People - Faculty

Melissa Emery Thompson
Research Assistant Professor of Anthropology (Evolutionary Anthropology)
At UNM since Spring 2008
memery@unm.edu
505.277.5401

Web site http://www.unm.edu/~memery/


Education

Emory University, Anthropology & Human Biology, BS summa cum laude 1997
Harvard University, Anthropology, AM 2000
Harvard University, Anthropology, PhD 2005
Dissertation: “Endocrinology and Ecology of Wild Female Chimpanzee Reproduction”


Research

Reproductive ecology, behavioral endocrinology, primate behavioral ecology, evolution of human behavior, life history


Selected Publications

(J.F. Benenson, H. Markovitz, Emery Thompson, and R.W. Wrangham) “Strength determines coalitional strategies in humans,” Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B: Biological Sciences (in press, 2009).

(with M.N. Muller, R.W. Wrangham, J.S. Lwanga, and K.B. Potts) “Urinary C-peptide tracks seasonal and individual variation in energy balance in wild chimpanzees,” Hormones and Behavior 55 (2009): 299-305.

(and R.W. Wrangham) “Diet and reproductive function in wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Kibale National Park, Uganda,” American Journal of Physical Anthropology 135 (2008): 171-181.

( and C.D. Knott) “Urinary C-peptide of insulin as a non-invasive measure of energy balance in wild orangutans,” Hormones and Behavior 53 (2008): 526-535.

(with J.H. Jones, A.E. Pusey, S. Brewer-Marsden, J. Goodall, D. Marsden, T. Matsuzawa, T. Nishida, V. Reynolds, Y. Sugiyama, and R.W. Wrangham) “Aging and fertility patterns in wild chimpanzees provide insights into the evolution of menopause,” Current Biology 17 (2007): 2150-2156.

(S.W. Townsend, K.E. Slocombe, Emery Thompson, and K. Zuberbuhler) “Female-led infanticide in wild chimpanzees,” Current Biology 17 (2007): 365-366.

(with S.M. Kahlenberg, I.C. Gilby, and R.W. Wrangham) “Core area quality is associated with variance in reproductive success in chimpanzees at Kanyawara, Kibale National Park,” Animal Behaviour 73 (2007): 501-512.

(M.N. Muller, S.M. Kahlenberg, Emery Thompson, and R.W. Wrangham) “Male coercion and the costs of promiscuous mating in chimpanzees,” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences  274 (2007): 1009-1014.

“Reproductive endocrinology of wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii): methodological considerations and the role of hormones in sex and conception,” American Journal of Primatology 67: 137-158.

(and P.L. Whitten) “Size of sexual swellings reflects ovarian function in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes),” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 54 (2003): 340-351.


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