My research is on the Tana River mangabey (Cercocebus
galeritus), a critically endangered primate endemic to the lower Tana River
forests, Kenya. It is considered critically endangered because of a
limited geographic distribution, a small population size (thought to be near
1,200 animals in 1994), and severe threats to its habitat. The word
"endemic" means that it is found only within a limited geographical
distribution; in the case of the Tana mangabey, that is a 60-km (roughly 38
miles) stretch of the lower Tana River in Kenya (see red area on the map below).
I study the behavioral and ecological flexibility of the mangabey, especially how the species responds to habitat change. The Tana forests do not occur in one continuous block of forest, but are found in fragments. These fragments are separated from one another by farmland, regenerating forest, the river, and naturally occurring grass/bushland. In the aerial photograph below, grass/bushland is visible in the foreground and forest is visible along the river meander in the background. The forest fragments differ in size, forest structure, tree species assemblage (and therefore quantity of food for the mangabeys), and level of human activity. In addition, the meandering river adds a temporal component to the diversity of the forests. By studying the behavior, diet, and ranging of the mangabey across both space and time, many questions can be answered about the behavioral and ecological flexibility of the mangabey.
In addition, I am interested in learning more about the mangabey's choice of diet items. Mangabeys in the Cercocebus genus are known to have the dental anatomy to subsist on tough nuts and seeds (Fleagle and McGraw, 2002); we are now just getting the behavioral observations to support the anatomical evidence. By analyzing the physical, chemical, and nutritional properties of plant items they discard and plant items they eat, I hope to learn more about their behavioral adaptations to a fluctuating environment.
Publications:
Wieczkowski J, Kinnaird MF. 2008. Shifting forest composition and primate diets: a 13-year comparison of the Tana River mangabey and its habitat. American Journal of Primatology 70:339-348. PDF
Wieczkowski J. 2005. An examination of the increased annual range of a Tana mangabey (Cercocebus galeritus) group. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 128:381-388. PDF
Wieczkowski J. 2005. Comprehensive conservation profile of Tana mangabeys. International Journal of Primatology 26:651-660. PDF
Wieczkowski J. 2004. Ecological correlates of abundance in the Tana mangabey (Cercocebus galeritus). American Journal of Primatology 63:125-138. PDF
Mbora DNM, Wieczkowski J. 2001. Impacts of micro- and small enterprises on the environmental conservation of fragile ecosystems: A case study of the Tana River Primate National Reserve. In: Manzolillo Nightingale DL, editor. Micro and Small Enterprises and Natural Resource Use. Proceedings of a Workshop held at ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya, 21-22 February, 2001. Nairobi: Micro-Enterprises Support Programme and United Nations Environment Programme. p:147-161. PDF
