RAPID: Investigating primate infant care via canopy-based research

Cuny Hunter College, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This RAPID award will support time-sensitive data collection in a wild primate species, to evaluate how an individual’s interactions with their physical and social environments during early infancy and childhood development relate to their long-term patterns of gut microbial diversity. The research will contribute to the growing body of knowledge about complex interactions between early environment, the microbiome, and physiological well-being in primates, including humans. Specifically, the study will combine genetic and behavioral sampling on infant care in the nest and pilot new forest canopy data collection methods for infants, their nests, and their mothers’ complex cooperative infant care strategies, focusing on a recent birth cohort. The project also will build on partnerships with K-12 classroom teachers, primate conservation educators, and developers at Google Expeditions to generate online content, including the creation of lesson plans and virtual reality “expeditions,” that will engage, teach, and train primary and secondary school students from diverse backgrounds in field research in the STEM sciences. A growing body of research shows that interactions between primate hosts and the microbial communities in their gut are complex and beneficial. Hosts, in particular, rely on microorganisms for processes ranging from digestion to immunity. However, despite the critical importance of host-microbe interactions, the factors responsible for their development and maintenance are not well understood. Ruffed lemurs in the wild are characterized by substantial variation in the numbers, types, and strengths of their social relationships, providing an opportunity to study the relative effects of different biological, environmental, and social forces on establishing and maintaining gut microbial diversity. The investigators will therefore use a combination of field observations and nest cams to continuously monitor ruffed lemur infant care behaviors in the nest; tree climbing and canopy-based research to sample infants, their mothers, and their nests for microbiome data; and veterinary health assessments to link social behavior and microbiome development to long-term physiological outcomes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.