Behavioral Ecology

Dr. Christin Richter

Main research interests

My main research interests lie in behavioral ecology, conservation biology and the effects of forest fragmentation. I mainly worked in tropical rainforests in Asia and Latin America.

For my PhD I chose to study Siberut macaques (Macaca siberu), a poorly known primate species endemic to Siberut Island in W-Sumatra, Indonesia. Considering the increasing habitat loss and degradation of Siberut's rainforest, my study provides important baseline data for conservation strategies. Also, my study provides first detailed ecological data on feeding and ranging behavior, habitat use and the effects of low predation risk on feeding competition. I collaborated with the Siberut Conservation Programme (http://www.siberut-island.org) and conducted field work on their premises.


Curriculum vitae

  • 03. 2010 – 02.2014: PhD thesis about “Within- and between-group feeding competition in Siberut Macaques (Macaca siberu) and Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis)” at Courant Research Centre Evolution of Social Behaviour, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
  • 10. 2001 – 07. 2007: Diplom-Biology, University of Leipzig, Germany
    Focus on Behavioral Biology, Tropical Ecology, Zoology
    Diploma Thesis: “Social relationships in free-ranging male stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides)”, in collaboration with Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
  • 09. 2003: Prediploma (“Vordiplom“) in Biology, University of Leipzig, Germany



Professional experience and field work

  • 03. 2010 – 03. 2011: PhD thesis research with behavioral and ecological data collection on Siberut macaques on Siberut, W-Sumatra, Indonesia
  • 11. 2008 – 02. 2010: Field assistant for JRG Integrative Primate Socio-Ecology, MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig in the Siberut Conservation Programme
  • 11. 2006 – 03. 2007: 5 months of field work in southern Thailand to collect data for diploma thesis about social relationships in male stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides)
  • 04. 2005 – 10. 2005: 7 months field experience in Brazil; “Projektarbeit” about “The influence of fragmentation on frugivorous and nectarivorous bat communities in the Brazilian Atlantic Moist Forest.”
  • 04. 2004 – 04. 2005: 1 year as student research assistant at the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology: Several studies with chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas at Zoo Leipzig
  • 04. 2004 – 09. 2004: 5 months field work in Germany, project about breeding biology of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica)
  • 01. 2002 – 04. 2002: 3 months internship at the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology: Study about social cognition of domestic goats



Publications