| Birth date | 6 April 1877 |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Hanover, German Empire |
| Death date | 23 February 1944 (aged 66) |
| Death place | Seeon, Nazi Germany |
| Fields | Zoology |
| Workplaces | University of Leipzig |
| Education | University of Freiburg |
| Thesis year | 1898 |
| Academic advisors | August Weismann |
| Known for | Reaction norm |
| Awards | Member of the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina |
Richard Woltereck (6 April 1877 – 23 February 1944) was a German zoologist best known for developing the concept of reaction norm (German: Reaktionsnorm). He also conducted some of the first research that provided evidence for the process of cytoplasmic inheritance.[1] He proposed the concept in a 1909 paper that he presented to the German Zoological Society, based on his own research on the Daphnia water flea.[2][3] According to historian Raphael Falk, the concept of the reaction norm was later revived by Richard Lewontin.[4]
References
- ^ Peirson, B.R. Erick (2012-05-13). "Richard Woltereck (1877-1944)". The Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
- ^ Pierson, B.R. Erick (2012-09-06). "Richard Woltereck's Concept of Reaktionsnorm". The Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
- ^ Falk, Raphael (2001). "Can the Norm of Reaction Save the Gene Concept?". Thinking about Evolution: Historical, Philosophical, and Political Perspectives. Cambridge University Press. p. 119. ISBN 9780521620703.
- ^ Ludwig, Ryan R. (2014-01-01). "Formation and Variation: Woltereck's Concept of Reaktionsnorm and the Potentials of Environment". Thresholds. 42: 134–147. doi:10.1162/thld_a_00084. ISSN 1091-711X. S2CID 57564347
Further reading
- Harwood, Jonathan (21 July 2016). "Weimar Culture and Biological Theory: A Study of Richard Woltereck (1877–1944)". History of Science. 34 (3): 347–377. doi:10.1177/007327539603400304. PMID 11616300. S2CID 36079613