Professor Alison Behie
Research interests
Pregnancy, birth and stress - The impacts of prenatal stress caused by disasters and environmental changes on pregnancy and birth
Primate behaviour and conservation - 1. Understanding animal adapation to anthropogenic threats from logging and hunting. 2. Understanding the impact of environmental disasters on primate behaviour, ecology, conservation and physiology
Biography
In 2010, Alison received a Ph.D from The University of Calgary in Biological Anthropology (with a primatology specialization). Her dissertation work examined the effects of a major hurricane on a howler monkey population in Southern Belize, specifically examining the roles of food supply, nutrition, stress hormones and parasitism in the recovery of this population. From 2009 - 2011, Alison lectured in both the Department of Anthropology at The University of Calgary and The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
In 2011, Alison was appointed lecturer in Biological Anthropology at ANU. In 2015 she was appointed Head of Biological Anthropology in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology and in 2016 became a senior lecturer. From 2016 - 2021, Alison was an ARC DECRA fellow researching the impact of cyclones and hurricanes on the behaviour and distribution of lemurs in Madagascar and New World Monkeys in Central America. At the conclusion of this project she was appointed Head of School of Archaeology and Anthropology.
In addition to her interests in studying the impact of environmental change on non-human primates, Alison also explores similar interests in humans particularly focussing on how stress during pregnancy impacts birth outcomes and early childhood development in populations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Researcher's projects
Impacts of prenatal stress on reproduction and childhood development: Alison is investigating how stress expreienced in utero and in early childhood impacts bith condition and development of children into adolescence and adulthood. Some examples of the sorts of work she does have to do with how pregnany women exposed to disasters experience birth and how lifestyle choices during pregnancy impact foetal development.
The effect of environmental disasters on non-human primates: Alison continues to monitor the long-term recovery of a howler monkey population in Southern Belize to Hurricane Iris, which struck in 2001. She is also using this information to investigate post-disturbance community ecology including new mechanisms of parasite exposure related to changes in forest composition. She is also exploring how cyclones impact lemur reproduction and distribution at a longer timescale.
Socioecology of crested yellow-cheeked gibbons in Cambodia: Working in conjunction with Conservation International, Alison is working on research projects investigating behaviour, nutrition, and habitat use of these two endangered primate species in Northeastern Cambodia including how animals respond to anthropogenic threats of logging and hunting.
Available student projects
1) Possible Honours/MBIAN projects can be supervised on:
Numerous aspects of primate behaviour, conservation and ecology using the literature, data collected on captive primates or existing data on howler monkeys
Effects of environmental disasters on humans or non-human primates
2) Possible MBIAN/PhD projects can be supervised as part of the following long term research projects:
The behavioural ecology of endangered primates in northeastern Cambodia
The effects of prenatal stress and/or environmental disasters on human life history traits
The impact of stress and lifestyle during pregnancy on foetal development
Please contact alison.behie@anu.edu.au for information regarding possible honour's MA or PhD projects
Current student projects
PhD Students:
Kirrily Apthorp: Habitat quality of three critically endangred primate species in Vietnam
Naven Hon: The value of wild plant foods to the wellbeing of Cambodian children and forests
Luke Martin: Passive accoustic sampling in lemurs
Lauren McFarlane:
Alannah Pearson: Inside and Out: Using virtual imaging to investigate the evolution of cranial bones and brain lobes in fossil and living primates.
