Brenda Mccowan
Biographic Data
| ID | 4774794 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brenda Mccowan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Brenda |
| FAMILY NAME | Mccowan |
| SIGNATURE | MCCOWAN B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California, Davis |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2278-418X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 22 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Food Distribution, But Not Market Forces, Predict Behavioral Social Tolerance in Rhesus Macaques
Social inequality in primates is marked by dominance‐based resource monopolization. Yet, high‐ranking individuals sometimes yield to lower‐ranking individuals to promote group stability, indicative of behavioral social tolerance. Social tolerance is dynamic and is shaped by resource availability, group structure, hierarchy steepness and kinship. Increasing social tolerance around resource access may promote group stability and improve individual …
Assessing the Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Infection Among Free‐Ranging Long‐Tailed Macaques ( Macaca fascicularis ) in Thailand
The threat of disease transmission at the intersection of human‐wildlife interfaces underscores the urgent need for detailed studies on the transmission of human‐borne pathogens across species, especially among nonhuman primates in urban areas. This research focuses on the social and demographic determinants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) infection in free‐ranging long‐tailed macaques ( Macaca fascicularis ) in Thailand. Behavioral …
Temperature‐Related Differences in Hair Cortisol Among Outdoor‐Housed Rhesus Macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Temperature has a known potential to influence glucocorticoid concentrations obtained from fecal samples in nonhuman primates. Studies reliant on hair cortisol estimates obtained using samples from outdoor subjects, however, may not control for temperature. This omission is despite the general utility of hair as a sample matrix with relatively longer periods of accrual time. We examined these dynamics in rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ); import…
Innovation, Inhibition and Flexibility in Rhesus Macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Innovation is a key component of behavioral flexibility. When individuals are presented with novel problems, their ability to behave flexibly often relies upon their exploratory tendencies, motivational states and intrinsic traits. Studies of repeated innovation pose additional benefits to understand mechanisms of behavioral flexibility, including measuring persistence, exploration and inhibitory control when learned solutions are blocked. The mu…
Lethal dog attacks on adult rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in an anthropogenic landscape
For nonhuman primates living in anthropogenic areas, predation by larger predators is relatively rare. However, smaller predators, such as free-ranging as well as domesticated dogs, can shape the socioecology of urban nonhuman primates, either directly by attacking and killing them or indirectly by modifying their activity patterns. Here, we describe three (two probably fatal) cases of dog attacks on adult rhesus macaques inhabiting an anthropoge…
Repeatability of measures of behavioral organization over two years in captive infant rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta
Individual differences of infant temperament have been associated with future health outcomes that provide explanatory power beyond adult personality. Despite the importance of such a metric, our developmental understanding of personality‐like traits is poor. Therefore, we examined whether young primates show consistency in personality traits throughout development. We replicated a Biobehavioral Assessment (BBA) at three time periods: 3–4 months,…
Factors influencing the success of male introductions into groups of female rhesus macaques: Introduction technique, male characteristics and female behavior
In captive populations of rhesus macaques, novel adult males are commonly introduced to female groups every few years to prevent inbreeding, which mimics male dispersal in wild macaque populations. However, introducing adult males is challenging because macaques are aggressive to newcomers, which can result in serious injuries. Efforts to reduce trauma risk during the introduction process and increase the probability of success are needed. Here w…
Prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae in Wild Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Thailand
An expanding human population has increased the risk of zoonosis (Devaux et al. 2019), particularly between humans and wild primates, given our close evolutionary histories and shared ecologies (Fuentes and Hockings 2010). Among the major classes of zoonotic agents, some enteropathogenic bacteria (family Enterobacteriaceae) can cause lethal diarrheal disease and pose a serious threat to all primates (McLennan et al. 2018). Enterobacteriaceae may …
Infant Survival Among Free-Living Bonnet Macaques (Macaca radiata) in South India
Female reproductive success depends to a large extent on infants’ ability to survive to maturity. While most studies of female reproductive success have focused on the effects of individuals’ sociodemographic factors (e.g., age/parity, dominance rank) on offspring survival among wild primates living in less disturbed habitats, little research has focused on offspring survival in urban or periurban animals. Here we investigated sociodemographic an…
Individuals in urban dwelling primate species face unequal benefits associated with living in an anthropogenic environment
