Amboseli Baboon Research Project
Encyclopedia
The Amboseli Baboon Project is a long-term, coordinated series of studies of yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) in the Amboseli basin of southern Kenya
. It is based in the Amboseli National Park and southwestern parts of the Amboseli ecosystem, with its primary research camp based at Ologului Public Campsite. It is affiliated with the Department of Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University
and the Department of Biology of Duke University
.
The initial study of the project ran in 1963 and 1964, with a brief follow-up study in 1969. The last study also laid the groundwork for the long-term, coordinated project which began in 1971. Since then, individually recognized baboons within the study groups have been followed on a near-daily basis.
The project has consistently centered on processes at the individual, group, and population levels. In recent years it has also included other aspects of baboon biology, including genetics, hormones, nutrition, hybridization, and relations with other species.
The project was founded by Stuart Altmann, Jeanne Altmann (member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
), and Glen Hausfater, and is currently co-directed by Jeanne Altmann and Susan Alberts.
Its funding has come from a number of sources over the years, including the National Science Foundation
, National Institutes of Health
, and the Chicago Zoological Survey. Over the period of its existence, it has produced over 180 peer-reviewed articles, reports, and popular accounts.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. It is based in the Amboseli National Park and southwestern parts of the Amboseli ecosystem, with its primary research camp based at Ologului Public Campsite. It is affiliated with the Department of Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and the Department of Biology of Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
The initial study of the project ran in 1963 and 1964, with a brief follow-up study in 1969. The last study also laid the groundwork for the long-term, coordinated project which began in 1971. Since then, individually recognized baboons within the study groups have been followed on a near-daily basis.
The project has consistently centered on processes at the individual, group, and population levels. In recent years it has also included other aspects of baboon biology, including genetics, hormones, nutrition, hybridization, and relations with other species.
The project was founded by Stuart Altmann, Jeanne Altmann (member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
), and Glen Hausfater, and is currently co-directed by Jeanne Altmann and Susan Alberts.
Its funding has come from a number of sources over the years, including the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, and the Chicago Zoological Survey. Over the period of its existence, it has produced over 180 peer-reviewed articles, reports, and popular accounts.