Eric Rodger Pianka was an American herpetologist and evolutionary ecologist.
14 Facts About Eric Pianka
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Eric Pianka went on to do postdoctoral work with ecologist Robert H MacArthur at Princeton University.
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In 1966, with MacArthur, Eric Pianka coauthored the paper, "On optimal use of a patchy environment".
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Eric Pianka frequently mentioned MacArthur in his lectures and kept a webpage for his deceased mentor and colleague.
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Since 1968, Eric Pianka had been on the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin.
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Eric Pianka's research centered on empirical and theoretical components of natural history, systematics, community and landscape ecology.
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Eric Pianka's monographic treatment of this work is a landmark ecological synthesis.
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Eric Pianka's favorite lizard was a small Australian goanna, Varanus eremius.
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Eric Pianka has stated that Mims took his statements out of context and that he was simply describing what would happen from biological principles alone if present human population trends continue, and that he was not in any way advocating for it to happen.
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Eric Pianka appeared on NBC-affiliate KXAN Austin and on two cable talk-shows and posted a statement on his University of Texas website that said in part:.
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Eric Pianka had received numerous awards, and at least three species, an Australian lizard and two lizard parasites, are named after him.
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Eric Pianka received the 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist Award from the Texas Academy of Science.
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In 2015, Eric Pianka was awarded the Auffenberg Medal in recognition of his extensive research on monitor lizards by the Monitor Lizard Specialist Group.
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Eric Pianka had produced about 200 scientific papers, as well as the textbook, Evolutionary Ecology, which has gone through seven editions and has been translated into five languages.