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
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
| 11/2013-02/2014 | Visiting 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 |
| 04/2011-10/2013 | Associated 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 |
| 04/2009-12/2010 | at 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 2017 | Primate Evolution & Taxonomy lecture (IMPRS - PhD) |
| since 2014 | Zoological practical course (BSc) Behavioural Ecology lecture (BSc) Behavioural Ecology practical course (BSc & MSc) Introduction to Statistics in R, seminar & practical course (BSc & MSc) |
| former classes | Bayesian 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
Articles
Widdig, A., Engel, L., Ruiz-Lambides, A., Dubuc, C., & Weiß, B. (2024). Assessing variance in male reproductive skew based on long-term data in free-ranging rhesus macaques (advance online). American Journal of Primatology, e23687. |
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Weiß, B. M. *., & Widdig, A. (2024). Influence of visual information on sniffing behavior in a routinely trichromatic primate. Behavioral Ecology, 35(5): arae055. |
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Zetzsche, M., Weiß, B., Kücklich, M., Stern, J., Birkemeyer, C., Widdig, A. ǂ., & Penke, L. (2024). Combined perceptual and chemical analyses show no compelling evidence for ovulatory cycle shifts in women's axillary adour. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291(2027): 20232712. |
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Simon, M., Widdig, A., & Weiß, B. M. (2024). Sniffing behavior of semi free‐ranging Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). American Journal of Primatology, 86(5): e23611. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Jänig, S., Weiß, B. M., & Widdig, A. (2018). Comparing the sniffing behavior of great apes. American Journal of Primatology, 80(6): e22872. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Weiß, B. M., Kehmeier, S., & Schloegl, C. (2010). Transitive inference in free-living greylag geese, Anser anser. Animal Behaviour, 79(6), 1277-1283. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
Open AccessBooks
Scheiber, I. B. R., Weiß, B. M., Hemetsberger, J., & Kotrschal, K. ( |
Book Chapters
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 ( |
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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 ( |
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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 ( |
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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 ( |
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Weiß, B. M. (2013). Alternative social and reproductive strategies. In I. B. R. Scheiber, B. M. Weiß, J. Hemetsberger, & K. Kotrschal ( |
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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 ( |
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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 ( |
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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 ( |
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Kotrschal, K., Hemetsberger, J., & Weiß, B. M. (2006). Making the best of a bad situation: Homosociality in male greylag geese. In V. Sommer ( |
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. |
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Weiß, B. M., Kehmeier, S., Mikolasch, S., & Schloegl, C. (2009). Transitive inference in greylag geese. Primate Report, Special Issue, 38-38. |
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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. |
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Weiß, B. M., & Kotrschal, K. (1997). Humans as social allies: Interspecific social support in greylag geese (Anser anser). In M. Taborsky ( |