Northern Illinois University: Mitchell Irwin’s Lab
What We Do
Behavioral Ecology, Health and Conservation of Wild Primates
Dr. Mitchell Irwin’s research examines the ecology and behavior of lemurs in a range of habitat types (from highly disturbed fragments to relatively intact continuous forest) in Tsinjoarivo, eastern Madagascar.
One major focus of this research is improving our understanding of lemurs’ unique adaptations (compared to other primates), which might be linked to ecological conditions in Madagascar. The second major focus is examining lemurs’ range of habitat tolerances and their ecological and behavioral responses to habitat disturbance and fragmentation.
Diademed sifaka. Photo: Cat Rayner.
Research Supported by Sadabe
This research complements and is facilitated by Sadabe, an LCN member organization working in Madagascar.
What Lemur Species We Study
The main focus has been on the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema) but other aspects of my research have focused on the lemur community and my group is expanding to focus on bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur griseus) and brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus).
Comments are closed.