School of Biological Sciences
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0118
402.472.2571
ehebets2@unl.edu
Much of the research in my laboratory focuses on the evolution and function of complex signaling. While many displays throughout the animal kingdom simultaneously utilize multiple signals, often in multiple modalities, the function and significance of these complex displays are not well understood. The primary goal of this research program is to understand the various selection pressures that might drive the evolution of complex signaling, with a special focus on courtship signaling. The methods that I use to achieve this goal incorporate multiple levels of analysis including broad comparative approaches concentrating on behavior and morphology, manipulative laboratory and field experiments, as well as more mechanistic approaches incorporating electrophysiology and endocrine assays. Currently, while the wolf spider genus Schizocosa is the primary system within which I focus my questions regarding complex signal function, I also work on the jumping spider genus Habronattus (see publication list).
2013
Spontaneous male death and monogyny in the dark fishing spider, Steven K. Schwartz, William E. Wagner, and Eileen Hebets
2011
More Ornamented Males Exhibit Increased Predation Risk and Antipredatory Escapes, but not Greater Mortality, Kasey D. Fowler-Finn and Eileen Hebets
The degree of response to increased predation risk corresponds to male secondary sexual traits, Kasey Fowler-Finn and Eileen Hebets
Current Status and Future Directions of Research in Complex Signaling, Eileen Hebets
Chemical Communication in a Multimodal Context, Eileen A. Hebets and Aaron S. Rundus
Enigmatic Ornamentation Eases Male Reliance on Courtship Performance for Mating Success, Eileen Hebets, Jay A. Stafstrom, Rafael L. Rodriguez, and Dustin J. Wilgers
Females Are Choosier in the Dark: Environment-Dependent Reliance on Courtship Components and Its Impact on Fitness, Aaron S. Rundus, Laura Sullivan-Beckers, Dustin J. Wilgers, and Eileen Hebets
Complex courtship displays facilitate male reproductive success and plasticity in signaling across variable environments, Dustin Wilgers and Eileen Hebets
A sticky situation: Solifugids (Arachnida, Solifugae) use adhesive organs on their pedipalps for prey capture, Rodrigo H. Willemart, Roger D. Santer, Andrew J. Spence, and Eileen Hebets
2010
Female mate choice based upon male motor performance, John Byers, Eileen Hebets, and Jeffrey Podos
A signal-substrate match in the substrate-borne component of a multimodal courtship display, Damian O. Elias, Andrew C. Mason, and Eileen Hebets
Mate Choice and Learning, Eileen Hebets and Laura Sullivan-Beckers
Multimodal courtship efficacy of Schizocosa retrorsa wolf spiders: Implications of an additional signal modality, Aaron S. Rundus, Roger D. Santer, and Eileen Hebets
2009
Costs and benefits of freezing behavior in the harvestman Eumesosoma roeweri (Arachnida, Opiliones), Marie-Claire Chelini, Rodrigo H. Willemart, and Eileen Hebets
Prey capture by the whip spider Phrynus marginemaculatus C.L. Koch, Roger D. Santer and Eileen Hebets
Tactile learning by a whip spider, Phrynus marginemaculatus C. L. Koch (Arachnida, Amblypygi), Roger D. Santer and Eileen Hebets
Courtship effort is a better predictor of mating success than ornamentation for male wolf spiders, Paul S. Shamble, Dustin J. Wilgers, Katharine A. Swoboda, and Eileen Hebets
Condition-dependent alternative mating tactics in a sexually cannibalistic wolf spider, Dustin J. Wilgers, Amy C. Nicholas, David H. Reed, Gail E. Stratton, and Eileen Hebets
2008
Seismic signal dominance in the multimodal courtship display of the wolf spider Schizocosa stridulans Stratton 1991, Eileen Hebets
Substrate-dependent signaling success in the wolf spider, Schizocosa retrorsa, Eileen Hebets, Damian O. Elias, Andrew C. Mason, Gary L. Miller, and Gail E. Stratton
