Susan Riechert

Last updated
Susan Riechert
Born
Susan Elise Riechert

(1945-10-20) October 20, 1945 (age 77)
Alma mater University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Known forBehavior of spiders, evolutionary game theory
Scientific career
Fields Behavioral ecologist
Institutions The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Susan Elise Riechert (born October 20, 1945) [1] is an American behavioral ecologist known for her research in evolutionary biology, evolutionary game theory and the behavior of spiders. [2] She is also known for her "biology in a box" teaching materials, used by hundreds of thousands of elementary and secondary school students in Tennessee. [3]

Contents

Until her retirement in 2020, Riechert worked at the University of Tennessee as UTK Distinguished Service Professor and as UTK Chancellors Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. [4] [5] She was president of the American Arachnological Society for 1983–1985, [6] and president of the Animal Behavior Society in 1997. [7]

Early life and education

Riechert lost much of her hearing through scarlet fever as a child. [5] Her interest in spider behavior began through a field zoology class at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. [8] After nearly drowning trying to catch fish for the class, she switched to a subject that was safer to catch, spiders. [5] Her interest was further piqued after she observed a large population of spiders exhibiting territorial behaviors that only vertebrates were thought to be capable of at the time. [9] Research that she conducted based on this interest would lead to her to publish her "seminal work","Games Spiders Play," in 1978. [9] [1]

Riechert earned a B.A. in 1967, an M.A. in 1970, and a Ph.D. in 1973, all at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. [1]

Career and Research

Knox News described Riechert as "something of a pioneer - one of the first women to enter her field as an independent researcher." [9]

Of particular note is the fact that several of her studies were focused on the effect that variations in a species had on the behavior of its members. In 1988, she and Peter Hammerstein conducted a study that led her to hypothesize that riparian populations of Agelenopsis aperta could not fully adapt to their new environs because of gene flow from non-riparian populations of the species that lived nearby. [10] In 1989, Riechert co-authored a paper titled "Genetically-based variation between two spider populations in foraging behavior," in which she and fellow arachnologist Ann Hendrick discussed how genetic differences in the population of one species can have an impact on the way they search for food. [11]

Members of the genus Agelenopsis (American grass spiders) featured prominently in Riechert's work, particularly the species Agelenopsis Aperta. [12] : 190–191  [11] [13] Riechert's focus as a behavioral arachnologist led her to examine both the genetic and non-genetic reasons behind these spiders' behaviors in various areas, such as feeding, maturation, and mating. [12] : 20–24  The genus was, in fact, the topic of "Games Spiders Play," a landmark contribution by Riechert to behavioral arachnology. [9] [13] Riechert demonstrated that the aforementioned spiders engaged in territorial disputes similar to those seen in much larger creatures. [14] [13] Most spiders are not social animals, so this behavior was unexpected at the time. [9] [13] Riechert's analysis would cement her place in the behavioral arachnology community. [9]

Recognition

The Animal Behavior Society elected Riechert as a fellow in 1993. [15] In 2008, Riechert was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, "for distinguished contributions to the field of behavior and ecology". [16] She won the Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award for 2016. [17] The Animal Behavior Society gave Riechert their 2018 Penny Bernstein Distinguished Teaching Award. [18] A festschrift symposium, sponsored by the Animal Behavior Society, was held in her honor in 2020. [19]

Notable associates

Jonathan Pruitt achieved a PhD with Riechert as his advisor and was able to attain prestigious positions in academia despite his youth thanks to his acclaimed publications. However, the validity and truthfulness of his research data was called into question in 2020. Since then, many of the papers Pruitt co-authored based on his data have been retracted, others called into question, and papers from other authors which cited Pruitt's compromised papers have had to have been corrected and updated. In November 2021, University of Tennessee Knoxville removed Pruitt's dissertation from its library. [20] [21] Riechert said she was "devastated" by the news, but added that if Pruitt had truly falsified data, he had to "pay the price". [22]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sociobiology</span> Subdiscipline of biology regarding social behavior

Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to examine and explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including psychology, ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and population genetics. Within the study of human societies, sociobiology is closely allied to evolutionary anthropology, human behavioral ecology, evolutionary psychology, and sociology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arachnology</span> Scientific study of spiders and related animals

Arachnology is the scientific study of arachnids, which comprise spiders and related invertebrates such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and harvestmen. Those who study spiders and other arachnids are arachnologists. More narrowly, the study of spiders alone is known as araneology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowl and doily spider</span> Species of spider

The bowl and doily spider is a species of sheet weaver found in North and Central America. It is a small spider, about 4 mm (0.16 in) long, that weaves a fairly complex and unique sheet web system consisting of an inverted dome shaped web, or "bowl," suspended above a horizontal sheet web, or "doily", hence its common name. The spider hangs from the underside of the "bowl", and bites through the web small flies, gnats and other small insects that fall down into the non-sticky webbing. The webs are commonly seen in weedy fields and in shrubs, and may often contain both a male and a female spider in late summer—like many linyphiids, Frontinella males and females may cohabitate for some time. Males exhibit competition for female mates both by fighting and sperm competition. Uniquely, these spiders exhibit behavioral thermoregulation and have lengthened circadian rhythms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clumping (biology)</span> Biological behavior

