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Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
70
Citations
17163
World Ranking
1370
National Ranking
504

Overview

John C. Mitani is affiliated with the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in the United States and has a focus on research intersecting psychology and primate behavior. The main field of study for Mitani is psychology, with a specialization in social psychology. Their work also spans developmental biology, experimental and cognitive psychology, genetics, and public health, environmental and occupational health.

The research topics Mitani covers include primate behavior and ecology, animal vocal communication and behavior, evolutionary psychology and human behavior, viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology, human-animal interaction studies, zoonotic diseases and public health, and COVID-19 epidemiological studies.

Mitani has published extensively in several academic journals. Frequent publication venues include:

  • Primates
  • American Journal of Primatology
  • Journal of Human Evolution
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
  • Current Biology

The recent papers authored or coauthored by Mitani offer insight into various aspects of primate biology and behavior. Selected recent publications are:

  • "Age Patterning in Wild Chimpanzee Gut Microbiota Diversity Reveals Differences from Humans in Early Life," 2020, Current Biology
  • "Adolescent male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) form social bonds with their brothers and others during the transition to adulthood," 2020, American Journal of Primatology
  • "Demographic and hormonal evidence for menopause in wild chimpanzees," 2023, Science
  • "Long-term trends in fruit production in a tropical forest at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda," 2020, Biotropica
  • "Adolescent and young adult male chimpanzees form affiliative, yet aggressive, relationships with females," 2020, Journal of Human Evolution

Mitani frequently collaborates with several researchers in the field. Regular coauthors include:

  • Kevin E. Langergraber
  • Tony L. Goldberg
  • Aaron A. Sandel
  • Jacob D. Negrey
  • David P. Watts

Throughout their career, Mitani has contributed primarily to understanding primate social systems, interactions, and the biological and environmental factors impacting these dynamics. The combination of research areas reflects a multidisciplinary approach linking psychology with ecological and evolutionary perspectives on primate behavior.

Best Publications

  • Generation times in wild chimpanzees and gorillas suggest earlier divergence times in great ape and human evolution

    Kevin E. Langergraber;Kay Prüfer;Carolyn Rowney;Christophe Boesch

  • Why do chimpanzees hunt and share meat

    John C. Mitani;David P. Watts

  • Lethal aggression in Pan is better explained by adaptive strategies than human impacts

    Micahel L. Wilson;Christophe Boesch;Barbara Fruth;Takeshi Furuichi

  • The limited impact of kinship on cooperation in wild chimpanzees

    Kevin E. Langergraber;John C. Mitani;Linda Vigilant

  • Male chimpanzees form enduring and equitable social bonds

    John C. Mitani

  • BOUNDARY PATROLS AND INTERGROUP ENCOUNTERS IN WILD CHIMPANZEES

    David P. Watts;John C. Mitani

  • Conflict and Cooperation in Wild Chimpanzees

    Martin N. Muller;John C. Mitani

  • Lethal intergroup aggression leads to territorial expansion in wild chimpanzees

    John C. Mitani;David P. Watts;Sylvia J. Amsler

  • Demography, female life history, and reproductive profiles among the chimpanzees of Mahale

    Toshisada Nishida;Nadia Corp;Miya Hamai;Toshikazu Hasegawa

  • Territoriality: The relation of ranging pattern and home range size to defendability, with an analysis of territoriality among primate species

    John C. Mitani;Peter S. Rodman

  • Male affiliation, cooperation and kinship in wild chimpanzees.

    John C. Mitani;D.Andrew Merriwether;Chunbin Zhang

  • SEXUAL DIMORPHISM, THE OPERATIONAL SEX RATIO, AND THE INTENSITY OF MALE COMPETITION IN POLYGYNOUS PRIMATES

    J. C. Mitani;J. GROs-Louis;A. F. Richards

  • Hunting Behavior of Chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda

    David P. Watts;John C. Mitani

  • Kinship and social bonds in female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

    Kevin E. Langergraber;John C. Mitani;Linda Vigilant

  • Demographic influences on the hunting behavior of chimpanzees

    John C. Mitani;David P. Watts

  • Lethal intergroup aggression by chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

    David P. Watts;Martin Muller;Sylvia J. Amsler;Godfrey Mbabazi

  • Contexts and social correlates of long-distance calling by male chimpanzees

    John C. Mitani;Toshisada Nishida

  • The evolution of primate societies

    John Cary Mitani;Josep Call;Peter M. Kappeler;Ryne A. Palombit

  • Referential gestural communication in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

    Simone Pika;John Mitani

  • Recent Developments in the Study of Wild Chimpanzee Behavior

    John C. Mitani;David P. Watts;Martin N. Muller

  • Dialects in wild chimpanzees

    John C. Mitani;Toshikazu Hasegawa;Julie Gros-Louis;Peter Marler

Frequent Co-Authors

David P. Watts
David P. Watts Yale University
Richard W. Wrangham
Richard W. Wrangham Harvard University
Linda Vigilant
Linda Vigilant Max Planck Society
Christophe Boesch
Christophe Boesch Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Tony L. Goldberg
Tony L. Goldberg University of Wisconsin–Madison
William C. McGrew
William C. McGrew University of St Andrews
Julie Gros-Louis
Julie Gros-Louis University of Iowa
Klaus Zuberbühler
Klaus Zuberbühler University of Neuchâtel
Peter Marler
Peter Marler University of California, Davis
Anne E. Pusey
Anne E. Pusey Duke University

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