Project Description
A central question in primate behavioral ecology is how animals flexibly adjust their behavior to cope with environmental variability. Across many primate species, researchers have documented seasonal shifts in activity budgets, including changes in time spent feeding, traveling, resting, and engaging in social behavior as energetic demands fluctuate. Although these patterns are well established within individual species and study sites, we still lack a broad, quantitative understanding of how consistent these seasonal responses are across primates, and how strongly they vary with ecological context. My lab aims to address that gap by conducting comparative meta-analyses of published studies on seasonal variation in primate activity budgets. We aim to synthesize results across taxa, habitats, and ecological conditions to quantify general patterns of energetic and behavioral adjustment and identify factors that shape behavioral flexibility across primates. Summer research students will collect data from the published literature to build meta-analytic models to estimate seasonal shifts in activity budgets. Students are welcome to develop their own research project within the scope of this topic. Projects may explore how ecological variables, such as climate or food seasonality, moderate behavioral responses, and will use sensitivity analyses to assess potential publication bias and the robustness of results.
Prerequisites
Students should have a strong background in statistical analysis and coding using R (or have plans to take courses that use statistics and R before the start of this project). Interests in ecology and learning new skills, and the ability to work independently are major plusses.
Special Comments
Students will be required to take my Spring Term course BIOL 295: Integrating Evidence: Meta-Analytic Approaches in the Biological and Environmental Sciences. This will provide an opportunity to gain the skills necessary for this research, develop a project, and begin collecting data.
Project Information (subject to change)
Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026
Estimated End Date: 7/17/2026
Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks
Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2
Research Location: Remote
Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )
Contact Information: Jacob Kraus (email: jkraus@wlu.edu)