Bert Hoelldobler

Emeritus Professor,

Biosocial Complexity Initiative

Other ASU affiliations

Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity (CSDC)

Social Insect Research Group

LSE 218 TEMPE, AZ 85287
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Long Bio

Bert Hölldobler is a behavioral biologist who investigates how insect societies are organized. He and his research team explore the behavioral mechanisms that underlie communication and division of labor systems in ant societies. They also investigate how separate ant colonies communicate with one another during territorial interactions and they explore how the complex multimodal communication codes in ant societies have been broken by a variety of solitary insects, which live as parasites inside ant colonies. This multi-faceted research has resulted in many new discoveries about multimodal communication and orientation behavior in animals, the dynamics of social structures and the evolution of animal societies.

Hölldobler also co-authored “The Ants” and "The Superorganism" with Edward O. Wilson. These volumes explore the diversity of social organizations in ants and what makes them ecological so successful and how insect societies can be viewed as superorganisms and what this implies for the theory of social evolution. He received a Pulitizer Prize in 1991 (with E.O. Wilson) for "The Ants."

Hölldobler is University Professor of Life Sciences, Regents and Foundation Professor in the School of Life Sciences.

Education

1947-1956: Gymnasium Marktbreit (W-Germany)
1956: Abitur
1956-1962: University of Würzburg (W-Germany) Staatsexamen
1962-1965: Research for Dissertation at the University of Würzburg
1965: Degree Dr. rer.nat.
1969: Habilitation at the University of Frankfurt (W-Germany) Degree: Privatdozent (Dr. habil.)
1973: honorary MA, Harvard University

Curriculum Vitae

Video

Research Interests

Behavioral physiology and ecology, sociobiology, biology of social insects, chemical ecology and evolutionary biology.

Research Group

Organismal, Integrative and Systems Biology

Publications

Articles 325 - examples below

Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson, The Superorganism, W.W. Norton, New York 2008
Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson, THE ANTS, Harvard University Press, (Cambridge MA, London UK), 1990, pp 732
Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson, JOURNEY TO THE ANTS, Harvard University Press, (Cambridge MA, London UK), 1994, pp 228 ( this book appeared in 13 languages)
R.Wirth, H. Herz, R. Reyel, W. Beyschlag, B. Hölldobler, HERBIVORY IN LEAF-CUTTING ANTS, Springer Verlag (Heidelberg, London, New York, Tokio), 2003, pp 230
Adrian Smith, Berthold Hoelldobler, Juergen Liebig. Hydrocarbon Signals Explain the Pattern of Worker and Egg Policing in the Ant Aphaenogaster cockerelli. Journal of Chemical Ecology (2008).

Books

Hölldobler, B. and M. Lindauer, (ed.):
Experimental Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Fischer-Verlag, Stuttgart and Sinauer Assoc. Publ., Sunderland, Mass., 1985
Hölldobler, B. and E.O. Wilson: THE ANTS
Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, and Springer-Verlag Heidelberg-Berlin, 1990
Hölldobler, B. and E.O. Wilson: Journey to the Ants Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Translated into 13 languages)
Wirth, R., Herz, H., Ryel, R.J., Beyschlag, W., Hölldobler, B.: Herbivory of Leaf-Cutting Ants, Springer-Verlag 2003
Hölldobler, B. and E.O.Wilson: The SUPERORGANISM W.W.Norton New York, London 2008
Hölldobler, B. and E.O. Wilson: The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct. W.W. Norton, New York, London 2011
Hölldobler, B. und E. O. Wilson: Auf den Spuren der Ameisen:
Die Entdeckung einer faszinierenden Welt. Spektrum-Springer- Verlag, Heidelberg, 2013; (3rd edition 2015).

