Profile

Dr Jo Setchell

Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology

Lecturer in the Health and Human Sciences

Contact (email at joanna.setchell@durham.ac.uk)

Biography

I received my PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge. Before joining the Anthropology department I did post-doctoral research in primate behavioural ecology at the Centre for Research in Evolutionary Anthropology at Roehampton University and in the Department of Biological Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.

My research integrates behaviour, morphology and demographic studies with genetics, endocrinology and semiochemistry to address questions relating to reproductive strategies, life history, sexual selection and signalling in primates. The majority of my work has focused on a semifree-ranging colony of mandrills at the Centre International de Recherches Médicales, Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon. I have also conducted primate fieldwork in Cameroon, Congo and Sabah, Malaysia.

I am also interested in relationships between humans and wildlife, and since joining the Anthropology department I have developed collaborations with environmental anthropologists, to address questions concerning human/wildlife interactions and biodiversity conservation.

Current research students

Emilie Fairet: "Human-wildlife conflict and its implications for the management of protected areas: A case study in Loango National Park, Gabon".
Sian Waters: "Population Status, Ecology and Conservation of Barbary macaques in the Rif Mountains, Morocco".
Kat Shutt: "An interdisciplinary risk assessment of gorilla ecotourism".
Maria Wollnik: Comparative study of primate pelage colouration

Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Primatology

The International Journal of Primatology is a multidisciplinary forum devoted to the dissemination of current research in fundamental primatology. Publishing peer-reviewed, high-quality original articles which feature the primate, the journal gathers laboratory and field studies from such diverse disciplines as anthropology, anatomy, ethology, paleontology, psychology, sociology, and zoology. Articles address various aspects of primate biology and the conservation of primates and their habitats. Articles reporting on endangered or threatened species are highlighted, to further increase sensitivity to the plight of primates. Short articles, reviews of research, and book reviews are also incorporated into the journal. Special issues focusing on particular topics of interest are published from time to time.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/104389/

Other

I was an Associate Editor for Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology until the end of 2009
I serve on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Courant Centre on the 'Evolution of Social Behaviour' at Georg-August-University of Göttingen
I serve on the Research Committee of the International Primate Society

Information for prospective students

I'm happy to supervise MSc, Masters by Research and PhD projects in primatology, including:

primate socioecology
primate conservation
human-wildlife interactions
sexual selection (mate choice, intrasexual competition, sexual conflict)
reproductive and life history strategies
communication and signalling
behavioural endocrinology

Please contact me for further information.

You can also find information about the MSc in Evolutionary Anthropology here:

http://www.dur.ac.uk/anthropology/postgraduate/taught/msc_evol/

and information about post-graduate funding here:

http://www.dur.ac.uk/anthropology/postgraduate/pg_funding/

Research Groups

Anthropology in Development

Research Interests

Growth and ontogeny
Primate behavioural ecology
Socioendocrinology
Sexual selection
Life history strategies
Ethnoprimatology

Teaching Areas

Current Issues in Biological Anthropology
Director MSc Evolutionary Anthropology
Evolutionary Anthropology
Evolutionary Issues
Primate and Human Behaviour
Social Evolution

Selected Publications

Books: edited

Setchell, JM & Curtis, DJ 2003. Field and Laboratory Methods for Primatologists: A Practical Guide. Cambridge University Press.

Journal papers: academic

Setchell, JM, Vaglio, S, Moggi-Cecchi, J, Boscaro, F, Calamai, L & Knapp, LA 2010. Chemical composition of scent-gland secretions in an Old World monkey (Mandrillus sphinx): influence of sex, male status, and individual identity. Chemical Senses Forthcoming. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM, Charpentier, MJE, Abbott, KM, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA 2010. Opposites attract: MHC-associated mate choice in a polygynous primate. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 23(1): 136-148. (Additional information)
Leigh, SR, Setchell, JM, Charpentier, M, Knapp, LA & Wickings, EJ 2008. Canine tooth size and fitness in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Journal of Human Evolution 55(1): 75-85. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM, Smith, TE, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA 2008. Social correlates of testosterone and ornamentation in male mandrills. Hormones and Behavior 54(3): 365-372. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA 2006. Life history in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx): Physical development, dominance rank, and group association. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 131(4): 498 - 510. (Additional information)
Goossens, B, Setchell, JM, James, SS, Funk, SM, Chikhi, L, Abulani, A, Ancrenaz, M, Lackman-Ancrenaz, I & Bruford, M. W. 2006. Philopatry and reproductive success in Bornean orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus). Molecular Ecology 15(9): 2577–2588. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM, Charpentier, M, Bedjabaga, I-B, Reed, P, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA 2006. Secondary sexual characters and female quality in primates. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 61(2): 305-315. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA 2006. Signal content of red facial coloration in female mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 273(1599): 2395 - 2400. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM 2005. Do female mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) prefer brightly coloured males? International Journal of Primatology 26: 715-735. (Additional information)
Charpentier, M, Setchell, JM, Prugnolle, F, Knapp, LA, Wickings, EJ, Peignot, P & Hossaert-McKey, M 2005. Genetic diversity and reproductive success in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102(46): 16723-16728. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM, Charpentier, M & Wickings, EJ 2005. Mate guarding and paternity in mandrills: factors influencing alpha male monopoly. Animal Behaviour 70(5): 1105-1120. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM, Charpentier, M & Wickings, EJ 2005. Sexual selection and reproductive careers in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 58(5): 474-485. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM & Wickings, EJ 2004. Sexual swellings in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx): a test of the reliable indicator hypothesis. Behavioral Ecology 15(3): 438-445. (Additional information)
Setchell, JM & Kappeler, PM 2003. Selection in relation to sex in primates. Advances in the Study of Behavior 33: 97-173. (Additional information)

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Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

Evolution: primate behaviour
People: Evolution and Biology: animal behaviour
Evolution: sexual selection