Department of Anthropology - Graduate Program

Dr. Ulrich H. Reichard
Assistant Professor
4430 Faner Hall
Department of Anthropology
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale IL 62901-4502
Phone: +1-618-453 5052
Fax: +1-618-453 5037
E-mail: ureich@siu.edu

Research interests

Courses

I am interested in primate ecology, behavior, and cognition, with the specific aim of using ape models to understand human evolution. My empirical work focuses primarily on a large community of white-handed gibbons at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand, where I also collaborate with Dr. Dario Maestripieri in a study of reproductive strategies of wild female pig-tailed macaques. My ongoing research on gibbons concentrates on continuously monitoring individuals’ life histories and the population demography but overall involves various aspects of gibbon behavioral evolution. Currently, we are examining, for example, the “quality” of gibbon males, behavioral responses to simulated predators, population-level relatedness, and gibbon spatial intelligence.

Anth. 210: Survey of the Primates

Anth. 240A: Introduction to Physical Anthropology

Anth. 440C: Context of Human Evolution

Anth. 455C: Primate Behavior and Ecology

Anth. 536: Primate Communication, Cognition, and Culture (Graduate seminar)

Anth. 581:Socioecology of Apes (Graduate seminar)

Field Research

In collaboration with Dr. Claudia Barelli, I direct the field research on white-handed gibbons of Khao Yai, Thailand. The population has been subject to longitudinal research for nearly three decades and the project is ongoing. To facilitate research we maintain a small field station where students and volunteers are welcome to acquire field work experience or collect data for Master’s and Ph.D. degrees. Over the years, more than a dozen groups of gibbons have habituated to the presence of human observers, which allows us to collect data across many social units and individuals. We accept talented, highly motivated students and volunteers to working with us through SIUC, the German Primate Center (DPZ) or in collaboration with other institutions. For more information contact ureich@siu.edu.

Selected publications

Reichard UH and Barelli C (2008). Life history and reproductive strategies of Khao Yai white-handed gibbon females (Hylobates lar). International Journal of Primatology 29: 823-844 [pdf]

Barelli C, Boesch C, Heistermann M and Reichard UH (2008). Female white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) lead group movements and have priority of access to food resources. Behaviour 145: 965-981[pdf]

Barelli C, Heistermann M, Boesch C and Reichard UH (2008). Mating patterns and sexual swellings in pair-living and multimale groups of wild white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar). Animal Behaviour 75: 991-1001 [pdf]

Savini T, Boesch C and Reichard UH (2008). Home-range characteristics and the influence of seasonality on female reproduction in white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 135: 1-12 [pdf]

Barelli C, Heistermann M, Boesch C and Reichard UH (2007). Sexual swellings in wild white-handed gibbon females (Hylobates lar) indicate the probability of ovulation. Hormones and Behavior 51: 221-230 [pdf]

Clarke EA, Reichard UH and Zuberbühler K (2006). The syntax and meaning of wild gibbon songs. PLoS ONE 1: e73. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000073 [pdf]

Chambers K, Reichard UH, Möller A, Nowak K and Vigilant L (2004). Cross-specific amplification of human microsatellite markers using non-invasive samples from white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar). American Journal of Primatology 64: 19-27 [pdf]

Reichard UH (2003a). Monogamy: Past and Present. In: Monogamy Mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and other Mammals (UH Reichard and C Boesch, eds). Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp 3-25 [pdf]

Reichard UH (2003b). Social Monogamy in Gibbons: the Male Perspective. In: Monogamy Mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and other Mammals (UH Reichard and C Boesch, eds). Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 190-213 [pdf]

Reichard UH and Boesch C, eds (2003). Monogamy Mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and other Mammals. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 276

Sommer, V. & Reichard, U. (2000). Rethinking Monogamy: The Gibbon Case. In: Primate Males (P. Kappeler, ed.). Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 159-168.

Reichard, U. (1998). Sleeping Sites, Sleeping Places, and Presleep Behavior of Gibbons (Hylobates lar). American Journal of Primatology, 46: 35-62. [pdf]

Brockelman, W.Y.; Reichard, U.; Treesucon, U. & Raemaekers, J.J. (1998). Dispersal, Pair Formation and Social Structure in Gibbons (Hylobates lar). Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, 42: 329-339. [pdf]

Reichard, U. & Sommer, V. (1997). Group Encounters in Wild Gibbons (Hylobates lar): Agonism, Affiliation, and the Concept of Infanticide. Behaviour 134: 1135-1174. [pdf]

Reichard, U. (1995c). Extra-pair Copulations in a Monogamous Gibbon (Hylobates lar). Ethology, 100: 99-112. [pdf]

Reichard, U. & Sommer, V. (1994). Grooming Site Preferences in Wild White-handed Gibbons (Hylobates lar). Primates. 35: 369-374. [pdf]