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Brigitte Schlögl (née Weiß)

Position: Scientific Assistant

Research Group "Primate Behavioural Ecology"
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution
Deutscher Platz 6 
D-04103 Leipzig 
Germany

and

University of Leipzig Faculty of Life Science 
Institute of Biology 
Behavioral Ecology Research Group 
Talstrasse 33 
D-04103 Leipzig 
Germany

phone: +49 341 97-36754
fax: +49 341 97-36848
e-mail: brigitte_schloegl@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de

Research interests
Curriculum Vitae
Publications

Research interests

My research revolves around the central theme of social complexity in birds and mammals, which I have studied from many different angles including behavior, cognition, acoustics, and physiology. I have further used quantitative genetics to disentangle environmental, parental and genetic sources of variation in social behavior. In recent years, my focus has been on chemical communication in various species of primates and cooperatively breeding mammals such as meerkats and mole-rats. I am particularly interested in assessing the social information content of animal scents, which I study using behavioural tests (so-called bioassays) and gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. In this context I also optimize and evaluate different sampling methods to allow non-invasive collection of animal scents in the field, and systematically assess the suitability and power of different statistical approaches for analyzing the highly complex, multi-dimensional chemical profiles.

Curriculum Vitae

Present position

since 03/2014

Scientific Assistant at the Institute of Biology,
Behavioural Ecology Group,
University of Leipzig;
in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology,
Leipzig (MPI EVA)

Postdoctoral projects

11/2013-02/2014Visiting scientist
at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies,
Behavioural Ecology and Self-organization,
University of Groningen (NL),
with a visitors grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Science Research (NWO).
Research project: Effects of social support on stress hormones in barnacle and greylag geese
04/2011-10/2013Associated scientist
at the Institute of Evolution and Ecology,
Comparative Zoology group,
University of Tübingen.
Research Project: Quantitative genetics of social behaviour and cognition in greylag geese
01/2011-03/2011 Scientific Assistant
at the Institute of Evolution and Ecology,
Comparative Zoology group,
University of Tübingen.
Research Project: Quantitative genetics of dominance and aggressive behaviour in greylag geese
04/2009-12/2010at the University of Neuchâtel (CH).
Research Project: Quantitative genetics of dominance and aggressive behaviour in greylag geese
Supervisor: Prof. Katharina Foerster, University of Neuchâtel/University of Tübingen

Degrees of the University of Vienna, Austria

10/2000-03/2008

Ph.D. in Behavioural Biology
Thesis: The social significance of dialects in Northern resident orcas (Orcinus orca)
Supervisor: Ao. Prof. Friedrich Ladich
10/1994-06/2000 Diploma in Biology
Thesis: Social support in juvenile greylag geese (Anser anser)
Supervisor: Ao. Prof. Kurt Kotrschal

Teaching

since 2017Primate Evolution & Taxonomy lecture (IMPRS - PhD)
since 2014Zoological practical course (BSc)
Behavioural Ecology lecture (BSc)
Behavioural Ecology practical course (BSc & MSc)
Introduction to Statistics in R, seminar & practical course (BSc & MSc)
former classesBayesian Animal models in R, seminar & practical course (MSc)
Behavioural Biology practical course (MSc)
Behavioural day excursions (BSc+MSc)

Referee to scientific journals

  • Animal Behaviour, Animal Cognition, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, BioEssays, Biology Letters, Ibis, Journal of Ornithology, Marine Mammal Science, Naturwissenschaften, PLoS One

Publications

(All work published under Weiß)

