Mating and Paternity in Blue Monkeys

This Small Grant for Exploratory Research will enable a young investigator to prove whether she can feasibly do studies on paternity on a very interesting group of monkeys using DNA derived from their dung. Because the techinque is very new, because there is not yet a published body of work that exemplifies its application, the research must be regarded as risky and exploratory - yet the potential pay-offs are very great. A second objective, beyond the establishment of her abilities to extract and verify paternity for these monkeys from their dung, is to collect behavioral data and field samples. This is an exciting and `cutting-edge` project in animal behavior. It will also encourage a young woman investigator in her development.