Improved behavioral indices of welfare in continuous compared to intermittent pair‐housing in adult female rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Limiting opportunities for captive nonhuman primates (NHPs) to express species‐specific social behaviors may disrupt the adaptive drive for social companionship and may lead to increases in coping behaviors and inactivity. While captive NHPs show improved welfare when moving to pair‐housing from single‐housing, the impact of daily separation of pair‐mates, as is implemented in intermittent pair‐housing, is not fully understood. We compared behavi…
Sex differences in the impact of social status on hair cortisol concentrations in rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta )
Social status impacts stress in primates, but the direction of the effect differs depending on species, social style, and group stability. This complicates our ability to identify broadly applicable principles for understanding how social status impacts health and fitness. One reason for this is the fact that social status is often measured as linear dominance rank, yet social status is more complex than simply high or low rank. Additionally, mos…
Impact of anthropogenic factors on affiliative behaviors among bonnet macaques
OBJECTIVES: In primates, allogrooming and other affiliative behaviors confer many benefits and may be influenced by many socioecological factors. Of these, the impact of anthropogenic factors remain relatively understudied. Here we ask whether interactions with humans decreased macaques' affiliative behaviors by imposing time-constraints, or increased these behaviors on account of more free-/available-time due to macaques' consumption of high-ene…
Male-inflicted wounds have opposite effects on hair cortisol for captive male and female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) following new group formation
Increased produce enrichment reduces trauma in socially‐housed captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Due to primate adaptations for sociality, captive rhesus macaques have optimal welfare and utility as a biomedical model when they can be maintained in outdoor social groups. As a despotic species; however, aggression can result in costly injuries and may result in temporary or permanent removal of specific individuals from social housing. Enrichment items, such as toys, climbing structures, and foraging material, are employed to keep captive ani…
Rates of human–macaque interactions affect grooming behavior among urban‐dwelling rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
OBJECTIVES: The impact of anthropogenic environmental changes may impose strong pressures on the behavioral flexibility of free-ranging animals. Here, we examine whether rates of interactions with humans had both a direct and indirect influence on the duration and distribution of social grooming in commensal rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected in two locations in the city of Shimla in northern India: an ur…
Personality, environmental stressors, and diarrhea in Rhesus macaques: An interactionist perspective
Previous research has repeatedly shown both personality and psychological stress to predict gastrointestinal disorders and chronic diarrhea in humans. The goal of the present research was to evaluate the role of personality, as well as psychological stressors (i.e., housing relocations and rearing environment), in predicting chronic diarrhea in captive Rhesus macaques, with particular attention to how personality regulated the impact of such stre…
Coping style and cortisol levels in infancy predict hair cortisol following new group formation in captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Social instability in primate groups has been used as a model to understand how social stress affects human populations. While it is well established that individual cercopithecines have different temperaments or personalities, little is known about how temperament mediates the experience of social instability in large, naturalistic groups. Here, we report findings from a study tracking a newly formed group of captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mula…
Intermittent pair‐housing, pair relationship qualities, and HPA activity in adult female rhesus macaques
Laboratory rhesus macaques are often housed in pairs and may be temporarily or permanently separated for research, health, or management reasons. While both long-term social separations and introductions can stimulate a stress response that impacts inflammation and immune function, the effects of short-term overnight separations and whether qualities of the pair relationship mediate these effects are unknown. In this study, we investigated the ef…
The influence of phylogeny, social style, and sociodemographic factors on macaque social network structure
Among nonhuman primates, the evolutionary underpinnings of variation in social structure remain debated, with both ancestral relationships and adaptation to current conditions hypothesized to play determining roles. Here we assess whether interspecific variation in higher-order aspects of female macaque (genus: Macaca) dominance and grooming social structure show phylogenetic signals, that is, greater similarity among more closely-related species…
Laboratory rhesus macaque social housing and social changes: Implications for research
Macaque species, specifically rhesus (Macaca mulatta), are the most common nonhuman primates (NHPs) used in biomedical research due to their suitability as a model of high priority diseases (e.g., HIV, obesity, cognitive aging), cost effective breeding and housing compared to most other NHPs, and close evolutionary relationship to humans. With this close evolutionary relationship, however, is a shared adaptation for a socially stimulating environ…
Do “birds of a feather flock together” or do “opposites attract”? Behavioral responses and temperament predict success in pairings of rhesus monkeys in a laboratory setting