*equally contributed as first authors

Artikel

Simon, M., Widdig, A., & Weiß, B. M. (2024). Sniffing behavior of semi free‐ranging Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) (advance online). American Journal of Primatology, e23611.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Jänig, S. *., Kücklich, M. *., Kulik, L., Zetzsche, M., Weiß, B. M. ǂ., & Widdig, A. ǂ. (2022). Olfactory inspection of female reproductive states in chimpanzees. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10: 884661.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kücklich, M., Jänig, S., Kulik, L., Birkemeyer, C., Weiss, B. M., & Widdig, A. (2022). Towards an understanding multimodal traits of female reproduction in chimpanzees. Primates, 63, 365-376.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Holzner, A., Balasubramaniam, K. N., Weiß, B. M., Ruppert, N., & Widdig, A. (2021). Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate. Scientific Reports, 11: 10353.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Marcillo, A., Weiß, B. M., Widdig, A., & Birkemeyer, C. (2020). Challenges of fast sampling of volatiles for thermal desorption gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A, 1617: 460822.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Young, M. M. I., Winters, S., Young, C., Weiß, B. M., Troscianko, J., Ganswindt, A., Barrett, L., Henzi, S. P., Higham, J. P., & Widdig, A. (2020). Male characteristics as predictors of genital color and display variation in vervet monkeys. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 74(2): 14.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Dell'Anna, F., Llorente, M., Weiss, B. M., von Fersen, L., & Amici, F. (2020). The effect of individual and food characteristics on food retrieval and food sharing in captive Guinea baboons (Papio papio). American Journal of Primatology, 82(1): e23078.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kücklich, M., Weiß, B. M., Birkemeyer, C., Einspanier, A., & Widdig, A. (2019). Chemical cues of female fertility states in a non-human primate. Scientific Reports, 9: 13716.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Jänig, S., Weiß, B. M. *., Birkemeyer, C., & Widdig, A. (2019). Comparative chemical analysis of body odor in great apes. American Journal of Primatology, 81: e22976.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Holzner, A., Ruppert, N., Swat, F., Schmidt, M., Weiß, B. M., Villa, G., Mansor, A., Sah, S. A. M., Engelhardt, A., Kühl, H. S., & Widdig, A. (2019). Macaques can contribute to greener practices in oil palm plantations when used as biological pest control. Current Biology, 29(20), R1066-R1067.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B. R. *., Weiß, B. M. *., de Jong, M. E., Braun, A., van den Brink, N. W., Loonen, M. J. J. E., Millesi, E., & Komdeur, J. (2018). Stress behaviour and physiology of developing Arctic barnacle goslings (Branta leucopsis) is affected by legacy trace contaminants. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 285(1893): 20181866.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Jänig, S., Weiß, B. M., & Widdig, A. (2018). Comparing the sniffing behavior of great apes. American Journal of Primatology, 80(6): e22872.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Ruiz-Lambides, A. V. *., Weiß, B. M. *., Kulik, L., & Widdig, A. (2018). Which male and female characteristics influence the probability of extragroup paternities in rhesus macaques? Animal Behaviour, 140, 119-127.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Kücklich, M., Thomsen, R., Henkel, S., Jänig, S., Kulik, L., Birkemeyer, C., & Widdig, A. (2018). Chemical composition of axillary odorants reflects social and individual attributes in rhesus macaques. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 72(4): 65.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Marcillo, A., Manser, M., Holland, R., Birkemeyer, C., & Widdig, A. (2018). A non-invasive method for sampling the body odour of mammals. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(2), 420-429.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kücklich, M., Möller, M., Marcillo, A., Einspanier, A., Weiß, B. M., Birkemeyer, C., & Widdig, A. (2017). Different methods for volatile sampling in mammals. PLoS One, 12(8): e0183440.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B. R., Jong, M. E. d., Komdeur, J., Pschernig, E., Loonen, M. J. J. E., Millesi, E., & Weiß, B. M. (2017). Diel pattern of corticosterone metabolites in Arctic barnacle goslings (Branta leucopsis) under continuous natural light. PLoS One, 12(8): e0182861.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Ruiz-Lambides, A., Weiß, B. M., Kulik, L., Stephens, C., Mundry, R., & Widdig, A. (2017). Long-term analysis on the variance of extra-group paternities in rhesus macaques. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 71(4): 67.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B. R., Weiß, B. M., Kingma, S. A., & Komdeur, J. (2017). The importance of the altricial – precocial spectrum for social complexity in mammals and birds – a review. Frontiers in Zoology, 14: 3.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Kulik, L., Ruiz-Lambides, A., & Widdig, A. (2016). Individual dispersal decisions affect fitness via maternal rank effects in male rhesus macaques. Scientific Reports, 6: 32212.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Birkemeyer, C. S., Thomsen, R., Jänig, S., Kücklich, M., Slama, A., Weiß, B. M., & Widdig, A. (2016). Sampling the body odor of primates: Cotton swabs sample semivolatiles rather than volatiles. Chemical Senses, 41(6), 525-535.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Grimm, A. *., Weiß, B. M. *., Kulik, L., Mihoub, J.-B., Mundry, R., Köppen, U., Brueckmann, T., Thomsen, R., & Widdig, A. (2015). Earlier breeding, lower success: does the spatial scale of climatic conditions matter in a migratory passerine bird? Ecology and Evolution, 5(23), 5722-5734.