Jacinta C Beehner
Biographic Data
| ID | 627919 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jacinta C Beehner |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jacinta C |
| FAMILY NAME | Beehner |
| SIGNATURE | BEEHNER J C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Michigan |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6566-6872 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 75 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 26 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Intergroup Encounters Among Wild White-Faced Capuchins (Cebus imitator) at a Densely Populated Field Site
Intergroup encounters (IGEs) are a major feature of social life for group-living primates, influencing access to resources, reproductive opportunities, and territory. We examined IGE frequency, intensity, and participation in a high-density population of wild white-faced capuchin monkeys ( Cebus imitator ) at the Capuchinos de Taboga research project in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, using 4 years of data on three capuchin groups (4,984 observation hour…
Consumption of underground storage organs is associated with improved energetic status in a graminivorous primate
Distribution and diversity of primates and threats to their survival in the Awi Zone, northwestern Ethiopia
Leveling with Tinbergen
In 1963, Niko Tinbergen published his foundational manuscript identifying the four questions we ask in animal behavior— how does the behavior emerge across the lifespan (development); how does it work (mechanism); how and why did it evolve (evolution); and why is it adaptive (function). Tinbergen clarified that these ‘levels of analysis’ are complementary, not competing, thereby avoiding many fruitless scientific debates. However, the relationshi…
High density of white‐faced capuchins ( Cebus capucinus ) and habitat quality in the Taboga Forest of Costa Rica
Across the globe, primates are threatened by human activities. This is especially true for species found in tropical dry forests, which remain largely unprotected. Our ability to predict primate abundance in the face of human activity depends on different species' sensitivities as well as on the characteristics of the forest itself. We studied plant and primate distribution and abundance in the Taboga Forest, a 516‐ha tropical dry forest surround…
Male‐mediated prenatal loss
Sexually selected infanticide has been the subject of intense empirical and theoretical study for decades; a related phenomenon, male‐mediated prenatal loss, has received much less attention in evolutionary studies. Male‐mediated prenatal loss occurs when inseminated or pregnant females terminate reproductive effort following exposure to a nonsire male, either through implantation failure or pregnancy termination. Male‐mediated prenatal loss enco…
Dorothy Cheney (1950–2018)
Graminivory and Fallback Foods
What Is (Not) a Baboon
High mortality associated with tapeworm parasitism in geladas ( Theropithecus gelada ) in the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
Despite increasing appreciation for parasitism as an important component of primate ecology and evolution, surprisingly few studies have demonstrated the costs of helminth parasitism in primates. Detecting parasite-related costs in primates is particularly difficult because it requires detailed, long-term data on individual host reproductive success, survival, and parasitism. The identification of the larval tapeworm Taenia serialis in geladas un…
Female Reproductive Parameters in Wild Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Growth trajectories in wild geladas ( Theropithecus gelada )
Life history and socioecological factors have been linked to species-specific patterns of growth across female vertebrates. For example, greater maternal investment in offspring has been associated with more discrete periods of growth and reproduction. However, in primates it has been difficult to test such hypotheses because very few studies have obtained growth measurements from wild populations. Here we utilize a promising noninvasive photogra…
Acoustic and Temporal Variation in Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) Loud Calls Advertise Male Quality
Juvenile social relationships reflect adult patterns of behavior in wild geladas
Unlike many mammals, primates spend much of their lives as reproductively-immature juveniles. During the juvenile period, they develop social relationships and physical skills that both facilitate survival to adulthood and impact adult fitness. In this study, we use 2 years of observational data to examine the development of these skills across the juvenile period in a wild cercopithecine primate, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada). As adults, mal…
Kinship and Dominance Rank Influence the Strength of Social Bonds in Female Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Reproductive suppression in female primates
Reproductive performance is the currency of evolution. All things being equal, an organism should reproduce as often as possible. The puzzling questions in evolutionary biology, therefore, are not how and why an organism does reproduce, but rather how and why an organism does not reproduce. It is difficult to understand why any individual, particularly a female, might forestall reproduction when one of the biggest limitations for female mammalian…
Juggling Priorities
Extended sexual receptivity in primates is thought to facilitate paternity confusion, thus decreasing the risk of infanticide. However, females might also provide some indication of ovulation to attract preferred males during fertile periods. We examined female mate preferences across defined receptive periods ( N = 59) in a group of wild P hayre's leaf monkeys ( T rachypithecus phayrei crepusculus ) at P hu K hieo W ildlife S anctuary (February–…
