Network (@uwi_network), a collaborative alliance of urban wildlife scientists.

After the break, they discuss using museum collections for teaching, why scientists can benefit from  social media, and Ted’s experience with the tenure process at an R2 institution.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Ummat Somjee (@ummat_s), a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Read Ummat’s paper about the role of metabolic maintenance costs in the positive allometry of sexually selected traits here (video abstract here).

Select Papers:

1. Stankowich, T. & Campbell, L.A. 2016. Living in the danger zone: Exposure to predators and the evolution of spines and body armor in mammals. Evolution 70 (7): 1501-1511.

2. Caro, T., Izzo, A., Reiner, R.C., Walker, H., & Stankowich, T. 2014. The function of zebra stripes. Nature Communications 5: 3535.

3. Fisher, K.A. & Stankowich, T. 2018. Antipredator strategies of striped skunks in response to cues of aerial and terrestrial predators. Animal Behaviour 143: 25-34.

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). If you like what you heard, please subscribe wherever you’re listening now, leave us a rating or review, and share us with your friends and colleagues.

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a Researcher at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a Master’s Student in Ecology and Evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety).

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Matthew speaks with Eleanor Caves (@EleanorCaves), a Marie Curie fellow and soon-to-be assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara.

They start out by talking about the concept of the umwelt and the importance of sensory ecology in understanding animal behavior.  Then they talk about Eleanor's work exploring the signaling and sensory worlds of cleaner shrimp and their clients. After the break, they discuss work-life balance, imposter syndrome, and overcoming challenges in academia.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Chase Anselmo (@ChasingTheBrain), a graduate student in the Maruska lab at Louisiana State University. Read about the paper that serves as the foundation for Chase's work studying the impacts of hormones on cichlid color perception here.

Papers/media relevant to today's show:

1. For an explanation of the history of the umwelt and human biases in sensory ecology:

EM Caves, S Nowicki, and S Johnsen. 2019. Von Uexküll revisited: Addressing human biases in the study of animal perception. Integrative and Comparative Biology.

2.  Regarding the importance of visual acuity in explaining animal behavior

EM Caves, NC Brandley, and S Johnsen. 2018. Visual acuity and the evolution of signals. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 33: 358-372.

3. Videos from Eleanor's fieldwork showing cleaner shrimp and client behavior:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFl8UKWy-no 

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss).

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), assistant professor in evolutionary anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a researcher at the primate research institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a master’s student in ecology and evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety).

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Amy speaks with Esteban Fernandez-Juricic (@EstebanFerJur), a Professor of Biological Sciences at Purdue University and the current President of the Animal Behavior Society.

They start out discussing how sensory physiology can help answer questions about animal behavior, and why there is so much variation in visual systems across taxa. Then they talk about how Esteban's basic research into vision and behavior has enabled fruitful collaborations with conservation practitioners working on wildlife management applications.

After the break, they talk about research reproducibility in animal behavior, as well as Esteban's leadership as Animal Behavior Society President.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Magdalena Wlodarz, a graduate student in Ecology, Evolution, and Nature Conservation. Magdalena is part of the Animal Ecology Working Group at the University of Potsdam in Germany.

Select papers relevant to today's show:

1. Esteban and collaborators characterize multiple traits of the visual system of the Red-winged Blackbird:

Fernandez-Juricic, E. Baumhardt, P.E., Tyrrell, L.P., Elmore, A., DeLiberto, S.T., and Werner, S.J. 2019. Vision in an abundant North American bird: The Red-winged Blackbird. Ornithology (The Auk) 136: ukz039.

2. Esteban and collaborators assess bird responses to different light stimuli using perceptual modeling and behavioral preference tests:

Goller, B., Blackwell, B.F., DeVault, T.L., Baumhardt, P.E., and Fernandez-Juricic, E. 2018. Assessing bird avoidance of high-contrast lights using a choice test approach: implications for reducing human-induced avian mortality. PeerJ 6: e5404.