Presentations

Messenger-Lecturer, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY., 1976
Keynote Lecturer at Symposium for International Prize for Biology to Peter Raven, Government of Japan, Kyoto, 1986
Nils von Hofsten-Lecturer: University of Uppsala, 1992
Bernhard Rensch-Lecturer: University of Münster, 1995
Johannes Müller-Lecturer: Free University of Berlin, 1995
Michael Perkins-Lecturer: Cambridge University, 1996
Charles Michener-Lecturer: University of Kansas, 1997
King-Solomon-Lecturer: Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1997
Ford-Lecturer: University of Minnesota, 1998
Peter Hemmerich-Lecturer, University of Konstanz, 1999
Tinbergen-Lecturer, Assoc. for the Study of Animal Behaviour, London, 1999
"Superspeaker" 2000, elected by the graduate students of Duke University, N.C. USA
Johannes Gutenberg Stiftungsprofessor, University of Mainz, Germany, 2001
Andrew D. White Professor at Large, Cornell University, 2002 - 2008
Givaudan-Lecturer at the 25th AChem S –meeting 2003 Santschi-Lecturer, University of Zürich, 2003
Distinguished Lecturer, Vanderbilt University, 2003
John Wesley Powell Memorial Lecture, Southwestern Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2005
Keynote Lecturer, American Animal Behavior Society, 2009 Alfred M. Boyce Lecturer, University of California, Riverside, 2010
Keynote Lecturer, International Idea Festival, Kentucky, 2010 Graduate Student Elected Lecturer, University of California, Irvine, 2010
Graduate Student Elected Lecturer, Rockefeller University, New York, 2010
Graduate Student and Postdoc Elected speaker Janelia Farm, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2011
Keynote Lecturer at International Conference Chemical Ecology, Vancouver 2011
Graduate Student Elected Lecturer, Washington State University, 2012
Graduate Student Elected Lecturer, Vanderbilt University, 2013
Charles Michener Lecturer, University of Kansas, 2013
Graduate Student Elected Lecturer, Rutgers University, 2014
Distinguished Guest Lecturer, Brandeis University, 2014
Numerous other guest lectures, keynote lectures, plenary talks

Honors / Awards

John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship (1980)
USA-Senior Scientist Prize of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (1987)
Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Prize of the German Science Foundation (1990)
R.R.Hawkins-Prize of the Association of American Publishers for the Most Outstanding Professional Reference or Scholarly Work 1990 for the book THE ANTS (with E.O. Wilson) Pulitzer-Prize 1991 for non-fiction writing for the book THE ANTS (with E.O. Wilson)
Short-listed Rhône-Poulenc-Prize for the book Journey to the Ants, 1995 (with E.O. Wilson)
Phi Beta Kappa-Prize for the book Journey to the Ants, 1995 (with E.O. Wilson)
Science book of the year for "Ameisen" (Bild der Wissenschaft), 1995 (with E.O. Wilson)
Karl Ritter von Frisch Medal and Science Prize of the German Zoological Society 1996
Körber-Prize for the European Sciences 1996
Benjamin Franklin-Wilhelm v. Humboldt Prize of the German-American Academic Council 1999
The Ants by Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson listed number 27 among the best 100 nonfiction books of the century (Modern Library List of Random House Publishers) Honorary-Doctoral-Degree (Dr.h.c.) of the University of Konstanz (Germany) 2000
Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (2000) (National Merit Medal of Germany)
Andrew D. White Professor at Large (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA) 2002-
Raman Chair, Indian Academy of Sciences 2003, declined Werner Heisenberg-Medal of the Alexander v. Humboldt- Foundation, 2003
Maximilian Medal and election to the Maximilian Order, State of Bavaria, 2003
Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftspreis, 2004
Jackson Hole Wild Life Film Festival Special Jury Award for the movie ANTS: NATURE’s SECRET POWER (with Wolfgang Thaler) 2005
The book “THE SUPERORGANISM”, (also with E.O. Wilson), was chosen as the New York Times Notable Book of the Year (2008) and Library Journals Top Sci-Tech Books of the Year (2008). It was also chosen as one of the stand-out books of 2009 by the Financial Times.
Ernst Jünger Prize in Entomology, 2010
Lichtenberg Medal, Göttingen Academy of Sciences, 2010 Cothenius Medal in Gold, National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany, 2011
Roentgen Medal, University of Würzburg, 2012
Exemplar Award of the American Animal Behavior Society 2013
Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Entomology, London, UK, 2014
Lorenz Oken Medal of the German Society for the Advancement of Sciences and Medicine, 2016

Professional Associations

Elected Member of:

American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1974)
Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher, Leopoldina (1975)
Member of the Senate of Leopoldina (1991-2002)
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (1979)
Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (corresp. member 1986; o. member 1995)
Academia Europaea (1994)
Wissen- schaftliche Gesellschaft der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Univer- sität Frankfurt (1990)
Fellow of the American Animal Behavior Society (1992)
Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (corresponding member, 1995)
Foreign Member of the American Philosophical Society (1997)
Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) (1998 - 2014)
Member of the National Academy of Science (USA) (2014)

Member of:

Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft
International Union for the Study of Social Insects
Cambridge Entomological Society
Animal Behavior Society
Society for the Study of Evolution
Society of American Naturalists
International Society of Chemical Ecology
German Ethological Society
International Society for Behavioral Ecology
International Society for Behavioral Ecology
International Society of Neuroethology

Expertise Areas

Behavior

Communication

Evolution

Science Communication

Social Insects

Sociality