Kaylin Tennant, a PhD candidate in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biology, is conducting dissertation research on gorilla health and behavior at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. She is analyzing saliva samples, which eventually will include some from 2-year-old male gorilla Kayembe, who mugged for the camera. | Photo by Matt Shiffler
Kaylin Tennant studies a particular gorilla behavior observed only in zoos, not the wild. To do that, she needs saliva samples—and those are provided by five gorillas at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo trained to swab their mouths.
For Tennant—a PhD candidate in biology at Case Western Reserve—the opportunity to conduct compelling research while gaining what she calls “unparalleled” training and access to expert guidance and scientific collaborations—stems from a collaboration between the Department of Biology and the zoo.
“There is not another program like this,” said Tennant, who has conducted research at other zoos around the country. “We’re really lucky.”
Tennant’s experience exemplifies why College of Arts and Sciences faculty and colleagues at the zoo forged a partnership two decades ago that has grown and expanded to include Holden Arboretum. Now known as the BioScience Alliance, it has created a fertile and mutually beneficial environment for hands-on student laboratory work and collaborations among researchers at the institutions.
“We get access to the resources of these institutions, [and] our graduate students have a super unique opportunity,” said biology Professor Mark Willis, PhD.
The partnership began in 2003 when Willis invited Kristen Lukas, PhD, the zoo’s director of conservation and science, to speak to one of his classes. Lukas, in turn, began inviting biology graduate students to conduct animal behavior research. Around the same time, biology faculty and Holden scientists also were establishing collaborations for research and advising students. In 2019, CWRU and the two institutions formalized their relationships in affiliation agreements, creating the alliance.
The biology department and its partners share the cost of graduate students’ stipends at the zoo and arboretum. In addition, CWRU provides researchers from both institutions non- tenured teaching and research positions— Lukas, for example, is an adjunct assistant professor—while university faculty hold affiliate appointments at the zoo and arboretum. The three partners also provide access to one another’s libraries, habitat and growing areas and research facilities—creating possibilities for further collaborations.
“There’s a ton of cross-pollination that’s happening,” said Professor Jean Burns, PhD, a plant ecologist who supervises students working at the arboretum. “The presence of the graduate students means I go to Holden more, and the scientists at Holden come to campus more.”
More than two-dozen graduate students have participated in the program over the years—that includes several who are working at zoos across the United States, conducting research to advance the wellbeing of their animals.
Read on to learn about the experiences of two graduate students.
Kaylin Tennant is researching ways to change a widespread behavior observed among gorillas living in zoos: They chew their food and then bring it back up and drop it into a hand before digesting it—a phenomenon known as regurgitation and reingestion (R&R). The behavior has never been observed in the wild, said Tennant, who plans to defend her dissertation this summer.
She is examining whether higher insulin levels in gorillas correspond with the behavior and, if so, whether dietary changes can reduce the conduct. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s five adult gorillas—as well as 60 gorillas at 12 other zoos around the country—provide saliva samples on swabs Tennant tests for insulin levels.
In addition to understanding why gorillas at zoos behave differently from those in the wild, researchers also want to know if R&R affects the gorillas’ dental, stomach and esophageal health and what approaches are best for eliminating it.
“If something is truly off-setting their body system, we want to be able to pinpoint that and fix it,” Tennant said.
At other institutions, someone with a similar bent might have to complete years of graduate work before undertaking such a project, Tennant said. Thanks to the BioScience Alliance, she’s conducting on-the-ground research while fulfilling course requirements and doing other work at the zoo, such as routine animal wellness checks—all of which makes her more knowledgeable and marketable.
“I want to focus on anything that we can do to improve the lives and the welfare of animals,” she said, “[and] make sure that they’re healthy and happy in these zoo settings.”
PhD student Miranda Shetzer examines rhododendrons within a wooden structure she built at a greenhouse at Holden Arboretum to study the effects of different light
intensities. | Photo by Matt Shiffler
PhD student Miranda Shetzer is examining the impact of light levels on rhododendrons. It’s part of a broader examination in the scientific community of responses by plants to environmental factors such as light, temperature and water to better understand the impact of climate change. Rhododendrons are ideal for research because there are more than 1,000 species, and they react in different ways to environmental changes.
Shetzer built wooden structures in a greenhouse at Holden Arboretum to expose Rhododendron minus to light levels that mimic variations in light intensity within forests, where the species is commonly found.
Beyond gaining insights into climate change, Shetzer hopes to illuminate how light levels affect the ability of leaves to produce sugar, which is needed for plant growth and performance.
“The support that I’m receiving from both people at Case [Western Reserve] and people at Holden has made this a wonderful experience,” said the second- year student. “I’m learning so much.”