The University of Wisconsin African Studies Program welcomed assistant professor in anthropology Margaret Bryer March 4 as a guest speaker for their Africa at Noon weekly lecture series, which has run since 1973. “Behavioral Ecology in African Guenons” is the title of Bryer’s newest contribution to the series.
There are over 200 species of non-human primates that live in Africa, which is almost half of the primate species globally, according to Bryer. These primates live in a range of social organizations, with groups varying from having one or multiple males, one or multiple females or more individualistic tendencies and also range tremendously in diets, Bryer said.
Bryer focuses on nutritional ecology, or how an individual gets the nutrients it needs through foraging behavior in a specific environment, including macronutrients, micronutrients and antifeedants, according to Bryer.
Her research also considers social nutrition and primate sociology in guenons, which are a successful, colorful and diverse group of about 30 different species found in Africa that can be arboreal, partially terrestrial or completely terrestrial, according to Bryer. Additionally, guenons often form mixed species groups, meaning that multiple species of guenon live together. Comparison of two different species of guenons, the red-tailed monkey and the L’Hoest’s monkey, was the approach to some of the study’s leading questions, Bryer said.
The research questions Bryer hoped to answer were how social interactions within the group affect macronutrient and micronutrient intake.
“Since [guenons] engage in mixed species groups, how do these associations affect nutritional intake? How do species respond socially and in terms of nutritional strategy to anthropogenic change?” Bryer said.
Conducted at Kibale National Park and Bwindi National Park in Uganda, research consisted of gathering demographic data, food list creation and collection of plant samples for nutritional analysis, according to Bryer. Researchers also performed conduction of focal follows, an observational method that follows a single individual and documents all their actions, according to Bryer. While Bryer and her colleagues have been able to obtain some results, the study is still ongoing, and longer term data collection may bring more clarity, Bryer said. Yet, the study, specifically regarding the red-tailed monkeys, already proves significant because it is one step in a larger comparative social nutrition project examining guenons, a group that is understudied in terms of social dynamics, Bryer said.
Bryer emphasized the importance of taking a step back and recognizing the larger disciplinary framework and history of primatology characterized by monopolization of Eurocentric knowledge production within a colonial agenda.
“Anthropology and specifically biological anthropology has definitely undergone a reckoning in recent decades, thinking about decolonization,” Bryer said. “In terms of decolonizing, specifically primatology, there should be a tremendous emphasis on professional relationships with global community partners and habitat country colleagues that are based on trust and respect.”
Finally, the Primate Nutrition Lab, in which Bryer serves as Principal Investigator, is an opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students to get involved with and contribute to primate social nutrition research on the UW campus.
