James Ha, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor
| Degree From: Colorado State University |
| Interests: Primate Development, Behavior, & Reproduction; Corvid (Crow) Ecology & Social Foraging; Orca Social Behavior |
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Research
My research interests are in social behavior of highly cognitive animals. I have ongoing research efforts in two areas: 1) primate development, behavior, and reproduction, and 2) behavioral ecology and foraging behavior of corvids (crows). My primate research program, frequently in collaboration with Dr. Gene P. (Jim) Sackett, includes extensive involvement in projects ranging from basic descriptive work on the growth and psychological (cognitive, social, memory, etc.) development of infant pigtail macaques, longtail macaques, and savannah baboons to developing new statistical methods for analysis of developmental data. In addition, I have become involved in colony management through my research on the influence of social factors on reproductive outcome. I am currently developing several new projects which will involve the application of statistical techniques to estimate the heritability of a number of physiological and behavioral traits (e.g. reproductive outcome and response to psychosocial stress) using the extensive database of pedigreed macaques at the Washington National Primate Research Center, where I am a Research Scientist. My crow research, in collaboration with my wife, Dr. Renee Robinette Ha, is examining the foraging ecology of Northwestern crows, and the use of tidal flats as a desirable, renewable, but only intermittently available food resource. We have been involved in extensive field work, including banding and behavioral observations. In addition, we have developed the microsatellite DNA markers that will ultimately allow us to determine kinship amongst our subjects. My ultimate goal with this study is to develop methods for testing second and third generation optimal foraging models in the field. My particular interests are in models of risk-sensitive foraging (based on my doctoral work), and in developing game-theoretical explanations of social (producer-scrounger) foraging in the field. In addition, I am currently developing an agent-based computer model of social foraging.
Research Publications
- Robinette, R.L. and J.C. Ha. 2001. Social and ecological factors influencing vigilance by Northwestern crows (Corvus caurinus). Animal Behaviour 62:447-452.
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- Ha, J.C., R.L. Robinette and G.P. Sackett. 1999. Social housing and pregnancy outcome in captive pigtailed macaques. American Journal of Primatology 47:153-163.
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- Ha, J.C., R.L. Robinette, L. Almasy, and B. Dyke. Heritability of birthweight in pigtailed macaque monkeys. American Journal of Primatology 56:207-213.
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