Annabell Klinke
Born and raised in Germany, I developed a fascination with the natural world early on, thanks in part to countless hours spent watching Steve Irwin documentaries. Inspired by his work, I decided that I wanted to become an "animal explorer." This dream guided me through my academic journey, starting with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Biology at Hochschule Bremen. After completing my undergraduate studies, I pursued a Master's in Aquatic Tropical Ecology at the University of Bremen, where I researched the responses of the soft coral Xenia umbellata to phosphate enrichment and warming.
Following my master's, I joined the Reef System Working Group at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen as a research assistant. In this role, I contributed to the "Frozen in Time" project, which compared fossilized and modern coral reefs in Curaçao to understand the long-term changes and resilience of these ecosystems.
In 2023, I began my PhD in the Behaviour, Ecology, and Evolution of Fishes lab, under the supervision of Prof. Culum Brown, Prof. Jane Williamson, and Dr. Sally Keith. My research focuses on the effects of coral reef degradation and warming on the cognitive abilities of coral-associated damselfish. I am particularly interested in how these environmental changes influence spatial learning, inhibitory control, reversal learning, and personality in damselfish. Through this work, I aim to uncover the broader impacts of reef loss on fish behavior and adaptability, contributing to our understanding of how these crucial ecosystems affect the lives of their inhabitants.
Abstracts this author is presenting: