GARCIA Cécile

Recherches actuelles / actualités :

I study the evolutionary and behavioral ecology of nonhuman primates, with a focus on communication, sexual selection, reproductive physiology and reproductive strategies.

My overall goal is to study morphological, physiological and behavioral aspects of primate reproduction as shaped by sexual selection. Much of my work has a particular focus on sexual communication, as well as the physiological and neuroendocrinological processes underlying mechanisms of mate choice.

My research questions broadly include : How does energetics affect female reproduction ? What social and ecological factors influence female reproduction ? Do females choose who to mate with ? And if so, what forms the basis of their mating preferences ? What is the information content of sexual signals ? What are the relative roles of visual and olfactory channels in sexual communication in different primate species ?

I consider these questions from an ultimate perspective, while at the same time using hormones to identify the mechanisms linking ecological and social factors to reproductive outcomes. I compare the communicative and cognitive abilities from a comparative perspective and I investigate how social system, ecology and phylogeny shape the reproductive signaling system.

My approach is multidisciplinary and includes methods from eco-ethology, endocrinology, ecophysiology, parasitology, physical anthropology, evolutionary biology, computer vision, comparative psychology, and neurosciences.

I conduct laboratory research on semi-free ranging olive baboons (Papio anubis) and Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), as well as fieldwork on sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) in Berenty, Madagascar and on Japanese macaques in Koshima Island, Japan.

Participation à une ANR, financements extérieurs :

 Responsable PICS France - Japon 2013-2015 (CNRS, INEE) 
 Responsable Programme Convergence 2014-2015 (Sorbonne Universités, Idex SUPER) 
 Responsable PICS France - Japon 2016-2018 (CNRS, INEE) 
 Participante Programme Emergence 2017-2018 (Sorbonne Universités)

Communications orales - Invited speaker

• Garcia C, Rigaill L. 2015. Multimodal sexual signaling in non-human primates. EFOR Meeting, 9-10 Mars, Paris, France. Symposium "Non human primates workshop".
• Garcia C. 2014. Evolution of mating and reproductive systems in primates. Kick-off Symposium of the Leading Graduate Program for Primatology and Wildlife Science, 6-9 Mars, Kizugawa, Japan. 

