Mirjam Young (née Minkner)
Position: PhD student
Research Group "Primate Behavioural Ecology"
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig
Germany
and
University of Leipzig Faculty of Life Science
Institute of Biology
Behavioral Ecology Research Group
Talstrasse 33
D-04103 Leipzig
Germany
e-mail: mirjam_youngeva.mpgde
Research Interests
The determinants of male reproductive success in primates are widely studied in species with male dominance. However, studies on species where females seem to have much power and are able to choose their mating partner are rare. To comprehend the social system of a female dominated species, it is important to understand the factors that influence male reproductive success. I intend to determine male reproductive success of the vervet monkey, Chlorocebus aethiops pygerythrus, a species with powerful females. In the Samara Private Game Reserve, South Africa, I will collect blood and faecal samples from mother-infant pairs and all potential sires to test paternity. These data will be complemented by individual life history data and observational data to determine which factors influence male access to fertile females.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
| since 08/2014 | PhD student at the University of Leipzig in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (MPI EVA) Dissertation title: Determinants of paternity in wild male vervet monkeys Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Anja Widdig (University of Leipzig) |
| 10/2011-09/2013 | Master of Science in Biology (with focus on Neurobiology and Behavior, in particular Behavioral Ecology in Primates) Thesis title: "In the eyes of the opponent – measuring kinship information in rhesus macaque faces" Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Anja Widdig (University of Leipzig) |
| 10/2008-10/2011 | Bachelor of Science in Biology Thesis title: "Sozialverhalten einer Gruppe Afrikanischer Elefanten (Loxodonta africana) im Zoo Halle" Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dietmar Weinert and Dr. Peter Fritzsche (Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) |
Work experience
| 12/2013-07/2014 | Research Assistant at the University of Leipzig; Assistance in literature research and organization for a research project on inbreeding of rhesus macaques and as well as scientific writing |
Publications
2020
Young, M. M. I., Winters, S., Young, C., Weiß, B. M., Troscianko, J., Ganswindt, A., Barrett, L., Henzi, S. P., Higham, J. P., & Widdig, A. (2020). Male characteristics as predictors of genital color and display variation in vervet monkeys. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 74(2): 14. |
Open Access2019
Young, C., McFarland, R., Ganswindt, A., Young, M., Barrett, L., & Henzi, S. P. (2019). Male residency and dispersal triggers in a seasonal breeder with influential females. Animal Behaviour, 154, 29-37. |
2018
Minkner, M., Young, C., Amici, F., McFarland, R., Barrett, L., Grober, P., Henzi, S. P., & Widdig, A. (2018). Assessment of male reproductive skew via highly polymorphic STR markers in wild vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus. Journal of Heredity, 109(7), 780-790. |
2017
Widdig, A., Muniz, L., Minkner, M., Barth, Y., Bley, S., Ruiz-Lambides, A., Junge, O., Mundry, R., & Kulik, L. (2017). Low incidence of inbreeding in a long-lived primate population isolated for 75 years. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 71(1): 18. |