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., & Foerster, K. (2013). Age and sex affect quantitative genetic parameters for dominance rank and aggression in free-living greylag geese. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 26(2), 299-310.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., & Scheiber, I. B. R. (2013). Long-term memory of hierarchical relationships in free-living greylag geese. Animal Cognition, 16(1), 91-97.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Schloegl, C., Schmidt, J., Boeckle, M., Weiß, B. M., & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Grey parrots use inferential reasoning based on acoustic cues alone. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1745), 4135-4142.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Wascher, C. A. F., Weiß, B. M., Arnold, W., & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Physiological implications of pair-bond status in greylag geese. Biology Letters, 8(3), 347-350.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B. R., Hohnstein, A., Kotrschal, K., & Weiß, B. M. (2011). Juvenile greylag geese (Anser anser) discriminate between individual siblings. PLoS One, 6(8): e22853.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kehmeier, S., Schloegl, C., Scheiber, I. B. R., & Weiß, B. M. (2011). Early development of gaze following into distant space in juvenile Greylag geese (Anser anser). Animal Cognition, 14(4), 477-485.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Kotrschal, K., & Foerster, K. (2011). A longitudinal study of dominance and aggression in greylag geese (Anser anser). Behavioral Ecology, 22(3), 616-624.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Symonds, H., Spong, P., & Ladich, F. (2011). Call sharing across vocal clans of killer whales: Evidence for vocal imitation? Marine Mammal Science, 27(2), E1-E13.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kralj-Fišer, S., Scheiber, I. B. R., Kotrschal, K., Weiß, B. M., & Wascher, C. A. F. (2010). Glucocorticoids enhance and suppress heart rate and behaviour in time dependent manner in greylag geese (Anser anser). Physiology & Behavior, 100(4), 394-400.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Kehmeier, S., & Schloegl, C. (2010). Transitive inference in free-living greylag geese, Anser anser. Animal Behaviour, 79(6), 1277-1283.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kralj-Fišer, S., Weiß, B. M., & Kotrschal, K. (2010). Behavioural and physiological correlates of personality in greylag geese (Anser anser). Journal of Ethology, 28(2), 363-370.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Hirschenhauser, K., Weiß, B. M., Haberl, W., Moestl, E., & Kotrschal, K. (2010). Female androgen patterns and within-pair testosterone compatibility in domestic geese (Anser domesticus). General and Comparative Endocrinology, 165(2), 195-203.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Hemetsberger, J., Scheiber, I. B. R., Weiss, B. M., Frigerio, D., & Kotrschal, K. (2010). Influence of socially involved hand-raising on life history and stress responses in greylag geese. Interaction Studies, 11(3), 380-395.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Kotrschal, K., Möstl, E., & Hirschenhauser, K. (2010). Social and life-history correlates of hormonal partner compatibility in greylag geese (Anser anser). Behavioral Ecology, 21(1), 138-143.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B. R., Kotrschal, K., & Weiß, B. M. (2009). Serial agonistic attacks by greylag goose families, Anser anser, against the same opponent. Animal Behaviour, 77(5), 1211-1216.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Wascher, C. A. F., Scheiber, I. B. R., Weiß, B. M., & Kotrschal, K. (2009). Heart rate responses to agonistic encounters in greylag geese, Anser anser. Animal Behaviour, 77(4), 955-961.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B. R., Kotrschal, K., & Weiß, B. M. (2009). Benefits of family reunions: Social support in secondary greylag goose families. Hormones and Behavior, 55(1), 133-138.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Poggemann, K., Olek, K., Foerster, K., & Hirschenhauser, K. (2008). Isolation and characterization of microsatellite marker loci in the greylag goose (Anser anser). Molecular Ecology Resources, 8(6), 1411-1413.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B., Weiß, B. M., Hirschenhauser, K., Wascher, C. A., Nedelcu, I. T., & Kotrschal, K. (2008). Does 'relationship intelligence' make big brains in birds? The Open Biology Journal, 1, 6-8.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Symonds, H., Spong, P., & Ladich, F. (2007). Intra- and intergroup vocal behavior in resident killer whales, Orcinus orca. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 122(6), 3710-3716.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Ladich, F., Spong, P., & Symonds, H. (2006). Vocal behavior of resident killer whale matrilines with newborn calves: The role of family signatures. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 119(1), 627-635.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B., Weiß, B. M., Frigerio, D., & Kotrschal, K. (2005). Active and passive social support in families of greylag geese (Anser anser). Behaviour, 142(11-12), 1535-1557.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., & Kotrschal, K. (2004). Effects of passive social support in juvenile greylag geese (Anser anser): A study from fledging to adulthood. Ethology, 110(6), 429-444.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Frigerio, D., Weiß, B. M., Dittami, J., & Kotrschal, K. (2003). Social allies modulate corticosterone excretion and increase success in agonistic interactions in juvenile hand-raised graylag geese (Anser anser). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 81(10), 1746-1754.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Frigerio, D., Weiß, B. M., & Kotrschal, K. (2001). Spatial proximity among adult siblings in greylag geese (Anser anser): Evidence for female bonding? Acta ethologica, 3(2), 121-125.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Bücher