Communications orales

• Garcia C, Morino L, Chimenes A, Rasamimanana H, Andrianarimalala V, Fiandry R, Zahariev A, Blanc S, Simmen B. 2017. The Energetics of Reproduction in a Wild Malagasy Primate. 7th European Federation for Primatology Meeting, 22-24 Août, Strasbourg, France.
• Garcia C, Rigaill L, MacIntosh A, Higham J, Bercovitch F, Huffman M, Mouri K, Shimizu K, Takeshita R, Furuichi T. 2017. Studies on reproduction in Japanese macaques - 10 years of collaboration between France and Japan. 7th European Federation for Primatology Meeting, 22-24 Août, Strasbourg. (Poster)
• Morino L, Simmen B, Rasamimanana H, Andrianarimalala V, Fiandry R, Chimenes A, Garcia C. 2017. Female Androgen Levels, Aggression and Dominance in Wild Verreaux’s Sifakas. 7th European Federation for Primatology Meeting, 22-24 Août, Strasbourg.
• Rigaill L, MacIntosh A, Higham J, Winters S, Furuichi T, Garcia C. 2017. Face Colour Indicates Female Reproductive State but Not Individual Characteristics in Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata). 7th European Federation for Primatology Meeting, 22-24 Août, Strasbourg.
• Simmen B, Morino L, Rasamimanana H, Zahariev A, Blanc S, Riera B, Roger E, Andrianarimalala V, Fiandry R, Ramahandrison R, Garcia C. 2017. Energy Expenditure and Body Composition of Verreaux’s Sifakas in Forest Fragments of the Arid South of Madagascar. 7th European Federation for Primatology Meeting, 22-24 Août, Strasbourg.
• Rigaill L, Garcia C. 2017. Studies on reproduction in Japanese macaques - A 10-year Franco-Japanese collaborative research. 50th anniversary symposium of Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 30-31 Janvier, Inuyama, Japan. (Poster)
• Garcia C, Rigaill L, MacIntosh AJJ, Higham JP, Winters S, Shimizu K, Mouri K, Furuichi T. 2016. Existe-t-il des variations de la couleur de la face en fonction de l’âge, la dominance, la parité, le poids, et l’infection parasitaire intestinale chez des femelles macaques japonais (Macaca fuscata) ? Colloque de la Société Francophone de Primatologie, 18-20 Octobre, Paimpont, France.
• Rigaill L, Suda-Hashimoto N, Ducroix L, Mouri K, Furuichi T, Garcia C. 2016. Does female urine modulate male sexual behaviors in Japanese macaques ? Seminar on Japanese monkeys’ Researches, 6 Juin, Inuyama, Japan. (Poster)
• Rigaill L, MacIntosh AJJ, Higham JP, Shimizu K, Mouri K, Suzumura T, Furuichi T, Garcia C. 2016. Face color indicates female reproductive state but not quality in Japanese macaques. The 5th International Symposium on Primatology and Wildlife Science, 3-6 Mars, Inuyama, Japan. (Poster)
• Garcia C, Rigaill L, MacIntosh AJJ, Higham JP, Winters S, Shimizu K, Mouri K, Furuichi T. 2015. Signalisation multimodale de la gestation chez le macaque japonais (Macaca fuscata). Colloque de la Société Francophone de Primatologie, 16-18 Octobre, Strasbourg, France. 
• Rigaill L, MacIntosh AJJ, Higham JP, Winters S, Shimizu K, Mouri K, Furuichi T, Garcia C. 2015. Female Japanese macaques advertise pregnancy in multiple modalities. European Federation for Primatology Meeting, 25-28 Août, Rome, Italie. 
• Rigaill L, MacIntosh AJJ, Higham JP, Winters S, Shimizu K, Mouri K, Furuichi T, Garcia C. 2015. Multiple sexual signals of pregnancy in Japanese macaques. Primate Society of Japan Congress, 19 Juillet, Kyoto, Japon.
• Rigaill L, MacIntosh AJJ, Higham JP, Furuichi T, Garcia C. 2015. Honest sexual advertisements of pregnancy in female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Symposium of the Leading Program for Primatology and Wildlife Science, 5-8 Mars, Kyoto, Japon. (Poster)
• Bouret S, Masi S, Lacoste R, Bourgeade M, Garcia C, Meguerditchian A, Meunier H, Molina Vila P. 2014. Un groupe de travail pluridisciplinaire en primatologie : des neurosciences à l’écologie. Colloque de la Société Francophone de Primatologie, 4-7 Novembre, Poitiers, France.
• Rigaill L, Higham JP, Lee PC, Garcia C. 2014. Multimodal sexual signaling and mating behaviors in olive baboons. XXVth International Primatological Society Congress, 11-16 Août, Hanoi, Vietnam.
• Takeshita RS, Bercovitch FB, Huffman MA, Mouri K, Garcia C, Rigaill L, Shimizu K. 2014. Environmental, biological, and social factors influencing fecal adrenal steroid concentrations in female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). XXVth International Primatological Society Congress, 11-16 Août, Hanoi, Vietnam.
• Rigaill L, Lee PC, Higham JP, Garcia C. 2014. Multiple sexual cues and mating strategies in captive olive baboons (Papio anubis). The third International Seminar on Biodiversity and Evolution, 6 Juin, Kyoto, Japan.
• Garcia C. 2013. Reproductive costs in female olive baboons (Papio anubis). Joint Meeting of the 29th Japan Primate Society and the 2013 Mammal Society of Japan, 6-9 Septembre, Okayama, Japan. 
• Rigaill L, Garcia C, Higham JP, Lee PC. 2013. Multimodal ovulatory signaling in olive baboons (Papio anubis). Joint Meeting of the 29th Japan Primate Society and the 2013 Mammal Society of Japan, 6-9 Septembre, Okayama, Japan. 
• Garcia C. 2013. Le coût énergétique de la reproduction chez les primates non‐humains : perspectives anthropobiologiques. Colloque annuel de la Société d’anthropologie de Paris, 23-25 Janvier, Paris, France. (Poster)
• Rigaill L, Higham JP, Lee PC, Garcia C. 2013. Signalisation sexuelle multimodale et comportement reproducteur chez le babouin olive (Papio anubis). Colloque annuel de la Société d’anthropologie de Paris, 23‐25 Janvier, Paris, France. (Poster) 
• MacIntosh AAJ, Jacobs A, Garcia C, Huffman MA, Hernandez AD. 2012. Socially‐mediated parasite transmission : the role of dominance in exposure and susceptibility. XXIVth International Primatological Society Congress, 12‐17 Août, Cancun, Mexico. 
• Lee PC, Rosetta L, Garcia C. 2012. Reproductive energetics in primates : how costly are babies ? 81st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 11‐14 Avril, Portland, Oregon, USA.

Photos de mission

FIELD WORK IN BERENTY RESERVE, MADAGASCAR

Sifaka (© Luca Morino)

Morphometric measurements in Sifakas (© Luca Morino)

Research Team - Researchers, students and field assistants (Berenty reserve) - (© Luca Morino)

FIELD WORK IN KOSHIMA ISLAND, JAPAN

Female Japanese macaque with infant (©Lucie Rigaill)

Mount in Japanese macaque (©Lucie Rigaill)