3. Editorial by Esteban addressing why sharing data and code during peer review would help with research reproducibility:

Fernandez-Juricic, E. 2021. Why sharing data and code during peer review can enhance behavioral ecology research. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 75: 103.

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). If you like what you heard, please subscribe wherever you’re listening now, leave us a rating or review, and share us with your friends and colleagues.

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a Researcher at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a Master’s Student in Ecology and Evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety).

 Episode Summary:

In this episode, Matthew speaks with Susan Alberts (@susan_alberts), who co-directs the Amboseli Baboon Research Project (@AmboseliBaboons), a long-term longitudinal study of wild baboons.

They start out by talking about what behavior is and why animal behavior is of particular salience.  Then they talk about the history of the Amboseli project, how Susan became involved in baboon research in the 1980s, and some notable results from the project. They also discuss the power of long-term, organism-focused research to reveal otherwise hidden insights into animal behavior.

After the break, they discuss the relationship that the baboon project has cultivated with the local Massai community and the leading role of women in primatology.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Dr. Erin Siracusa (@erin_sira), a postdoctoral research associate with the Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter, U.K. Read Erin's paper about the role of familiar neighbors in individuals' fitness outcomes here (free PDF here).

Papers relevant to today's show:

1. For an overview of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project's history and major results (link to free PDF):

Alberts S.C., Altmann J. 2012. "The Amboseli Baboon Research Project: 40 Years of Continuity and Change". Pp 261-288 In: Long-term field studies of primates. Edited by Kappeler, P. and Watt, D.P. Spring Verlag.

2. Paper that Susan and Matthew discussed about the effect of maternal social connectedness on offspring survival (link to free PDF):

Silk J.B., Alberts S.C., Altmann J. 2003. Social bonds of female baboons enhance infant survival. Science 302:1231-1234

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). If you like what you heard, please subscribe wherever you’re listening now, leave us a rating or review, and share us with your friends and colleagues.

You can contact us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod).

Our theme song is by Sally Street (@Rainbow_Road13), assistant professor in evolutionary anthropology at Durham University in the UK. You can find her on Sound Cloud here: https://soundcloud.com/rainbow_road_music.

Musical transitions by André Gonçalves (@fieryangelsfell), a researcher at the primate research institute at Kyoto University.

Our logo was designed by Adeline Durand-Monteil (@adelinedurandm), a master’s student in ecology and evolution. You can see more of Adeline's work on her website: https://adelinedurandmonteil.wordpress.com/.

The Animal Behavior Podcast is produced with support from the Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety).

This is a preview of the sixth episode of the Animal Behavior Podcast, which launches June 21. Please share with friends and colleagues. 

Follow the podcast on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod) along with hosts Amy Strauss (@avstrauss) and Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple)

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Thanks to The Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety) for support. 

This is a preview of the seventh episode of the Animal Behavior Podcast, which launches June 21. Please share with friends and colleagues. 

Follow the podcast on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod) along with hosts Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Thanks to The Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety) for support. 

This is a preview of the fourth episode of the Animal Behavior Podcast, which launches June 21. Please share with friends and colleagues. 

Follow the podcast on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod) along with hosts Amy Strauss (@avstrauss) and Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple)

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Thanks to The Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety) for support. 

This is a preview of the third episode of the Animal Behavior Podcast, which launches June 21. Please share with friends and colleagues. 

Follow the podcast on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod) along with hosts Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Thanks to The Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety) for support. 

This is a preview of the second episode of the Animal Behavior Podcast, which launches June 21. Please share with friends and colleagues. 

Follow the podcast on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod) along with hosts Amy Strauss (@avstrauss) and Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple)

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Thanks to The Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety) for support. 

This is a preview of the first episode of the Animal Behavior Podcast, which launches June 21. Please share with friends and colleagues. 

Follow the podcast on Twitter (@AnimalBehavPod) along with hosts Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Thanks to The Animal Behavior Society (@AnimBehSociety) for support.