Cynthia Parayiwa: The impact of cyclones in Queensland on pregnancy and birth outcomes
Hayley Roberts: Allomothering in Colobus guereza in Kibale National Park, Uganda
Kayla Ruskin: Feeding ecology and nutrition of the critically endangered Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus)
Sofie Semmler: Dealing with habitat modificatio in Zanzibar red colobus monkeys: evaulation of diet nutrition, phytoestrogens and microbiomes
Masters Students:
Jane Cameron: Aural enrichment in captive primates at the National Zoo and Aquarium
Kane White: Deciduous incisor crown size and neonatal line thickness in a sample of Australian children
Past student projects
PhD Students:
2023 Sarah McGrath: The impact of logging and hunting on Nomascus annamensis in Norteastern Cambodia
2021 Amy King: The thinking skills of two gibbon species: Representation, reasoning and reflection in Hoolock leuconedys and Nomascus leucogenys
2021 Jessica Williams: The impact of ecotourism on gibbon behaviour and stress
2020 Yin Yang: Feeding ecology and conservation biology of the black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri)
2018 Abu Kibria: Ecosystem service valuation of Veun Sai Siem Pang Conservation Area, Cambodia
2017 Rebecca Hendershott: Socioecology of the Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) in Vietnam:Implications for Conservation Planning
2017 Megan O'Donnell: The impact of bush fires on life history traits of Australian populations: The effects of pre-natal and early childhood stress
Masters Students:
2020 Dean Rubb: Parental behaviour in captive Siamangs at the National Zoo and Aquarium
2019 Zoia Wowk: Olfactory enrichment in two species of captive primates at the National Zoo and Aquarium, Canberra.
2015 Lauren McFarlane. Impact of the Queensland Flood on birth outcomes and reproduction
2015 Joanna Blake. Review of Locomotor Research in the Callitrichidae and an Exploratory Study of Individual Locomotor Variation in Saguinus Oedipus
2014 Kirrily Apthorp. Making sense of Maba man.
2013 Britta Nelson. Sleeping and calling tree use by Northern buff-cheeked gibbons in Cambodia.
2012 Megan O'Donnell. The impact of pre-natal stress on reproductive outcomes following the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires
2012 Josh Christie. Behavioural flexibility in captive ring tailed lemurs
Honours Students:
2017 Charlotte Alley: Life history traits and predictors of infant sex in captive Black Crested Suwalesi Macaques
2017 Grace Miller: Life history trait variation with age in captive chimpanzees
2016 Sofie Semmler. Using metabolomics to assess the nutritional quality of the food supply of colobus monkeys in Kibale National Park, Uganda.
2015 Olivia Morley. Key resource use of Northern yellow-cheeked crested Gibbon (Nomascus annamensis)
2015 Cynthia Parayiwa. The impact of maternal exposure to environmental disasters on birth outcomes following Cyclone Yasi (2011) in Queensland, Australia
2015 Jessica Williams. Environmental, anthropogenic and energetic predictors of the likelihood of Northern buff-cheeked crested gibbons (Nomascus annamensis) calling in Veun-Sai Siem Pang Conservation Area, Cambodia
2015 Madelaine Winkler (Co-supervised with Dr Geoff Kushnick). Pathogen Pressure and Consanguineous Marriage: the Case of Impal Marriage among the Karo Batak from North Sumatra
2015 Hayley Roberts. Reproductive Characteristics of Captive Langurs and Gibbons: Life History and Reproductive Senescence
2014 Jasmine Soukieh. Human brain development in the context of undernutrition: cognitive implications
2013 Amy King. A new approach to the social brain hypothesis
2013 Kayla Ruskin. Using geometric frameworks to understand howler monkey food selection following a major hurricane
Publications
- Parayiwa, C, Richardson, A, Behie, A et al. 2022, 'Severe cyclones and sex-specific birth outcomes in Queensland, Australia: An interrupted time-series analysis', American Journal of Human Biology, vol. 35, no. 1.
- Kushnick G, Behie A, Zuska F (2022). Pregnancy outcomes among evacuees of the Sinabung volcano, 2010-2018 (North Sumatra, Indonesia): A matched cohort study. American Journal of Human Biology, 34(2), e23628.
- O'Donoghue, S, Lehmann, M, Major, D et al. 2021, 'Adaptation to climate change in small coastal cities: The influence of development status on adaptation response', Ocean and Coastal Management, vol. 211.
- Yang, Y, Youlatos, D, Behie, A et al. 2021, 'Positional behavior and canopy use of black snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus strykeri in the Gaoligong Mountains, Yunnan, China', Current Zoology, vol. 68, no. 4, pp. 1-9.
- McGrath, S & Behie, A 2021, 'Hunting Pressure on Primates in Veun Sai-Siem Pang National Park, Cambodia', International Journal of Primatology, vol. 42, pp. 563-588.