Diet influences mate choice selectivity in adult female wolf spiders, Eileen Hebets, Jennifer Wesson, and Paul S. Shamble
Agonistic signals received by an arthropod filiform hair allude to the prevalence of near-field sound communication, Roger D. Santer and Eileen Hebets
Supplementary Material: Agonistic signals received by an arthropod filiform hair allude to the prevalence of near-field sound communication, Roger D. Santer and Eileen Hebets
2007
A Review of Leg Ornamentation in Male Wolf Spiders, with the Description of a New Species from Australia, Artoria schizocoides (Araneae, Lycosidae), Volker W. Framenau and Eileen Hebets
SUBADULT FEMALE EXPERIENCE DOES NOT INFLUENCE SPECIES RECOGNITION IN THE WOLF SPIDER SCHIZOCOSA UETZI STRATTON 1997, Eileen Hebets
Experience leads to preference: experienced females prefer brush-legged males in a population of syntopic wolf spiders, Eileen Hebets and Cor J. Vink
Cross-modal effects on learning: a seismic stimulus improves color discrimination learning in a jumping spider, Nicole D. VanderSal and Eileen Hebets
2006
Female preference for complex/novel signals in a spider, Damian O. Elias, Eileen Hebets, and Ronald R. Hoy
REGIONAL SEISMIC SONG DIFFERENCES IN SKY ISLAND POPULATIONS OF THE JUMPING SPIDER HABRONATTUS PUGILLIS GRISWOLD (ARANEAE, SALTICIDAE), Damian O. Elias, Eileen Hebets, Ronald R. Hoy, Wayne P. Maddison, and Andrew C. Mason
Seismic signal production in a wolf spider: parallel versus serial multi-component signals, Damian O. Elias, Norman Lee, Eileen Hebets, and Andrew Mason
AN EXAMINATION OF AGONISTIC INTERACTIONS IN THE WHIP SPIDER PHRYNUS MARGINEMACULATUS (ARACHNIDA, AMBLYPYGI), Kasey D. Fowler-Finn and Eileen Hebets
The Role of Visual Ornamentation in Female Choice of a Multimodal Male Courtship Display, Eileen Hebets, K. Cuasay, and P. K. Rivlin
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF GIANT NEURONS IN THE ANTENNIFORM LEG OF THE AMBLYPYGID PHRYNUS MARGINEMACULATUS, A. J. Spence and Eileen Hebets
2005
Seismic signals are crucial for male mating success in a visual specialist jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae), Damian O. Elias, Eileen Hebets, Ronald R. Hoy, and Andrew C. Mason
Attention-altering signal interactions in the multimodal courtship display of the wolf spider Schizocosa uetzi, Eileen Hebets
Xenophilic mating preferences among populations of the jumping spider Habronattus pugillis Griswold, Eileen Hebets and Wayne P. Maddison
Complex signal function: Developing a framework of testable hypotheses, Eileen Hebets and Daniel R. Papaj
2003
Subadult experience influences adult mate choice in an arthropod: Exposed female wolf spiders prefer males of a familiar phenotype, Eileen Hebets
2002
2001
Sensory Biology of Whip Spiders (Arachnida, Amblypygi), Ranier Foelix and Eileen Hebets
2000
Electrophysiological studies of olfaction in the whip spider Phrynus parvulus (Arachnida, Amblypygi), Eileen Hebets and Reginald F. Chapman
Surviving the flood: plastron respiration in the non-tracheate arthropod Phrynus marginemaculatus (Amblypygi: Arachnida), Eileen Hebets and Reginald F. Chapman
Leg ornamentation and the efficacy of courtship display in four species of wolf spider (Araneae: Lycosidae), Eileen Hebets and George W. Uetz
1999
Female responses to isolated signals from multimodal male courtship displays in the wolf spider genus Schizocosa (Araneae: Lycosidae), Eileen Hebets and George W. Uetz
1998
Geographical variation in male courtship behavior and sexual isolation in wolf spiders of the genus Schizocosa, Gary L. Miller, Gary L. Stratton, Patricia R. Miller, and Eileen Hebets
1996
HABITAT AND COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR OF THE WOLF SPIDER SCHIZOCOSA RETRORSA (BANKS) (ARANEAE, LYCOSIDAE), Eileen Hebets, Gail E. Stratton, and Gary Miller
PATTERN AND DURATION OF COPULATION IN WOLF SPIDERS (ARANEAE, LYCOSIDAE), Gail E. Stratton, Eileen Hebets, Patricia R. Miller, and Gary L. Miller