Biodiversity Monitoring
longterm primate research
How long do tamarins live? Are all of them equally likely to reproduce? The very rich drama of the social lives of three primate species forms the backbone of this study. We annually identify, track and evaluate individual primates to study them holistically, exploring demographics, reproduction, dispersal, and relatedness.
barcoding the amazon rainforest
In order to track biodiversity using DNA, you must first build a good reference library. We use noninvasive and nonlethal methods to collect tissue samples from capture-release programs of bats, birds and small mammals to advance DNA barcoding efforts for biodiversity monitoring.
trace dna using field laboratories
Everyone sheds DNA, all the time, animals included. If you know something about a species' biology and ecology, you can develop a pretty good idea of where you can go to consistently collect this shed DNA. This could be in the form of hair, scat, or even a scent-gland secretion. In this program, we are developing methods to extract individual signatures from environmental DNA to better monitor populations of less-studied mammals.
conservation technology
It's an exciting time to be alive. Previously insurmountable tasks are now yielding to the relentless advancement of technology. In this program , we develop innovative solutions to field biologists' problems. Can we make a tracking device that costs less than $50? Can it be less than 20g in weight so a tamarin could wear it? Can we make capture-release devices smart so they tell us when an animal has entered them? Can we put census devices in the rainforest to track animals without any human involvement at all? The answer to all of the above is yes!