Clumping is a behavior in an organism, usually sessile, in which individuals of a particular species group close to one another for beneficial purposes. Clumping can be caused by the abiotic environment surrounding an organism. Barnacles, for example, group together on rocks that are exposed for the least amount of time during the low tide. Usually, clumping in sessile animals starts when one organism binds to a hard substrate, such as rock, and other members of the same species attach themselves afterwards. Herbivorous snails are known to clump around where sufficient algae are present. The clumping of mussels has been found to be influenced by competition with other species. The mussels attach themselves by byssal threads to potential competitors for space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinneret</span> External body part of a spider

A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and are typically segmented. While most spiders have six spinnerets, some have two, four, or eight. They can move both independently and in concert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raft spider</span> Species of spider

The raft spider, scientific name Dolomedes fimbriatus, is a large semi-aquatic spider of the family Pisauridae found throughout north-western and central Europe. It is one of only two species of the genus Dolomedes found in Europe, the other being the slightly larger Dolomedesplantarius which is endangered in the UK.

Monogamous pairing in animals refers to the natural history of mating systems in which species pair bond to raise offspring. This is associated, usually implicitly, with sexual monogamy.

<i>Misumena vatia</i> Species of spider

Misumena vatia is a species of crab spider with a holarctic distribution. In North America, it is called the goldenrod crab spider or flower (crab) spider, as it is commonly found hunting in goldenrod sprays and milkweed plants. They are called crab spiders because of their unique ability to walk sideways as well as forwards and backwards. Both males and females of this species progress through several molts before reaching their adult sizes, though females must molt more to reach their larger size. Females can grow up to 10 mm (0.39 in) while males are quite small, reaching 5 mm (0.20 in) at most. Misumena vatia are usually yellow or white or a pattern of these two colors. They may also present with pale green or pink instead of yellow, again, in a pattern with white. They have the ability to change between these colors based on their surroundings through the molting process. They have a complex visual system, with eight eyes, that they rely on for prey capture and for their color-changing abilities. Sometimes, if Misumena vatia consumes colored prey, the spider itself will take on that color.

Spider behavior refers to the range of behaviors and activities performed by spiders. Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms which is reflected in their large diversity of behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual cannibalism</span> Practice of animals eating their own mating partners

Sexual cannibalism is when an animal, usually the female, cannibalizes its mate prior to, during, or after copulation. It is a trait observed in many arachnid orders and several insect orders. Several hypotheses to explain this seemingly paradoxical behavior have been proposed. The adaptive foraging hypothesis, aggressive spillover hypothesis and mistaken identity hypothesis are among the proposed hypotheses to explain how sexual cannibalism evolved. This behavior is believed to have evolved as a manifestation of sexual conflict, occurring when the reproductive interests of males and females differ. In many species that exhibit sexual cannibalism, the female consumes the male upon detection. Females of cannibalistic species are generally hostile and unwilling to mate; thus many males of these species have developed adaptive behaviors to counteract female aggression.

<i>Agelenopsis aperta</i> Species of spider

Agelenopsis aperta, also known as the desert grass spider or funnel-web spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Agelenidae and the genus Agelenopsis. It is found in dry and arid regions across the southern United States and into northwestern Mexico. Their body is about 13–18 mm long and they have relatively long legs in order to run after their prey. Desert grass spiders can withstand very low temperatures even though they do not cold harden. It constructs the characteristic funnel-shaped webs in crevices where the funnel will fit, where they wait in the tube for prey which they can run after using their long legs. They often hunt for their prey at night.

<i>Anelosimus studiosus</i> Species of spider

Anelosimus studiosus is a subsocial tangle web spider or theridiid spider living in both North America and South America. In 2012, genetic analysis revealed a previously identified species, A. tungurahua, is in fact the same species as A. studiosus.

<i>Agelena consociata</i> Species of spider

Agelena consociata is a social species of funnel web spider that occurs in tropical forests in West Africa and lives in colonies of one to several hundred individuals. This species is found in rainforest habitats in Gabon. It favors dense forests along creeks where colonies can build huge complex webs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">María Elena Galiano</span> Argentine arachnologist (1928–2000)

María Elena Galiano was an Argentine arachnologist. She was one of the leading taxonomists of Neotropical jumping spiders. Galiano worked at the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum in Buenos Aires. She died in an accident on October 30, 2000. The genera Galianora and Galianoella are named in her honor.

Jeanne Altmann, born March 18, 1940, in New York City, is a professor emerita and Eugene Higgins Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology currently at Princeton University. She is known for her research on the social behaviour of baboons and her contributions to contemporary primate behavioural ecology. She is a founder and co-director of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project. Her paper in 1974 on the observational study of behaviour is a cornerstone for ecologists and has been cited more than 10,000 times. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, and a member of the American Philosophical Society (2020)

<i>Agelenopsis emertoni</i> Species of spider

Agelenopsis emertoni is a species of funnel weaver in the family of spiders known as Agelenidae. It is found in the United States. The spider was named to honour arachnologist James H. Emerton. A. emertoni is distinguished from other Agelenopsis species in the genus by the male's loosely coiling embolus making more than one full circle, and a claw-like conductor tip. These features are sclerites of the male sex organ which is used to inseminate the female. The female has a distinctive conducting tube in her genitalia. The male can be between 6 and 13mm. Distribution is in the following states of the USA: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Agelenopsis pennsylvanica, commonly known as the Pennsylvania funnel-web spider or the Pennsylvania grass spider, is a species of spider in the family Agelenidae. The common name comes from the place that it was described, Pennsylvania, and the funnel shape of its web. Its closest relative is Agelenopsis potteri.

