University of Stirling The Sunday Times - Scottish University of the Year - 2009/2010

Department of Psychology

People

Type Staff

 

Phyllis Lee  
Professor Phyllis Lee
address

University of Stirling

Stirling

FK9 4LA
Scotland

UK

telephone Tel: + 44 (0) 1786 467656
fax Fax: + 44 (0) 1786 467641
email Email: phyllis.lee@stir.ac.uk
web Web: www.stir.ac.uk
Job Title
Professor
Section
Psychology, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group
About
Californian born, first degree at Stanford University, PhD in Zoology at Cambridge. Field work on baboons, vervet monkeys and lately elephants for the past 20+ years, as well as observing Zanzibar red colobus, chimpanzees, gorillas, muriqui, capuchins and macaques at a variety of field sites. Joined Stirling in 2005 after many years in Biological Anthropology at Cambridge.
Research

Research interests:

Physical growth, cognitive and social development in mammals

Primate and mammalian behavioural ecology and reproductive strategies

Mammalian life history evolution, longevity, ageing and demography

Biodiversity conservation, human-animal interaction and sustainable development: effects of gender and human attitudes on conservation success

Current research projects:

Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee, Amboseli Trust for Elephants: www.elephanttrust.org

Life history and longevity in elephants (with C. Moss, Amboseli Elephant Research Project, Kenya & J. Poole, Elephant Voices)

Collaborative five year project using non-invasive methods to assess reproductive strategies and maturation in captive baboons with Dr L. Rosetta (CNRS, Paris)

Longitudinal effects of early experiences on elephant life histories (with Lizzie Webber, RA, Stirling)

Research affiliations:

Consultant on Darwin Projects; a) Human-elephant conflict mitigation in Likipia, Kenya (with Max Graham and Bill Adams, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge). b) Elephant  conservation and capacity building in Mikumi National Park Tanzania – Collaborator with the Animal Behaviour Research Unit,  Mikumi National Park and Anglia Polytechnic University (G. Norton & D. Hawkins)

Collaborator with Associacão Pró-Muriqui – research, education and biodiversity conservation, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Affiliations with external institutions:

President (1998 - 2002) Primate Society of Great Britain

Consulting member: Species Survival Commission (IUCN), Primate Specialist Group, consulting member, Conservation Working Party PSGB (1995 - 2001)    

Council member: Cambridge Conservation Forum (1999-2005)

Consulting Editor: Folia Primatologica, Primates

Member of Scottish Primate Research Group.

Co-ordinating committee for International Primatological Society 2008 XXII Congress (Edinburgh)

Teaching
Electives on Animal Play, Comparative Mammalian Development, Sex or Gender; final year project supervision; lectures in Animal Behaviour and the MSc in Psychological Research Methods  / Behaviour and Evolution
Graduate Mentoring

7 PhD projects in progress (2 first year, 3-2nd year, 2-3rd year - Department of Psychology - Current-Postgraduates)

19 PhDs completed, 27 MPhils / MSc completed

Recent PhD theses

R. Coles 2009. Fission-fusion sociality in southern muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides) in the continuous Atlantic forest of Brazil. (Cambridge)

A. Daspre 2009. Reproductive hormones and sexual signalling in captive baboons (with Dr L. Rosetta, CNRS - France)

K. Nowak 2007. Behavioural flexibility and demography of Procolobus kirkii across floristic and disturbance gradients. (Cambridge)

D. Morgan 2007: Soci-ecology of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in the Goualougo Trainge, Republic of Congo. (Cambridge)

C. Garcia 2005: Énergétique et régulation de la function de reproduction chez des femelles captives babouins olive (Papio anubis). (Joint Supervision with Dr L. Rosetta, CNRS, Paris; Université de la Méditerranée – Aix-Marseille II)

S. OHara 2005: Female sexuality and male violence in wild chimpanzees (Cambridge)

N. Priston 2005: An assessment of crop-raiding by Macaca ochreata brunnescens in Buton, Southeast Sulawesi: farmers' perceptions, reality and the impact of primate behaviour and conservation.(Cambridge)

M. Talebi-Gomes 2005: Feeding ecology, nutrition and energetics of muriquis in the Atlantic forests of Brazil. (Cambridge)

Recent Publications (2005-2009)

Refereed Journal Articles:

Garcia, C. Lee, P.C. & Rosetta, L. (2009) Growth in colony living anubis baboon infants and its relationship with maternal energetics and reproductive status. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 138: 123-134.

Graham, M.D., Douglas-Hamilton, I., Adams, W.A., & Lee, P.C. (2009) The movement of African elephants in a human dominated land use mosaic. Animal Conservation 12: 445-455.

Talebi, M.G., Beltrão-Mendes, R. & Lee, P.C. (2009) Intra-community coalitionary lethal attack of an adult male southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides). American Journal of Primatology. 71(10): 860-867.

Clubb, R., Rowcliffe, M., Lee, P., Mar, K.U., Moss, C. & Mason, G.J. (2009). Fecundity, survivorship, fatness and stress: why are zoo elephant populations not self-sustaining. Animal Welfare 18: 237 - 242.

