Ph.D. Research in Ecology and Evolution, Markham Lab
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University
Advisor:
Dr. Catherine Markham
Dissertation committee:
Drs Dino Martins, Lesley Thorne, and Rafael D’Andrea
Prior to his passing, mentored by Dr. Richard Leakey
Coastal adaptations and the role of marine resource use by nonhuman primates and early Homo sapiens.
Humans have navigated movement around deserts, between islands, and along continents exploring and thriving across nearly every landmass on the planet. Coastlines link these areas and in many scenarios represent a much-needed habitable environment where food from marine sources can become viable alternatives to that found on land.
In human evolution, this hypothesis of coastal adaptation suggests that the dietary shift to marine food resources enabled both early hominins and humans (Homo sapiens) to live on coastlines adjacent to unproductive terrestrial environments. But the extent to which coastal adaptations have allowed hominids to thrive in these environments is yet to be explored in nonhuman primates.
Using non-invasive field observations of crab-foraging vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) off the coasts of the Lamu archipelago, in Kenya, my Ph.D. research explores how dietary and behavioral adaptations allow primates to thrive in coastal environments despite enduring numerous and novel challenges.
My research is supported by:
