| 1 | Name: | Dr. Bert Hölldobler | |
| Institution: | Biozentrum of the University of Würzburg; Arizona State University | ||
| Year Elected: | 1997 | ||
| Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 205. Microbiology | ||
| Residency: | International | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1936 | ||
Bert Hölldobler is one of the foremost authorities in the world on insect behavior and the behavioral ecology of invertebrate animals. In a series of brilliant experiments and field studies over the past forty years, he has demonstrated the extreme adaptations to the environment of which the insect brain is capable: for example, the demonstration of military-like strategies and "diplomacy" in conflict between ant colonies and the basis of ant trap jaw predation -- the reflex arc and most rapid mechanical movements known in animals. His Pulitzer Prize-winning book (with E.O. Wilson) The Ants is a widely-hailed classic, and The Superorganism, Wilson's and Hölldobler's most recent collaboration, provides another in-depth look at the intricate ways of social insects. As Professor of Zoology Emeritus at the Biozentrum of the University of Würzburg and Foundation Professor of Life Sciences at the Arizona State University School of Life Sciences, Dr. Hölldobler continues his interest in the evolution of social organizations in insects and in the underlying mechanisms that make insect societies work. In 2016 he was awarded the Lorenz Oken Medal. | |||