Dr. Alba García de la Chica

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My research interests include male-female relationships, the role of sexual selection and competition in the evolution of mating systems, social influences on life history evolution, and the role of life history strategies and alternative reproductive tactics in the evolution of different social systems. Using as a model the system of the Azara´s owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) from the province of Formosa, Argentina, for my Ph.D. I evaluated the vocal and behavioral correlates of pair-living and serial monogamy in the species. In doing so, I was able to document and quantify some of the ways in which intrasexual competition and social pressures influence the monkeys´ mating and parenting strategies. In my new project, as a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Bettina Mahler, I am using molecular markers and acoustic signals to understand the mechanisms of mate choice in the species. I am also very interested in further improving my analytical skills to be able to cover a broad range of methods including, but not limited to, Bayesian stats, evidence synthesis, and causal inference.