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Susan Riechert

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Susan Elise Riechert (born October 20, 1945)[1] is an American behavioral ecologist known for her research on 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, she worked at the University of Tennessee as UTK Distingushed 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. Her interest in spider behavior began through an undergraduate class in zoology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 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.[8] Research that she conducted based on this interest would lead to her to publish her "seminal work",[8] "Games Spiders Play," in 1978. She 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 Notable Research

Knox news described Riechert as "something of a pioneer - one of the first women to enter her field as an independent researcher."[8]

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 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.[9] 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.[10]

Members of the genus Agelenopsis (American grass spiders) featured prominently in Riechert's work, with the species Agelenopsis Aperta being mentioned several times.[9][11][12][13][14] Riechert's focus as a behavioral arachnologist led her to examine both the genetic[10][9] and non-genetic reasons[15] behind these spiders' behaviors in various areas, such as feeding,[15] maturation,[11] and mating.[16][17] The genus was, in fact, the topic of "Games Spiders Play," Riechert's landmark contribution[8] to behavioral arachnology.[14] In it, she demonstrated that the aforementioned spiders engaged in territorial disputes similar to those seen in much larger creatures.[14] Most spiders are not social animals, so this behavior was unexpected at the time.[8][14] Riechert's analysis would cement her place in the behavioral arachnology community.[8]

Recognition

The Animal Behavior Society elected Riechert as a fellow in 1993.[18] 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".[19] She won the Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award for 2016.[20] The Animal Behavior Society gave Riechert their 2018 Penny Bernstein Distinguished Teaching Award.[21] A festschrift symposium, sponsored by the Animal Behavior Society, was held in her honor in 2020.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b "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 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. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b c Hammerstein, Peter (April 1, 1988). "Payoffs and strategies in territorial contests: ESS analyses of two ecotypes of the spider Agelenopsis aperta". Evolutionary Ecology. 2 (2): 155–138. doi:10.1007/BF02067272. S2CID 24036435. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Hendrick, Ann; Riechert, Susan (September 1, 1989). "Genetically-based variation between two spider populations in foraging behavior". Oecologia. 80 (4): 533–539. Bibcode:1989Oecol..80..533H. doi:10.1007/BF00380078. PMID 28312840. S2CID 2781570. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Riechert, Susan; Pruitt, Jonathan; Bosco, Jennifer (November 1, 2017). "In the spider nursery: Indifference, cooperation, or antagonism?". Journal of Arachnology. 45 (3): 283–286. doi:10.1636/JoA-S-16-068.1. S2CID 89871930. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Ayoub, Nadia; Riechert, Susan (December 1, 2004). "Molecular evidence for Pleistocene glacial cycles driving diversification of a North American desert spider, Agelenopsis aperta". Molecular Ecology. 13 (11): 34–65. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02335.x. PMID 15488003. S2CID 22979035. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  13. ^ Riechert, Susan; Bosco, Jennifer; O'Meara, Brian (July 3, 2017). "The ontogeny of personality traits in the desert funnel-web spider, Agelenopsis lisa (Araneae: Agelenidae)". Ethology. 123 (9): 648–658. doi:10.1111/eth.12639. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ a b Maupin, Jennifer; Riechert, Susan (September 9, 2001). "Superfluous killing in spiders: A consequence of adaptation to food-limited environments?". Behavioral Ecology. 12 (5): 569–576. doi:10.1093/beheco/12.5.569. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  16. ^ Becker, Elizabeth; Riechert, Susan; Singer, Fred (January 1, 2005). "Male induction of female quiescence/catalepsis during courtship in the spider, Agelenopsis aperta". Behaviour. 142 (1): 57–70. doi:10.1163/1568539053627767. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  17. ^ Riechert, Susan; Johns, Phillip (July 1, 2003). "Do female spiders select heavier males for the genes or behavioral aggressiveness they offer their offspring?". Evolution. 57 (6): 67–73. doi:10.1554/02-677. S2CID 198155929. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "Fellows". Animal Behavior Society. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ten UT Knoxville Professors Named AAAS Fellows; More Than Any Southern School". Campus News. University of Tennessee Knoxville. December 18, 2008.
  20. ^ "Riechert Receives 2016 SEC Faculty Achievement Award". Campus News. University of Tennessee Knoxville. March 30, 2016.
  21. ^ "2018 Penny Bernstein Distinguished Teaching Award". Newsletter of the Animal Behavior Society. Vol. 63, no. 2. Summer 2018.
  22. ^ "Program symposia". ABS 2020. Animal Behavior Society. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
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