Scheiber, I. B. R., Weiß, B. M., Hemetsberger, J., & Kotrschal, K. (Eds.). (2013). The social life of greylag geese: Patterns, mechanisms and evolutionary function in an avian model system. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Buchkapitel

Scheiber, I. B. R., & Weiß, B. M. (2018). Girls of a feather flock together: Spatial proximity in adult kin in greylag geese (Anser anser). In O. P. Jenkins (Ed.), Advances in Animal Science and Zoology, Vol. 11 (pp. 111-147). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Hemetsberger, J., Weiß, B. M., & Scheiber, I. B. R. (2013). Greylag geese: From general principles to the Konrad Lorenz flock. In I. B. R. Scheiber, B. M. Weiß, J. Hemetsberger, & K. Kotrschal (Eds.), The social life of greylag geese: Patterns, mechanisms and evolutionary function in an avian model system (pp. 3-25). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B. R., & Weiß, B. M. (2013). Beyond the pair bond: Extended family bonds and female-centred clan formation. In I. B. R. Scheiber, B. M. Weiß, J. Hemetsberger, & K. Kotrschal (Eds.), The social life of greylag geese: Patterns, mechanisms and evolutionary function in an avian model system (pp. 105-118). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Scheiber, I. B. R., Kotrschal, K., & Weiß, B. M. (2013). The greylag goose as a model for vertebrate social complexity. In I. B. R. Scheiber, B. M. Weiß, J. Hemetsberger, & K. Kotrschal (Eds.), The social life of greylag geese: Patterns, mechanisms and evolutionary function in an avian model system (pp. 191-201). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M. (2013). Alternative social and reproductive strategies. In I. B. R. Scheiber, B. M. Weiß, J. Hemetsberger, & K. Kotrschal (Eds.), The social life of greylag geese: Patterns, mechanisms and evolutionary function in an avian model system (pp. 88-104). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M. (2013). Causes and consequences of aggressive behaviour and dominance rank. In I. B. R. Scheiber, B. M. Weiß, J. Hemetsberger, & K. Kotrschal (Eds.), The social life of greylag geese: Patterns, mechanisms and evolutionary function in an avian model system (pp. 121-141). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Schloegl, C., & Scheiber, I. B. R. (2013). How to tell friend from foe: Cognition in a complex society. In I. B. R. Scheiber, B. M. Weiß, J. Hemetsberger, & K. Kotrschal (Eds.), The social life of greylag geese: Patterns, mechanisms and evolutionary function in an avian model system (pp. 172-188). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Kotrschal, K., & Frigerio, D. (2008). Birds of a feather stay together: Extended family bonds, clan structures and social support in greylag geese. In R. N. Ramirez (Ed.), Family relations issues and challenges (pp. 69-88). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Kotrschal, K., Hemetsberger, J., & Weiß, B. M. (2006). Making the best of a bad situation: Homosociality in male greylag geese. In V. Sommer (Ed.), Homosexual behaviour in animals: An evolutionary perspective (pp. 45-76). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
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Meeting Abstracts

Kehmeier, S., Scheiber, I. B. R., Schloegl, C., & Weiß, B. M. (2009). Gaze following in hand-raised greylag goslings. Primate Report, Special Issue, 20-20.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Kehmeier, S., Mikolasch, S., & Schloegl, C. (2009). Transitive inference in greylag geese. Primate Report, Special Issue, 38-38.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., Möstl, E., & Hirschenhauser, K. (2005). Within-pair testosterone compatibility as a currency for pairbond quality in greylag geese? Hormones and Behavior, 78, 133-133.
BibTeX   Endnote   

Weiß, B. M., & Kotrschal, K. (1997). Humans as social allies: Interspecific social support in greylag geese (Anser anser). In M. Taborsky (Ed.), Advances in Ethology 32 (pp. 150-150). Berlin [u.a.]: Blackwell Sciences.
BibTeX   Endnote