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Karin Enstam Jaffe

Title: Associate Professor
Concentration: Biological Anthropology, primate behavioral ecology, primate anti-predator behavior, vervet (Cercopithecus aethiops) and patas (Erythrocebus patas) monkeys, human evolution and human behavioral ecology
Education: Ph.D., University of California, Davis 2002
Office: Stevenson 2054D
Phone: (707) 664-2944
Email: karin.jaffe@sonoma.edu
Website: http://www.sonoma.edu/users/e/enstam/

Bio:

I received my B.A. degree in Anthropology (concentration in Biological Anthropology) from the University of California, San Diego in 1994. I received my M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology from the University of California, Davis in 1997 and 2002, respectively. I have been a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at Sonoma State University since August, 2002.

Courses:

• ANTH 201: Introduction to Biological Anthropology
• ANTH 300: Nature and Culture: The Growth of Anthropology
• ANTH 301: Human Fossils and Evolution
• ANTH 302: Biological Basis of Sex Differences
• ANTH 303: Human Behavioral Ecology
• ANTH 313: Primate Behavioral Ecology
• ANTH 318: Human Development: Sex and the Life Cycle
• ANTH 414: Primate Observational Methods

Selected Scholarship:

Jaffe, K.E. and Isbell, L.A. (2011) The guenons: Socioecology of polyspecific associations. In: Primates in Perspective, 2nd edition (C.J. Campbell, A. Fuentes, K.C. MacKinnon, S.K. Bearder, and R.M. Stumpf, eds.). Oxford University Press, New York. pp. 277-300.

Jaffe, K.E. and Isbell, L.A. (2010) Changes in ranging and agonistic behavior of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) after predator-induced group fusion. American Journal of Primatology. 72: 634-644.

Isbell, L.A., Young, T.P., Jaffe, K.E., Carlson, A.A., and Chancellor, R.L. (2009) Demography and life histories of sympatric patas monkeys, Erythrocebus patas, and vervets, Cercopithecus aethiops, in Laikipia, Kenya. International Journal of Primatology. 30: 103-124.

Jaffe, K.E. and Isbell, L.A. (2009) After the fire: Benefits of reduced ground cover for vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops). American Journal of Primatology. 71: 252-260.

Parker, S.T. and Jaffe, K.E (2008) Darwin’s Legacy: Scenarios in Human Evolution. AltaMira Press. New York.

Enstam, K.L. (2007) Effects of habitat structure on perceived risk of predation and anti-predator behavior in vervet (Cercopithecus aethiops) and patas (Erythrocebus patas) monkeys. In: Primate Anti-Predator Strategies. (S. Gursky and K.A.I. Nekaris, eds.). Springer, New York. pp. 308-338.

Current Research:

My research interests focus on the relationship between habitat structure and primate anti-predator behavior. I am interested in the strategies that primates employ to escape from predators and how these strategies change depending on the structure of the immediate environment. My previous research has focused on sub-specific sociality differences in captive orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) and the social behavior of mona monkeys (Cercopithecus mona) on the island of Grenada. Currently, I am developing and expanding SSUPER (Sonoma State University PrimatE Research project; see www.sonoma.edu/users/e/enstam for more information about this project), which provides Sonoma State students the opportunity to work with me on various research projects as well as develop and carry out their own primate research projects.  Via SSUPER, I am investigating the individuality and ease of recognition of primate faces (with Dr. Lynne Isbell of UC Davis). Past SSUPER projects include: research on the effects of visual and auditory stimuli on ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) at Safari West, an examination of mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) dominance hierarchy and a study of patas (Erythrocebus patas) mating behavior at the San Francisco Zoo.