Amanda (Mandy) Fuchs

Ph.D. Candidate

Current Graduate Students
Amanda (Mandy) Fuchs hugging a dog.
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Research Interests

Biological Anthropology, Ecology & Evolution, Biogeography, Movement Ecology, Microbiomes, Baboons, Africa

Biography

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Comparative Primatology Lab lead by Dr. Jason Kamilar. Broadly, I am interested in the evolution and ecology of baboon species (Papio) in Africa, as well as how environmental factors impact the distribution, movement, and speciation of primates in general. More specifically, my dissertation research focuses on how the quality and quantity of food and water influence Kinda baboon (Papio kindae) movement ecology and spatial memory, and in turn, how these factors (i.e., food and water) affect Kinda baboon gut microbiomes. I also examine the microbiomes, pathogenic loads (i.e., E. coli & Giardia), and characteristics (i.e., pH & salinity) of the water sources these baboons exploit to understand how these resources affect baboon gut microbiomes and health. This research takes place in Kasanka National Park, Zambia. For my dissertation data collection, I have received support from the Leakey Foundation, the National Science Foundation DDRIG, and the Graduate School at UMass. My previous pilot studies have been supported by the Department of Anthropology and the Natural History Collection at UMass.

Education

Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2017 – present

MA, Anthropology, Hunter College, City University of New York, 2017

BA, Anthropology, Stony Brook University, State University of New York, 2012

AA, Social Science & History, Suffolk Community College, State University of New York, 2010

Publications

  • Amanda J. Fuchs, Allyson Schmidt, Luca P. Centrella, Marley Katinta, Kennedy Kaheha, Kenneth L. Chiou, Benjamin Mubemba, Megan Petersdorf, India A. Schneider-Crease, Anna H. Weyher, Jason M. Kamilar. 2025. Comparing behavioral observations and the trnL chloroplast gene to infer the plant diet of Kinda baboons in Kasanka National Park, Zambia. American Journal of Biological Anthropology. Suppl. 71.
  • Fuchs AJ, Bell RB, Kunaparaju A, Rowan J, Beaudrot L, Reed LE, Kamilar JM. 2022. Using ecological niche modeling to assess how frugivorous non-primate mammals impact frugivorous primate distributions on a global scale. American Journal of Biological Anthropology. Suppl. 69.
  • Fuchs AJ, Kamilar JM. 2021. Microbiome diversity in Kinda baboons and their water resources. American Journal of Biological Anthropology. Suppl. 68.
  • Fuchs AJ, Kamilar JM. 2020. Movement ecology of Kinda baboons (Papio kindae) in Kasanka National Park, Zambia: A preliminary study. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Suppl. 67.
  • Weyher AH, Fuchs AJ, Kamilar JM. 2020. Seasonal variation in diet and ranging patterns in Kinda baboons (Papio kindae). American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Suppl. 67.
  • Fuchs AJ, Kamilar JM. 2019. The phylogeny of baboon social organization. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Suppl. 66.
  • Fuchs AJ, Kamilar. 2018. JM. Derived codon substitution in the Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene may have implications for behavioral variation hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas). American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Suppl. 65.
  • Fuchs AJ, Gilbert CC, Kamilar JM. 2018. Ecological niche modeling of the genus Papio. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.23470

Relevant links