Susan Riechert

Susan Riechert
Born
Susan Elise Riechert

(1945-10-20) October 20, 1945 (age 78)
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison.
Known forBehavior of spiders, evolutionary game theory
Scientific career
FieldsBehavioral ecologist
InstitutionsThe 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]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Wise, David H. (26 January 1995). Spiders in Ecological Webs. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-31061-1.
  13. ^ a b c d 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.

External links[edit]

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