Dr. Jen Rehg
Title: Professor and Associate Dean
Phone: 650-5066
Email: jrehg@siue.edu
Office: PH 3426
Degree : PhD - University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign
Area: Biological Anthropology
Teaching Interests
I have taught a number of advanced courses in bioanthropology, including one of the Anthropology program's core courses: Biological Anthropology Method and Theory. Other courses include Primatology (ANTH 367), Human Origins (ANTH 365), and Biology of Human Behavior (ANTH 366). I also taught two courses which are part of the Forensic Sciences Minor: Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (ANTH 369) and Forensic Anthropology Applications (ANTH 469). I have also taught Interdisciplinary Studies (IS 336 - Global Problems and Human Survival) and Freshman Seminar courses (ANTH 170).
I have mentored students working on senior assignment and independent studies related to bioanthropology. These student projects have included research on primate behavior and ecology, which can be conducted in captive settings such as the St. Louis Zoo, or on natural populations in conjunction with field schools and travel study. I have worked with students researching prehistoric and historical skeletal remains in conjunction with the Illinois State Museum, and students conducting forensic anthropology projects.
Courses Taught
- ANTH 170a: Introductory Topics in Anthropology
- ANTH 360a: Biological Anthropology Methods and Theory
- ANTH 360b: Biological Anthropology Lab
- ANTH 365: Human Origins
- ANTH 366: Biology of Human Behavior
- ANTH 367: Primatology
- ANTH 369: Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
- ANTH 428: Primates, Environments, and Conservation
- ANTH 469: Forensic Anthropology Applications
- ANTH 483: Independent Study
- ANTH 490: Senior Assignment
- ANTH 491: Senior Project
Research Activities
My main research interest is primate behavior and ecology. I have a regional interest in Central and South America, with a focus on New World callitrichid monkeys. I have worked in Costa Rica, Brazil, and currently am conducting research in southeastern Peru. My research has focused on Goeldi's monkey (Callimico goeldii) in mixed species groups with closely-related tamarins, including the red-bellied tamarin ( aguinus labiatus), emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator), and saddle-backed tamarin (Saguinus fuscicollis). Mixed species callitrichid groups may include groups of two or three different species that forage, travel, and even feed at the same resources together. Study of mixed species groups (polyspecific associations) is a key approach to understanding why many primates are gregarious (live in groups), and the ecological costs and benefits of group-living. I am also very interested in conservation issues, especially in Neotropical environments, and the interaction between human communities and ecosystems.
Select Publications
Watsa M, Erkenswick G, Rehg J, Leite Pitman R. (2012) Distribution and new sightings of Goeldi's monkey (Callimico goeldii) in Amazonian Perú. International Journal of Primatology 33(6): 1477-1502
Rehg JA (2010) Plant feeding patches: patterns of use by associating Callimico goeldii, Saguinus labiatus, and S. fuscicollis. Neotropical Primates 17(1):18-21
Rehg JA (2009) Ranging patterns of Callimico goeldii (Goeldi's Monkey) in a mixed-species group. In: Susan Ford, Lesa Davis, and Leila Porter (eds). The Smallest Anthropoids: the Marmoset/Callimico Radiation. Springer, New York, 241-258.
Rehg JA (2007) Population density of Callimico goeldii (Goeldi's monkey) in relationship to home range and habitat in a forest fragment in Acre, Brazil. In: Julio Bicca-Marques (ed). A Primatologia no Brasil, volume 10. Sociedade Brasileira de Primatologia, Porto Alegre, 269-298.
Rehg JA (2006) Seasonal variation in polyspecific associations among Callimico goeldii, Saguinus labiatus, and S. fuscicollis in Acre, Brazil. International Journal of Primatology 27 (5): 1399-1428.
Rehg JA (2006) Hábitats utilizados por três espécies de primatas, Callimico goeldii, Saguinus labiatus e Saguinus fuscicollis, na Fazenda Experimental Catuaba, Acre, Brasil [Habitat preferences of three primate species, Callimico goeldii, Saguinus labiatus and Saguinus fuscicollis, at the Fazenda Experimental Catuaba, Acre, Brazil]. In: Patricia Drummond (ed). Fauna do Acre. Série Estudos e Pesquisas, 2. Rio Branco: EDUFAC. p 147-172.
Rasmussen DT, Rehg JA, and Guilherme E (2006) Avifauna da Fazenda Experimental Catuaba: uma pequena reserva florestal no leste do Estado do Acre, Brasil [Birds of the Fazenda Experimental Catuaba: a small forest reserve in eastern Acre, Brazil]. In: Patricia Drummond (ed). Fauna do Acre. Série Estudos e Pesquisas, 2. Rio Branco: EDUFAC. p 173-198.
Azevedo Lopes MAO and Rehg JA (2004) Observations of Callimico goeldii with Saguinus imperator at the Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, Brazil. Neotropical Primates 11(3):181-183.
Segue Radio Show
- Click here to hear Segue radio interview of Dr. Rehg on "The science of Monkey Business"