Defining Higher Levels in the Multilevel Societies of Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Female philopatry and dominance patterns in wild geladas
Cercopithecines have a highly conserved social structure with strong female bonds and stable, maternally inherited linear dominance hierarchies. This system has been ascribed to the pervasiveness of female philopatry within the typical multi‐male, multi‐female social groups. We examined the relationship between female philopatry, dominance hierarchies, and reproduction in geladas ( Theropithecus gelada ), a species with an unusual multi‐leveled s…
Strong and Consistent Social Bonds Enhance the Longevity of Female Baboons
Reproductive characteristics of wild female Phayre's leaf monkeys
Understanding female reproductive characteristics is important for assessing fertility, interpreting female behavior, and designing appropriate conservation and captive management plans. In primate species lacking morphological signs of receptivity, such as most colobines, determination of reproductive parameters depends on the analysis of reproductive hormones. Here, we use fecal hormone analysis to characterize cycle patterns ( N =6 females) an…
Testing extraction and storage parameters for a fecal hormone method
Four experiments were conducted to test different aspects of a “field‐friendly” fecal hormone extraction method that utilizes methanol extraction in the field followed by storage on C18 solid‐phase extraction cartridges. Fecal samples were collected from geladas ( Theropithecus gelada ) housed at the Bronx Zoo, and the experiments were conducted in a laboratory setting to ensure maximum control. The experiments were designed to either simulate th…
Chest Color and Social Status in Male Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Infant mortality following male takeovers in wild geladas
Since Sugiyama's [1965] first observations of infanticide, empirical evidence from a multitude of primate species has supported the sexual selection hypothesis—the idea that males enhance their reproductive success by killing nonrelated, unweaned infants to hasten the mothers' return to fertility. Like other primates that live in social groups where paternity certainty is high, the social structure of geladas [ Theropithecus gelada ] suggests tha…
Female testosterone, dominance rank, and aggression in an Ethiopian population of hybrid baboons
Studies on the relationship between female testosterone (T) measures and behavior, particularly in free‐ranging primate populations, remain scant. In this study we used fecal steroid analysis to examine the effects of seasonal, reproductive, and social factors on female T in a group of free‐ranging hybrid baboons ( Papio sp.) in the Awash National Park of Ethiopia. We collected behavioral and hormonal data from 25 adult females across an 11‐month…
Factors Affecting Reproduction and Mortality Among Baboons in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
Defining Higher Levels in the Multilevel Societies of Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Chest Color and Social Status in Male Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Kinship and Dominance Rank Influence the Strength of Social Bonds in Female Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Graminivory and Fallback Foods
Female Reproductive Parameters in Wild Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Acoustic and Temporal Variation in Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) Loud Calls Advertise Male Quality
Factors Affecting Reproduction and Mortality Among Baboons in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
Female testosterone, dominance rank, and aggression in an Ethiopian population of hybrid baboons
Studies on the relationship between female testosterone (T) measures and behavior, particularly in free‐ranging primate populations, remain scant. In this study we used fecal steroid analysis to examine the effects of seasonal, reproductive, and social factors on female T in a group of free‐ranging hybrid baboons ( Papio sp.) in the Awash National Park of Ethiopia. We collected behavioral and hormonal data from 25 adult females across an 11‐month…
Infant mortality following male takeovers in wild geladas
Since Sugiyama's [1965] first observations of infanticide, empirical evidence from a multitude of primate species has supported the sexual selection hypothesis—the idea that males enhance their reproductive success by killing nonrelated, unweaned infants to hasten the mothers' return to fertility. Like other primates that live in social groups where paternity certainty is high, the social structure of geladas [ Theropithecus gelada ] suggests tha…
Chest Color and Social Status in Male Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Strong and Consistent Social Bonds Enhance the Longevity of Female Baboons
Reproductive characteristics of wild female Phayre's leaf monkeys
Understanding female reproductive characteristics is important for assessing fertility, interpreting female behavior, and designing appropriate conservation and captive management plans. In primate species lacking morphological signs of receptivity, such as most colobines, determination of reproductive parameters depends on the analysis of reproductive hormones. Here, we use fecal hormone analysis to characterize cycle patterns ( N =6 females) an…
Testing extraction and storage parameters for a fecal hormone method
Four experiments were conducted to test different aspects of a “field‐friendly” fecal hormone extraction method that utilizes methanol extraction in the field followed by storage on C18 solid‐phase extraction cartridges. Fecal samples were collected from geladas ( Theropithecus gelada ) housed at the Bronx Zoo, and the experiments were conducted in a laboratory setting to ensure maximum control. The experiments were designed to either simulate th…
