Christine Maher Ph.D.

My research interests lie in the field of behavioral ecology and, more specifically, mammalian social behavior and social organization, in which I adopt a field-oriented approach to my research. For many years, I have examined the role that ecological conditions (e.g., food resources) play in shaping the behavior patterns of animals and, in turn, a population's spatial organization.

In 1998, I began working with woodchucks, animals whose relatives are much more social than they are. Little research has been done on these animals since the 1960s and late 1980s, so a great deal remains to be learned. I am interested in the evolution of social behavior in mammals, and these animals can be used to test various ideas about why other marmot species are more social.

McKay, J.L. and Maher, C.R. 2012. Relationship between blood mercury levels and components of male song in Nelson’s Sparrows (Ammodramus nelsoni). Ecotoxicology. 21:2391-2397.

Aschemeier, L.M. and Maher, C.R. 2011. Eavesdropping of woodchucks (Marmota monax) and eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) on heterospecific alarm calls. Journal of Mammalogy. 92: 493-499.

Maher, C.R. and Burger, J.R. 2011. Intraspecific variation in space use, group size and mating systems of caviomorph rodents. Journal of Mammalogy 92: 54-64.

Maher, C.R. and Duron, M. 2010. Mating system and paternity in woodchucks (Marmota monax). Journal of Mammalogy. 91: 628-635.

Zervanos, S.M., Maher, C.R., Waldvogel, J.A., and Florant, G.L. 2010. Environmental effects on the hibernation patterns of woodchucks (Marmota monax): A latitudinal study. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 83: 135-141.

Maher, C.R. 2009. Effects of relatedness on social interaction rates in a solitary marmot. Animal Behaviour. 78:925-933.

Maher, C.R. 2009. Genetic relatedness and space use in a behaviorally flexible species of marmot, the woodchuck (Marmota monax). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 63: 857-868.

Darhower, S.E. and Maher, C.R. 2008. Effects of immunocontraception on behavior in fallow deer (Dama dama). Zoo Biology. 27: 49-61.

Brown, D.E., Maher, C.R., and Mitchell, C.D. 2006. A comparison of pronghorn body measurements throughout western North America. Proceedings of the 22nd Biennial Pronghorn Antelope Workshop. 22: 125-137.

Maher, C.R. 2006. Social organization in woodchucks (Marmota monax) and its relationship to growing season. Ethology. 112:313-324.

Mitchell, C.D. and Maher, C.R. 2006. Horn growth in pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) males: selection for precocial maturation in stochastic environments. Acta Theriologica. 51:405-409.