Daspre, A., Heistermann, M., Hodges, J. K., Lee, P. C., and Rosetta, L. (2009) Signals of female reproductive quality and fertility in colony-living baboons (Papio h. anubis) in relation to ensuring paternal investment. American Journal of Primatology, 71: 529 - 538.

Clubb, R., Rowcliffe, M., Lee, P., Mar, K.U., Moss, C. & Mason, G.J. (2008). Compromised survivorship in zoo elephants. Science 322(5908): 1649.

Fishlock, V., Lee, P.C. & Breuer, T. (2008) Quantifying forest elephant social structure in Central African bai environments. Pachyderm 44. 19-28.

Bates, L.A., Lee, P.C., Njiraini, N., Poole, J.H., Sayialel, K., Sayialel, S., Moss, C.J. & Byrne, R.W. (2008) Do elephants show empathy? Journal of Consciousness Studies 15: 204-225.

Aureli, F., Schaffner, C.M., Boesch, C., Bearder, S., Call, J., Chapman, C.A., Connor, R., Di Fiore, A., Dunbar, R.I.M., Henzi, P.S, Holekamp, K, Korstjens, A.H., Layton, R.,  Lee, P, Lehmann, J.,Manson, J.H, Ramos-Fernandez, G., Strier, K. & van Schaik, C.P. (2008). Fission-fusion dynamics: new research directions. Current Anthropology 49: 627-654.

Ferreira, R.G., Izar, P. & Lee, P.C. (2008) Food Competition in a semifree-ranging Cebus apella group. Folia primatologica 79: 463-475.

Garcia, C., Lee, P.C. & Rosetta, L. (2008) Impact of social environment on variation in menstrual cycle length in captive female olive baboons (Papio anubis). Reproduction 135:89-97.

Casanova, C., Mondragon-Ceballos, R. & Lee, P.C. (2008) Innovative social behavior in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): evidence for agonistic buffering by alpha males. American Journal of Primatology 70: 54-61

Mendes-Pontes, A., Chivers, D.J. & Lee, P.C. (2007) Effects of biomass on assemblages of large mammals in a seasonally dry forest in the Brazilian Amazon. Journal of Zoology 271: 278-287.

Archie E.A.,  J. A. Hollister-Smith, J. H. Poole, P. C. Lee, C. J . Moss, J. E. Maldonado, R. C. Fleischer & S. C. Alberts (2007) Behavioural inbreeding avoidance in wild African elephants. Molecular Ecology

Morgan, B.J. & Lee, P.C. (2007) Forest elephant group composition, frugivory and coastal use in the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon. African Journal of Ecology.

O'Hara, S. & Lee, P.C. (2007) High frequency of post-coital penis cleaning in Budongo chimpanzees. Folia primatologica 77:353-358.

Ferreira, R.G., Izar, P. & Lee, P.C. (2006) Exchange, affiliation and protective interventions in semifree-ranging brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). American Journal of Primatology.

Garcia, C., Lee, P.C. & Rosetta, L. (2006) Dominance and reproductive rates in captive female olive baboons, Papio anubis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Lee, P.C. & Graham, M.D. (2006) African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and human – elephant interactions: implications for conservation.  International Zoo Yearbook.

Shrader, A.m., Ferreira, S.M., McElveen, M.E., Lee, P.C., Moss, C.J. & van Aarde R.J. (2006) Structural growth and age determination of savanna elephants. Journal of Zoology, Lond Shrader et al J Zool

Books & Book Chapters

Moss, CJ., Croze, H. & Lee, P.C. (in press) The Amboseli Elephants: a long-term perspective on a long-lived species. University of Chicago Press.

Lee, P.C. (Editor) (1999) Comparative Primate Socioecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Lee, P.C., Thornback, J. & Bennett, E.J. (1989) Threatened Primates of Africa: The IUCN Red Data Book. IUCN, Gland Switzerland.

Lee, P.C. (2009) Evolution and ecological diversity in animal mating and parenting systems. In Ellison, P. and Grey, P. (Editors) Endocrinology of Social Relationships. Cambridge MA: University of Harvard Press.

Lee, P.C. & Moss, C.J. (2009). Welfare and well-being of captive elephants: Perspectives from wild elephant life histories. In: P. Waldau, L. Kane and D. Forthman (editors) Welfare of Captive Elephants. Tufts University Press, MA.

Lee, P.C. & Priston, N.J. (2005) Human attitudes to primates: Perceptions of pests, conflict and consequences for primate conservation. In: Patterson, J.D. & Wallace, J. (Editors). Primate – Human Interaction and Conservation. American Society of Primatologists Publications, Alberta.

Older Elephant Papers

Lee, P.C. (1987) Allomothering in African elephants. Animal Behaviour 35: 278-291

Lee, P.C. (1986) Early social development in African elephants. National Geographic Research 2: 394-401.

Lee, P.C. & Moss, C.J. (1986) Early maternal investment in male and female African elephant calves.

Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 18: 353-361.

elephant calf playvervet babies