- Kibria, A, Behie, A, Costanza, R et al. 2021, 'Potentials of community-based-ecotourism to improve human wellbeing in Cambodia: an application of millennium ecosystem assessment framework', International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 461-472.
- Mahoney P, McFarlane G, Smith BH, Miszkiewicz JJ, Cerrito Paola, Liversidge H, Mancini L, Dreossi D, Veneziano A, Bernardini F, Cristiani E, Behie A, Coppa A, Bondioli L, Frayer D, Radovcic D, Nava A. 2021. Growth of Neanderthal infants from Krapina (120-130 ka), Croatia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 288(1963): 1-8
- Dennis, S, Dawson, A & Behie, A 2020, 'A Little Fear: Rethinking Scapes, Structures, Time and the Ordinary', Journal of Futures Studies, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 17-24.
- Yang, Y, Li, Q, Li, Q et al. 2020, 'Cafeteria-style feeding trials provide new insights into the diet and nutritional strategies of the black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri): Implications for conservation', American Journal of Primatology, vol. 82, no. 3, pp. 1-12.
- Williams, J & Behie, A 2020, 'Northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbons (Nomascus annamensis) travel and scan more at the cost of rest when in the presence of tourists', Animal Biology, vol. 70, pp. 427-443.
- Behie, A, Teichroeb, J & Malone, N 2019, 'Changing Priorities for Primate Conservation and Research in the Anthropocene', in Alison Behie, Julie Teichroeb & Nicholas Malone (ed.), Primate Research and Conservation in the Anthropocene, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 1-14.
- Behie, A, Pavelka, M, Hartwell, K et al. 2019, 'Alas the Storm Has Come Again! The Impact of Frequent Natural Disasters on Primate Conservation', in Alison Behie, Julie Teichroeb & Nicholas Malone (ed.), Primate Research and Conservation in the Anthropocene, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 237-256.
- Behie, A, Teichroeb, J & Malone, N, eds, 2019, Primate Research and Conservation in the Anthropocene, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
- Yang, Y, Ren, G, Li, W et al. 2019, 'Identifying transboundary conservation priorities in a biodiversity hotspot of China and Myanmar: Implications for data poor mountainous regions', Global Ecology and Conservation, vol. 20.
- Yang, Y, Groves, C, Garber, P et al. 2019, 'First insights into the feeding habits of the Critically Endangered black snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus strykeri (Colobinae, Primates)', Primates, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 143-153.
- Kibria, A, Costanza, R, Groves, C et al 2019, 'Does higher access ensure greater wellbeing? - In the perspective of forest ecosystem services of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh', Ocean and Coastal Management, vol. 177, pp. 22-30.
- Hendershott, R, Hu, G, Groves, C et al. 2019, 'Natal-to-juvenile pelage change in free-living Fran�ois�(Trachypithecus francoisi) and Cat Ba langurs (T. poliocephalus)', Vietnamese Journal of Primatology, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 55-69.
- Behie A, Miszkiewicz JJ. 2019. Enamel neonatal line thickness in deciduous teeth of Australian children from known maternal health and pregnancy conditions. Early Human Development, 137: 104821.
- Behie, A 2018, 'Primates', in Jennifer Vonk & Todd Shackelford (ed.), Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, Springer Link, Switzerland, pp. 1-11.
- Behie, A 2018, 'Remembering an amazing scientist and friend, Colin Groves (1942 - 2017)', Evolutionary Anthropology, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 62-63pp.
- Parayiwa, C & Behie, A 2018, 'Effects of prenatal maternal stress on birth outcomes following tropical cyclone Yasi in Queensland, Australia (2011)', International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, vol. 28, pp. 768-775pp.
- Hon, N, Behie, A, Rothman, J et al 2018, 'Nutritional composition of the diet of the northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon (Nomascus annamensis) in northeastern Cambodia', Primates, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 339-346.
- Kibria, A, Costanza, R, Groves, C et al 2018, 'The interactions between livelihood capitals and access of local communities to the forest provisioning services of the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh', Ecosystem Services, vol. 32, pp. 41-49pp.