The growing recognition that social needs of primates in captivity must be addressed can present challenges to staff at primate facilities charged with implementing pair-housing solutions for animals. Unfortunately, there are few published papers that identify individual characteristics that might facilitate the social pairing process, and those that have looked at pre-pairing measures of behavior have produced mixed results. Using a database of …
Predictors of insubordinate aggression among captive female rhesus macaques
OBJECTIVES: Cercopithicine primates tend to have nepotistic hierarchies characterized by predictable, kinship-based dominance. Although aggression is typically directed down the hierarchy, insubordinate aggression does occur. Insubordination is important to understand because it can precipitate social upheaval and undermine group stability; however, the factors underlying it are not well understood. We test whether key social and demographic vari…
Prevalence of enteric bacterial parasites with respect to anthropogenic factors among commensal rhesus macaques in Dehradun, India
Social power, conflict policing, and the role of subordination signals in rhesus macaque society
OBJECTIVES: Policing is a conflict-limiting mechanism observed in many primate species. It is thought to require a skewed distribution of social power for some individuals to have sufficiently high social power to stop others' fights, yet social power has not been examined in most species with policing behavior. We examined networks of subordination signals as a source of social power that permits policing behavior in rhesus macaques. MATERIALS A…
Human–wildlife conflict: Proximate predictors of aggression between humans and rhesus macaques in I ndia
Macaques live in close contact with humans across South and Southeast Asia, and direct interaction is frequent. Aggressive contact is a concern in many locations, particularly among populations of rhesus and longtail macaques that co‐inhabit urbanized cities and towns with humans. We investigated the proximate factors influencing the occurrence of macaque aggression toward humans as well as human aggression toward macaques to determine the extent…
Rates of human–macaque interactions affect grooming behavior among urban‐dwelling rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
OBJECTIVES: The impact of anthropogenic environmental changes may impose strong pressures on the behavioral flexibility of free-ranging animals. Here, we examine whether rates of interactions with humans had both a direct and indirect influence on the duration and distribution of social grooming in commensal rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected in two locations in the city of Shimla in northern India: an ur…
Impact of anthropogenic factors on affiliative behaviors among bonnet macaques
OBJECTIVES: In primates, allogrooming and other affiliative behaviors confer many benefits and may be influenced by many socioecological factors. Of these, the impact of anthropogenic factors remain relatively understudied. Here we ask whether interactions with humans decreased macaques' affiliative behaviors by imposing time-constraints, or increased these behaviors on account of more free-/available-time due to macaques' consumption of high-ene…
Social power, conflict policing, and the role of subordination signals in rhesus macaque society
OBJECTIVES: Policing is a conflict-limiting mechanism observed in many primate species. It is thought to require a skewed distribution of social power for some individuals to have sufficiently high social power to stop others' fights, yet social power has not been examined in most species with policing behavior. We examined networks of subordination signals as a source of social power that permits policing behavior in rhesus macaques. MATERIALS A…
Infant Survival Among Free-Living Bonnet Macaques (Macaca radiata) in South India
Female reproductive success depends to a large extent on infants’ ability to survive to maturity. While most studies of female reproductive success have focused on the effects of individuals’ sociodemographic factors (e.g., age/parity, dominance rank) on offspring survival among wild primates living in less disturbed habitats, little research has focused on offspring survival in urban or periurban animals. Here we investigated sociodemographic an…
Effects of natal male alliances on aggression and power dynamics in rhesus macaques
In the wild, male rhesus macaques disperse at sexual maturity. In captivity, however, males cannot disperse from their natal groups. Thus, the presence of natal males in captive rhesus social groups is unnatural and has the potential to negatively influence group dynamics and stability. A primary difference between natal males and non‐natal (immigrant) males is that natal males have the opportunity to form long‐term alliances with their maternal …
Early social experience affects behavioral and physiological responsiveness to stressful conditions in infant rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Studies on early development have demonstrated the profound effects of early social experience on the behavioral development and physiology of young rhesus macaques. Given these relationships, we hypothesized that rhesus macaques exposed to different nursery‐rearing conditions may develop unique biobehavioral profiles. If this is true, the assessment of temperament may allow us to pinpoint successful rearing environments, thus improving the overa…
Risk factors for stereotypic behavior and self‐biting in rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ): Animal's history, current environment, and personality