Liselotte Sundström is a Finnish zoologist. She is professor emerita of evolutionary biology at the University of Helsinki.

<i>Stegodyphus dumicola</i> Species of spider

Stegodyphus dumicola, commonly known as the African social spider, is a species of spider of the family Eresidae or the velvet spider family. It is native to Central and southern Africa. This spider is one of three Stegodyphus spiders that lives a social lifestyle. This spider has been studied living in large natal colonies in large, unkempt webs. Each colony is composed mainly of females, where a minority act as reproducers, and a majority remain childless and take care of the young. Males live a shorter lifespan and will largely remain in the natal nest throughout its life. Females are known for extreme allomaternal care, since all females, even unmated virgin females will take care of the young until they are eventually consumed by the brood.

Jonathan Neal Pruitt is a former academic researcher. He was an Associate Professor of behavioral ecology and Canada 150 Research Chair in Biological Dystopias at McMaster University. Pruitt's research focused primarily on animal personalities and the social behavior of spiders and other organisms.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Resumes of candidates" (PDF). Newsletter of the Animal Behavior Society. Vol. 30, no. 3. August 1985. p. 10.
  2. ↑ "Unraveling the top arachnid: The meaning of spider behavior is yielding to inquiries by new kinds of arachnologists: behaviorists and ecologists". Mosaic. Vol. 9, no. 6. National Science Foundation. November–December 1978. pp. 10–18. See in particular pp. 17–18.
  3. ↑ "Biology in a Box Brings Bones, Fun to K–12 Students". Campus News. University of Tennessee Knoxville. March 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ Freeberg, Todd M. (Fall 2020). "The queen of spiders has retired". Newsletter of the Animal Behavior Society. Vol. 65, no. 2.
  5. 1 2 3 Gabrielle, Vincent (November 30, 2020). "Renowned spider expert leaves her influence in places - and with people - around the world". Knoxville News-Sentinel.
  6. ↑ "The American Arachnological Society" (PDF). Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  7. ↑ Riechert, Susan (February 1997). "A message from the president" (PDF). Newsletter of the Animal Behavior Society. Vol. 42, no. 1. p. 1.
  8. ↑ Langenheim, Jean H. (1996). "EARLY HISTORY AND PROGRESS OF WOMEN ECOLOGISTS: Emphasis Upon Research Contributions". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 27 (1): 1–53. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.27.1.1 . Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gabrielle, Vincent (November 29, 2020). "Renowned spider expert leaves her influence in places - and with people - around the world". Knoxville News Sentinel. Knox News. Knox News. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ Dugatkin, Lee Alan; Reeve, Hudson Kern (23 March 2000). Game Theory and Animal Behavior. Oxford University Press. p. 86. ISBN   978-0-19-535020-3 . Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  11. 1 2 Barbosa, Pedro; Castellanos, Ignacio (11 August 2005). Ecology of Predator-Prey Interactions. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 62–68. ISBN   978-0-19-517120-4 . Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  12. 1 2 Wise, David H. (26 January 1995). Spiders in Ecological Webs. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-31061-1.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Riechert, Susan (January 6, 1978). "Games spiders play: Behavioral variability in territorial disputes". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 3 (2): 135–162. doi:10.1007/BF00294986. S2CID   45368088 . Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  14. ↑ Witt, Peter N.; Rovner, Jerome S. (1982). Spider communication : mechanisms and ecological significance. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691614533.
  15. ↑ "Fellows". Animal Behavior Society. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Ten UT Knoxville Professors Named AAAS Fellows; More Than Any Southern School". Campus News. University of Tennessee Knoxville. December 18, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Riechert Receives 2016 SEC Faculty Achievement Award". Campus News. University of Tennessee Knoxville. March 30, 2016.
  18. ↑ "2018 Penny Bernstein Distinguished Teaching Award". Newsletter of the Animal Behavior Society. Vol. 63, no. 2. Summer 2018.
  19. ↑ "Program symposia". ABS 2020. Animal Behavior Society. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  20. ↑ Pennisi, Elizabeth (15 Nov 2021). "As data probe concludes, spider biologist placed on leave, has Ph.D. thesis 'withdrawn'". Science. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  21. ↑ Pruitt, Jonathan N. (2010). Sociality in the Spider Anelosimus studiosus: Behavioral Correlates and Adaptive Consequences [Withdrawn] (Thesis). University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
  22. ↑ Pennisi, Elizabeth (31 Jan 2020). "Spider biologist denies suspicions of widespread data fraud in his animal personality research". Science. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
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