- Hendershott, R, Rawson, B & Behie, A 2018, 'Home Range Size and Habitat use by Cat Ba Langurs (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) in a Disturbed and Fragmented Habitat', International Journal of Primatology, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 547-566.
- Frechette, J, Hon, N, Behie, A et al 2017, 'Seasonal variation in the diet and activity budget of the northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon Nomascus annamensis', Cambodian Journal of Natural History, vol. 2017, no. 2, pp. 168-178.
- Hendershott, R, Behie, A & Rawson, B 2017, 'Erratum to: Seasonal Variation in the Activity and Dietary Budgets of Cat Ba Langurs (Trachypithecus poliocephalus)', International Journal of Primatology, vol. online, pp. 1-10.
- Kibria, A, Behie, A, Costanza, R et al 2017, 'The value of ecosystem services obtained from the protected forest of Cambodia: The case of Veun Sai-Siem Pang National Park', Ecosystem Services, vol. 26, pp. 27-36.
- Behie, A & O'Donnell, M 2017, 'HIGHER PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF WEALTH ASSOCIATED WITH THE BIRTH OF MORE SONS IN AN AUSTRALIAN POPULATION', Journal of Biosocial Science, vol. 50, pp. 569-572pp.
- Kim-McCormack, N, Smith, C & Behie, A 2016, 'Is interactive technology a relevant and effective enrichment for captive great apes?', Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol. 185, pp. 1-8.
- Hendershott, R, Behie, A & Rawson, B 2016, 'Seasonal Variation in the Activity and Dietary Budgets of Cat Ba Langurs (Trachypithecus poliocephalus)', International Journal of Primatology, vol. 37, no. 4-5, pp. 586-604.
- King, A, Behie, A, Naven, H et al 2016, 'Patterns of salt lick use by mammals and birds in northeastern Cambodia', Cambodian Journal of Natural History, vol. 2016, no. 01, pp. 40-50.
- Behie, A & Groves, C 2016, 'China's primates: Preserve wild species', Nature, vol. 534, no. 7606, pp. 179-179.
- Behie, A, Steffens, T, Wyman, T et al 2015, 'Hurricanes and Coastlines: The role of natural disasters in the speciation of howler monkeys', in Alison M. Behie and Marc F. Oxenham (ed.), Taxonomic Tapestries: The Threads of Evolutionary, Behavioural and Conservation Research, ANU Press, Canberra, Australia, pp. 75-91.
- Behie, A & Oxenham, M 2015, 'The Groves effect: 50 years of influence on behaviour, evolution and conservation research', in Alison M. Behie and Marc F. Oxenham (ed.), Taxonomic Tapestries: The Threads of Evolutionary, Behavioural and Conservation Research, ANU Press, Canberra, Australia, pp. 3-9.
- O'Donnell, M & Behie, A 2015, 'Effects of wildfire disaster exposure on male birth weight in an Australian population', Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, vol. 2015, no. 1, pp. 344-354.
- Behie, A & Oxenham, M, eds, 2015, Taxonomic Tapestries : The threads of evolutionary, behavioural and conservation research, ANU Press, Canberra, Australia.
- Oxenham, M & Behie, A 2015, 'The warp and weft: Synthesising our taxonomic tapestry', in Alison M. Behie and Marc F. Oxenham (ed.), Taxonomic Tapestries: The Threads of Evolutionary, Behavioural and Conservation Research, ANU Press, Canberra, Australia, pp. 373-380.
- Behie, A & PavelKa, M 2015, 'Fruit as a key factor in howler monkey population density: conservation implications.', in M.M Kowalewskim, P.A Garber, L Cortes-Ortiz (ed.), Howler Monkeys: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, Springer New York, Unknown, pp. 357-382.
- Behie, A & Oxenham, M 2015, 'Lamarck on species and evolution', in Alison M. Behie and Marc F. Oxenham (ed.), Taxonomic Tapestries: The Threads of Evolutionary, Behavioural and Conservation Research, ANU Press, Canberra, Australia, pp. 155-170.
- O'Donnell, M & Behie, A 2015, 'Adapting to Disaster? A commentary on Hamamatsu Et Al (2014)', Journal of Biosocial Science, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 413-416.