Captive rhesus macaques sometimes exhibit undesirable abnormal behaviors, such as motor stereotypic behavior (MSB) and self-abuse. Many risk factors for these behaviors have been identified but the list is far from comprehensive, and large individual differences in rate of behavior expression remain. The goal of the current study was to determine which experiences predict expression of MSB and self-biting, and if individual differences in persona…
Signaling context modulates social function of silent bared‐teeth displays in rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
The signaling context has been found to change the meaning of the silent bared-teeth display (SBT) in pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) such that the SBT in apparently peaceful contexts communicates subordination, a long-term pattern of behavior, whereas in conflict contexts it communicates immediate submission (PNAS, 104: 1581-1586). However, the context dependent nature of the SBT has not yet been explored in other species. We investigated S…
Human–wildlife conflict: Proximate predictors of aggression between humans and rhesus macaques in I ndia
Macaques live in close contact with humans across South and Southeast Asia, and direct interaction is frequent. Aggressive contact is a concern in many locations, particularly among populations of rhesus and longtail macaques that co‐inhabit urbanized cities and towns with humans. We investigated the proximate factors influencing the occurrence of macaque aggression toward humans as well as human aggression toward macaques to determine the extent…
Prevalence of enteric bacterial parasites with respect to anthropogenic factors among commensal rhesus macaques in Dehradun, India
Social power, conflict policing, and the role of subordination signals in rhesus macaque society
OBJECTIVES: Policing is a conflict-limiting mechanism observed in many primate species. It is thought to require a skewed distribution of social power for some individuals to have sufficiently high social power to stop others' fights, yet social power has not been examined in most species with policing behavior. We examined networks of subordination signals as a source of social power that permits policing behavior in rhesus macaques. MATERIALS A…
Laboratory rhesus macaque social housing and social changes: Implications for research
Macaque species, specifically rhesus (Macaca mulatta), are the most common nonhuman primates (NHPs) used in biomedical research due to their suitability as a model of high priority diseases (e.g., HIV, obesity, cognitive aging), cost effective breeding and housing compared to most other NHPs, and close evolutionary relationship to humans. With this close evolutionary relationship, however, is a shared adaptation for a socially stimulating environ…
Do “birds of a feather flock together” or do “opposites attract”? Behavioral responses and temperament predict success in pairings of rhesus monkeys in a laboratory setting
The growing recognition that social needs of primates in captivity must be addressed can present challenges to staff at primate facilities charged with implementing pair-housing solutions for animals. Unfortunately, there are few published papers that identify individual characteristics that might facilitate the social pairing process, and those that have looked at pre-pairing measures of behavior have produced mixed results. Using a database of …
Predictors of insubordinate aggression among captive female rhesus macaques
OBJECTIVES: Cercopithicine primates tend to have nepotistic hierarchies characterized by predictable, kinship-based dominance. Although aggression is typically directed down the hierarchy, insubordinate aggression does occur. Insubordination is important to understand because it can precipitate social upheaval and undermine group stability; however, the factors underlying it are not well understood. We test whether key social and demographic vari…
Personality, environmental stressors, and diarrhea in Rhesus macaques: An interactionist perspective
Previous research has repeatedly shown both personality and psychological stress to predict gastrointestinal disorders and chronic diarrhea in humans. The goal of the present research was to evaluate the role of personality, as well as psychological stressors (i.e., housing relocations and rearing environment), in predicting chronic diarrhea in captive Rhesus macaques, with particular attention to how personality regulated the impact of such stre…
Coping style and cortisol levels in infancy predict hair cortisol following new group formation in captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Social instability in primate groups has been used as a model to understand how social stress affects human populations. While it is well established that individual cercopithecines have different temperaments or personalities, little is known about how temperament mediates the experience of social instability in large, naturalistic groups. Here, we report findings from a study tracking a newly formed group of captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mula…
Intermittent pair‐housing, pair relationship qualities, and HPA activity in adult female rhesus macaques
Laboratory rhesus macaques are often housed in pairs and may be temporarily or permanently separated for research, health, or management reasons. While both long-term social separations and introductions can stimulate a stress response that impacts inflammation and immune function, the effects of short-term overnight separations and whether qualities of the pair relationship mediate these effects are unknown. In this study, we investigated the ef…
The influence of phylogeny, social style, and sociodemographic factors on macaque social network structure
Among nonhuman primates, the evolutionary underpinnings of variation in social structure remain debated, with both ancestral relationships and adaptation to current conditions hypothesized to play determining roles. Here we assess whether interspecific variation in higher-order aspects of female macaque (genus: Macaca) dominance and grooming social structure show phylogenetic signals, that is, greater similarity among more closely-related species…