Female philopatry and dominance patterns in wild geladas
Cercopithecines have a highly conserved social structure with strong female bonds and stable, maternally inherited linear dominance hierarchies. This system has been ascribed to the pervasiveness of female philopatry within the typical multi‐male, multi‐female social groups. We examined the relationship between female philopatry, dominance hierarchies, and reproduction in geladas ( Theropithecus gelada ), a species with an unusual multi‐leveled s…
Juggling Priorities
Extended sexual receptivity in primates is thought to facilitate paternity confusion, thus decreasing the risk of infanticide. However, females might also provide some indication of ovulation to attract preferred males during fertile periods. We examined female mate preferences across defined receptive periods ( N = 59) in a group of wild P hayre's leaf monkeys ( T rachypithecus phayrei crepusculus ) at P hu K hieo W ildlife S anctuary (February–…
Defining Higher Levels in the Multilevel Societies of Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Reproductive suppression in female primates
Reproductive performance is the currency of evolution. All things being equal, an organism should reproduce as often as possible. The puzzling questions in evolutionary biology, therefore, are not how and why an organism does reproduce, but rather how and why an organism does not reproduce. It is difficult to understand why any individual, particularly a female, might forestall reproduction when one of the biggest limitations for female mammalian…
Kinship and Dominance Rank Influence the Strength of Social Bonds in Female Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Juvenile social relationships reflect adult patterns of behavior in wild geladas
Unlike many mammals, primates spend much of their lives as reproductively-immature juveniles. During the juvenile period, they develop social relationships and physical skills that both facilitate survival to adulthood and impact adult fitness. In this study, we use 2 years of observational data to examine the development of these skills across the juvenile period in a wild cercopithecine primate, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada). As adults, mal…
Growth trajectories in wild geladas ( Theropithecus gelada )
Life history and socioecological factors have been linked to species-specific patterns of growth across female vertebrates. For example, greater maternal investment in offspring has been associated with more discrete periods of growth and reproduction. However, in primates it has been difficult to test such hypotheses because very few studies have obtained growth measurements from wild populations. Here we utilize a promising noninvasive photogra…
Acoustic and Temporal Variation in Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) Loud Calls Advertise Male Quality
High mortality associated with tapeworm parasitism in geladas ( Theropithecus gelada ) in the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
Despite increasing appreciation for parasitism as an important component of primate ecology and evolution, surprisingly few studies have demonstrated the costs of helminth parasitism in primates. Detecting parasite-related costs in primates is particularly difficult because it requires detailed, long-term data on individual host reproductive success, survival, and parasitism. The identification of the larval tapeworm Taenia serialis in geladas un…
Female Reproductive Parameters in Wild Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)
Graminivory and Fallback Foods
What Is (Not) a Baboon
Male‐mediated prenatal loss
Sexually selected infanticide has been the subject of intense empirical and theoretical study for decades; a related phenomenon, male‐mediated prenatal loss, has received much less attention in evolutionary studies. Male‐mediated prenatal loss occurs when inseminated or pregnant females terminate reproductive effort following exposure to a nonsire male, either through implantation failure or pregnancy termination. Male‐mediated prenatal loss enco…
Dorothy Cheney (1950–2018)
High density of white‐faced capuchins ( Cebus capucinus ) and habitat quality in the Taboga Forest of Costa Rica
Across the globe, primates are threatened by human activities. This is especially true for species found in tropical dry forests, which remain largely unprotected. Our ability to predict primate abundance in the face of human activity depends on different species' sensitivities as well as on the characteristics of the forest itself. We studied plant and primate distribution and abundance in the Taboga Forest, a 516‐ha tropical dry forest surround…
Distribution and diversity of primates and threats to their survival in the Awi Zone, northwestern Ethiopia
Leveling with Tinbergen
In 1963, Niko Tinbergen published his foundational manuscript identifying the four questions we ask in animal behavior— how does the behavior emerge across the lifespan (development); how does it work (mechanism); how and why did it evolve (evolution); and why is it adaptive (function). Tinbergen clarified that these ‘levels of analysis’ are complementary, not competing, thereby avoiding many fruitless scientific debates. However, the relationshi…
Consumption of underground storage organs is associated with improved energetic status in a graminivorous primate
Biology (24 works) · Primate Behavior and Ecology (21 works) · Zoology (18 works) · Ecology (14 works) · Animal Behavior and Reproduction (11 works) · Animal ecology (11 works) · Demography (11 works) · Population (10 works) · Primate (9 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (8 works)