- O'Donnell, M & Behie, A 2015, 'Adapting to disaster? A commentary on Hamamatsu et al (2014) - A brief Reply', Journal of Biosocial Science, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 421-422.
- Behie, A & O'Donnell, M 2015, 'Prenatal smoking and age at menarche: Influence of the prenatal environment on the timing of puberty', Human Reproduction, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 957-962.
- Behie, A, Kutz, S & PavelKa, M 2014, 'Cascading Effects of Climate Change: Do Hurricane-damaged Forests Increase Risk of Exposure to Parasites?', Biotropica, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 25-31.
- Behie AM and Pavelka MSM. 2014. Fruit as a key factor in howler monkey population density: conservation implications. In Howler monkeys: Examining the biology, adaptive radiation, and behavioral ecology of the most widely distributed Genus of Neotropical Primate. Kowalewski M, Garber PA, Cortes-Ortiz L, Urbani B and Youlatos D (eds). Springer Press.
- Behie, A & PavelKa, M 2013, 'Interacting roles of diet, cortisol levels, and parasites in determining population density of Belizean howler monkeys in a hurricane damaged forest fragment', in Marsh L.K and Chapman C.A (ed.), Primates in fragments: complexity and resilience, Springer New York, New York, pp. 447-456.
- O'Donnell, M & Behie, A 2013, 'Effects of bushfire stress on birth outcomes: A cohort study of the 2009 Victorian Black Saturday bushfires', International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, vol. 5, pp. 98-106.
- Behie, A & PavelKa, M 2012, 'Food selection in the black howler monkey following habitat disturbance: Implications for the importance of mature leaves', Journal of Tropical Ecology, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 153-160.
- Behie, A 2012, 'Book Review: Peter M. Kappeler and David P. Watts (eds):Long-Term Field Studies of Primates', International Journal of Primatology, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 1511-1515.
- Behie, A & PavelKa, M 2012, 'The Role of Minerals in Food Selection in a Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta Pigra) Population in Belize Following a Major Hurricane', American Journal of Primatology, vol. 74, no. 11, pp. 1054-1063.
- Kowalzik, B, PavelKa, M, Kutz, S et al 2010, 'Parasites, primates, and ant-plants: Clues to the life cycle of Controrchis spp. in Black Howler Monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in southern belize', Journal of Wildlife Diseases, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 1330-1334.
- Behie, A, PavelKa, M & Chapman, C 2010, 'Sources of Variation in Fecal Cortisol Levels in Howler Monkeys in Belize', American Journal of Primatology, vol. 72, pp. 600-606.
- Kowalzik, B, Pavelka MSM, Kutz S and Behie AM. 2010. Parasites, Primates and Ant-Plants: Clues to the lifecycle of Controrchis sp. in black howler monkeys, Alouatta pigra, in Southern Belize. Journal of Wildlife Disease 46 (4): 1330-1334
- Behie, AM and Pavelka, MSM. 2005. The short-term effect of Hurricane Iris on the diet and activity budget of black howlers (Alouatta pigra) in Monkey River, Belize. Folia Primatologica 76(1): 1-9.
- Pavelka, MSM and Behie, AM. 2005. The effect of Hurricane Iris on the food supply of black howlers (Alouatta pigra) in southern Belize. Biotropica 37(1): 102-108.
- Pavelka, MSM, Brusselers, OT, Nowak, D and Behie, AM. 2003. Population reduction and social disorganization in black howlers (Alouatta pigra) following a hurricane. International Journal of Primatology. 24(5): 1037-1055.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Estimating density of Hawks sportive lemur (Lepilemur tymerlachsoni) at Nosy Be, Madagascar, using passive acoustic cue counting (Primary Investigator)
- Determining the impacts of logging, hunting and ecotourism on the northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon (Nomascus annamensis) in Veun Sai-Siem Pang National Park, Cambodia (Primary Investigator)
- The impact of environmental disasters on primate behaviour and distribution (Primary Investigator)
- Conservation of the Cat Ba Langur in Vietnam (Primary Investigator)