Male-inflicted wounds have opposite effects on hair cortisol for captive male and female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) following new group formation
Increased produce enrichment reduces trauma in socially‐housed captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Due to primate adaptations for sociality, captive rhesus macaques have optimal welfare and utility as a biomedical model when they can be maintained in outdoor social groups. As a despotic species; however, aggression can result in costly injuries and may result in temporary or permanent removal of specific individuals from social housing. Enrichment items, such as toys, climbing structures, and foraging material, are employed to keep captive ani…
Rates of human–macaque interactions affect grooming behavior among urban‐dwelling rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
OBJECTIVES: The impact of anthropogenic environmental changes may impose strong pressures on the behavioral flexibility of free-ranging animals. Here, we examine whether rates of interactions with humans had both a direct and indirect influence on the duration and distribution of social grooming in commensal rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected in two locations in the city of Shimla in northern India: an ur…
Individuals in urban dwelling primate species face unequal benefits associated with living in an anthropogenic environment
Improved behavioral indices of welfare in continuous compared to intermittent pair‐housing in adult female rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta )
Limiting opportunities for captive nonhuman primates (NHPs) to express species‐specific social behaviors may disrupt the adaptive drive for social companionship and may lead to increases in coping behaviors and inactivity. While captive NHPs show improved welfare when moving to pair‐housing from single‐housing, the impact of daily separation of pair‐mates, as is implemented in intermittent pair‐housing, is not fully understood. We compared behavi…
Sex differences in the impact of social status on hair cortisol concentrations in rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta )
Social status impacts stress in primates, but the direction of the effect differs depending on species, social style, and group stability. This complicates our ability to identify broadly applicable principles for understanding how social status impacts health and fitness. One reason for this is the fact that social status is often measured as linear dominance rank, yet social status is more complex than simply high or low rank. Additionally, mos…
Impact of anthropogenic factors on affiliative behaviors among bonnet macaques
OBJECTIVES: In primates, allogrooming and other affiliative behaviors confer many benefits and may be influenced by many socioecological factors. Of these, the impact of anthropogenic factors remain relatively understudied. Here we ask whether interactions with humans decreased macaques' affiliative behaviors by imposing time-constraints, or increased these behaviors on account of more free-/available-time due to macaques' consumption of high-ene…
Factors influencing the success of male introductions into groups of female rhesus macaques: Introduction technique, male characteristics and female behavior
In captive populations of rhesus macaques, novel adult males are commonly introduced to female groups every few years to prevent inbreeding, which mimics male dispersal in wild macaque populations. However, introducing adult males is challenging because macaques are aggressive to newcomers, which can result in serious injuries. Efforts to reduce trauma risk during the introduction process and increase the probability of success are needed. Here w…
Prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae in Wild Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Thailand
An expanding human population has increased the risk of zoonosis (Devaux et al. 2019), particularly between humans and wild primates, given our close evolutionary histories and shared ecologies (Fuentes and Hockings 2010). Among the major classes of zoonotic agents, some enteropathogenic bacteria (family Enterobacteriaceae) can cause lethal diarrheal disease and pose a serious threat to all primates (McLennan et al. 2018). Enterobacteriaceae may …
Infant Survival Among Free-Living Bonnet Macaques (Macaca radiata) in South India
Female reproductive success depends to a large extent on infants’ ability to survive to maturity. While most studies of female reproductive success have focused on the effects of individuals’ sociodemographic factors (e.g., age/parity, dominance rank) on offspring survival among wild primates living in less disturbed habitats, little research has focused on offspring survival in urban or periurban animals. Here we investigated sociodemographic an…
Lethal dog attacks on adult rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in an anthropogenic landscape
For nonhuman primates living in anthropogenic areas, predation by larger predators is relatively rare. However, smaller predators, such as free-ranging as well as domesticated dogs, can shape the socioecology of urban nonhuman primates, either directly by attacking and killing them or indirectly by modifying their activity patterns. Here, we describe three (two probably fatal) cases of dog attacks on adult rhesus macaques inhabiting an anthropoge…
Biology (28 works) · Primate Behavior and Ecology (28 works) · Psychology (22 works) · Developmental psychology (18 works) · Rhesus macaque (14 works) · Ecology (13 works) · Primate (12 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Macaque (11 works) · Aggression (10 works)