Leticia Avilés Explained

Leticia Avilés is an Ecuadoran evolutionary biologist and ecologist who studies the evolution of social behavior and the evolution of life history traits in metapopulations. Her methods include a combination of theory and empirical work, the latter using social spiders as a model system. Her research on these organisms has addressed questions such as why some spiders live in groups,[1] [2] why do they exhibit highly female-biased sex ratios,[3] and why have they evolved a system where individuals remain in the natal nest to mate from generation to generation.[4] [5] [6]

Career

Avilés is perhaps best known for having recognized the importance of social spiders as model systems to address basic questions in ecology and evolution. In the process she discovered a number of social spiders previously unknown to science, including a nomadic social spider whose colonies reproduce by fission—Aebutina binotata,[7] [8] a social lynx spider—Tapinillus sp.,[9] and a social theridiid whose colonies exhibit a boom and bust pattern of growth and adult females occur in two distinct size classes—Theridion nigroannulatum.[10] Her theoretical work has addressed questions such as the importance of multilevel selection in the evolution of female-biased sex ratios, why strongly inbred systems may evolve, and the importance of ecology and nonlinear dynamics in social evolution.[11] [12] One of Avilés's theoretical papers addresses the question of how cooperation among nonrelatives can be maintained despite the presence of freeloaders.[13] Today, Avilés is a professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia in Canada, where she does research in ecology and evolution.[14]

Education

Avilés is a native of Ecuador.

Awards

References

  1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23276484_Colony_size_and_individual_fitness_in_the_social_spider_Anelosimus_eximius Avilés, L. and P. Tufiño. 1998. Colony size and individual fitness in the social spider Anelosimus eximius. The American Naturalist 152: 403–418.
  2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23158436_Cooperative_capture_of_large_prey_solves_scaling_challenge_faced_by_spider_societies Yip, E.C, K.S. Powers, and L. Avilés. 2008. Cooperative capture of large prey solves scaling challenge faced by large spider societies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 105: 11818-11822.
  3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249140621_Interdemic_Selection_and_the_Sex_Ratio_A_Social_Spider_Perspective Avilés, L. 1993. Interdemic selection and the sex ratio: a social spider perspective. The American Naturalist 142:320–345.
  4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259312463_Causes_and_consequences_of_cooperation_and_permanent-sociality_in_spiders Avilés, L. 1997. Causes and consequences of cooperation and permanent sociality in spiders. In book: Evolution of Social Behaviour in Insects and Arachnids, Cambridge University Press, Eds: J. Choe and B. Crespi, pp.476–498.
  5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7223091_Group_living_and_inbreeding_depression_in_a_subsocial_spider Avilés, L. and T. Bukowski. 2006. Group living and inbreeding depression in a subsocial spider. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: 270: 157–163.
  6. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259116856_The_evolution_of_inbred_social_systems_in_spiders_and_other_organisms_From_short-term_gains_to_long_term_evolutionary_dead-ends Avilés, L. and J. Purcell. 2012. The evolution of inbred social systems in spiders and other organisms: From short-term gains to long term evolutionary dead-ends? Invited synthesis paper, Advances in the Study of Behavior, 44: 99–133.
  7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/201995906_Newly-discovered_sociality_in_the_neotropical_spider_Aebutina_binotata_Simon_%28Dictynidae%29 Avilés, L. 1993. Newly-discovered sociality in the neotropical spider Aebutina binotata Simon (Araneae, Dictynidae). Journal of Arachnology 21:184–193.
  8. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/201995908_Nomadic_behaviour_and_colony_fission_in_a_cooperative_spider_life_history_evolution_at_the_level_of_the_colony Avilés, L. 2000. Nomadic behaviour and colony fission in a cooperative spider: life history evolution at the level of the colony? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 70: 325–339.
  9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/201995907_Social_behaviour_in_web-building_lynx_spider_Tapinillus_sp._%28Araneae_Oxyopidae%29 Avilés, L. 1994. Social behavior in a web building lynx spider, Tapinillus sp. (Araneae: Oxyopidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 51:163–176.
  10. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227713136_A_New_Independently_Derived_Social_Spider_with_Explosive_Colony_Proliferation_and_a_Female_Size_Dimorphism1 Avilés, L. W. Maddison, and I. Agnarsson. 2006. A new independently derived social spider with explosive colony proliferation and a female size dimorphism. Biotropica, 36: 743–753.
  11. https://scholar.google.ca/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=Ajz00-YAAAAJ&pagesize=100&sortby=pubdate&citation_for_view=Ajz00-YAAAAJ:9yKSN-GCB0IC Avilés, L. 1999. Cooperation and non-linear dynamics: An ecological perspective on the evolution of sociality. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 1: 459–477.
  12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23174904_Population_ecology_nonlinear_dynamics_and_social_evolution._I._Associations_among_nonrelatives Avilés, L., P. Abbot and A. Cutter. 2002. Population ecology, nonlinear dynamics, and social evolution I: Associations among nonrelatives. The American Naturalist 159: 115–127.
  13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8653315_Solving_the_freeloaders_paradox_Genetic_associations_and_frequency-dependent_selection_in_the_evolution_of_cooperation_among_nonrelatives Avilés, L. 2002. Solving the freeloaders paradox: Genetic associations and frequency dependent selection in the evolution of cooperation among nonrelatives. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 99(22):14268-14273.
  14. "Department of Zoology." Leticia Avilés. University of British Columbia, 20 May 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/person/laviles

Further reading

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