Male Nile lechwe progress through multiple stages of coat color development as
they mature into adulthood.
Behavioral Biology
The Behavioral Biology Division of CRES aims to document factors regulating variation in reproductive success among animals. To achieve this goal, the research program incorporates a multi-disciplinary perspective designed to address issues arising from evolutionary biology, contribute to the captive management of populations, and facilitate efforts in conservation biology that involve preservation of animals and their natural habitats.
The Behavioral Biology Division works closely with the Curatorial Department of the Zoological Society of San Diego in formulating research questions and projects that benefit the collection. Current research projects include investigations into mating and rearing in California condors, mate selection by female koalas, social relationships among Nile lechwe, and the influence of novelty and familiarity on cheetah hormones and breeding behavior. The research is conducted by observing animals in the collection at both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, as well as in the wild.
Staff
- Fred B. Bercovitch, Ph.D., Division Head/Senior Scientist
- Matt Anderson, Ph.D., Scientist
- Caroline Pitt, Research Fellow
- Jennifer Tobey, M.S., Research Fellow
- Corinne Pisacane, M.S., Research Laboratory Technician
- Karen Barnes, Lead Keeper
- Paula Augustus, Senior Keeper
- Kelly Casavant , Senior Keeper
- William Hieber, Senior Keeper
- Todd Ryan, Senior Keeper
Projects
- Socioendocrinology of Nile Lechwe
- Population Ecology of Koalas in Australia
- Social Dynamics of African Wild Dogs
- Function of Olfactory Signals in Koala Reproduction
- Influence of Acoustic Signals on Reproduction, Including Infrasound and Ultrasound in Mammals
- COBRA Project Phase II: Off-exhibit Conservation Breeding Area at the Wild Animal Park
- Establishing a Self-sustaining Koala Program in Managed Care
- African Elephant Growth and Development
- Koalas as Flagship Species for Habitat Conservation Management in Australia
- African Elephant Demography and Foraging Strategies
- Use of GPS Collars to Monitor Habitat Use in Australian Koalas
- Koala EARTHWATCH Program in Australia
- Mechanisms of Reducing Conflict Between African Elephants and Humans
- Conservation Education in Zambia
- Acoustic Communication in Dholes
Would you like to help? Join the CRES Team!
Recent Publications
- Tobey, J., C. Andrus, L. Doyle, V. Thompson, and F. Bercovitch (2006). Maternal effort and joey growth in koalas Phascolarctos cinereus. Journal of Zoology, London, 268: 423-431.
- Augustus, P., K. Casavant, N. Troxel, R. Rieches, and F. Bercovitch (2006). Reproductive life history of South African cheetahs Acynonyx jubatus jubatus at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, 1970-2005. Zoo Biology 25: (In Press).
- Bercovitch, F., M. Bashaw, and S. del Castillo (2006). Sociosexual behavior, male mating tactics, and the reproductive cycle of giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis. Hormones and Behavior (In Press).
- Bercovitch, F. , J. Tobey, C. Andrus, and L. Doyle (2006). Mating patterns and reproductive success in captive koalas Phascolarctos cinereus. Journal of Zoology (In Press).
- Patton, M., M. Bashaw, S. del Castillo, W. Jochle, N. Lamberski, R. Rieches, and F. Bercovitch (2006). Long-term suppression of fertility in female giraffes using the GnRH agonist deslorelin as a long-acting implant. Theriogenology (In Press).
- Del Castillo, S., M. Bashaw, M. Patton, R. Rieches, and F. Bercovitch (2005). Fecal steroid analysis of female giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis reproductive condition and the impact of endocrine status on daily time budgets. General and Comparative Endocrinology 141: 271-281.
- Andrews, J. , A. Mecklenborg, and F. Bercovitch (2005). Milk intake and development in a newborn captive African elephant Loxodonta africana. Zoo Biology 24: 275-281.
- Anderson, M., J. Nyholt, and A. Dixson (2005). Sperm competition and the evolution of sperm midpiece volume in mammals. Journal of Zoology, London 267, 135-142.
- Bercovitch, F. , M. Bashaw, C. Penny, and R. Rieches (2004). Maternal investment in captive giraffes. Journal of Mammalogy 85: 428-431.
- Anderson, M. , J. Hessel, and A. Dixson (2004). Primate mating systems and the evolution of immune response. Journal of Reproductive Immunology 61: 31-38.
- Widdig, A., F. Bercovitch , W. Striech, P. Nurnberg, and M. Krawczak (2004). A longitudinal analysis of reproductive skew in male rhesus macques. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 271: 819-826.
- Anderson, M. and A. Dixson (2002). Motility and the midpiece. Nature 418: 496. London.
- Dixson, A. and M. Anderson (2002). Sexual selection, seminal coagulation, and copulatory plug formation in primates. Folia Primatologica 73: 63-69.
- Bercovitch, F., A. Widdig, J. Berard, P. Nurnberg, M. Kessler, J. Schmidtke, A. Trefilov, and M. Krawczak (2002). Multiple sirehood in free-ranging twin rhesus macquesMacaca mulatta. American Journal of Primatology 57: 31-34.
- Widdig, A., P. Nurnberg, M. Krawczak, W. Streich, and F. Bercovitch (2001). Paternal relatedness and age proximity regulate social relationships among adult female rhesus macaques. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 98: 13769-13773.
- Bercovitch, F., A. Widdig, and P. Nurnberg (2000). Maternal investment in rhesus macaques Macaca mulatta: reproductive costs and consequences of raising sons. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 48: 1-11.
