Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper
Encyclopedia
Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper (May 12, 1856 – September 9, 1901) was a botanist
and phytogeographer
who made major contributions in the fields of histology
, ecology
and plant geography.
, France
, into a family of eminent 19th century scientists. His father Wilhelm Philippe Schimper (1808-1880) was Director of the Natural History Museum in Strassburg, Professor of Geology, and a leading bryologist
. His father's cousin was Georg Wilhelm Schimper (1804-1878), prominent collector and explorer in Arabia and North Africa
and the naturalist Karl Friedrich Schimper
.
Andreas studied at the University of Strassburg from 1874 to 1878, acquiring a Ph.D. Thereafter he worked in Lyon
and travelled to the United States
, staying in Baltimore
and Massachusetts
. In 1886 he was appointed Extraordinary Professor in Bonn
, where he worked largely on cell histology, chromatophores and starch metabolism. He had become interested in phytogeography
and ecology, undertaking expeditions to the West Indies and Venezuela
in 1882-1883, and to Ceylon, Malaya
and Java
in 1889-1890, concentrating on mangroves, epiphytes and littoral vegetation. This resulted in his account of the Rhizophoraceae in Engler & Prantl's Naturl. Pflanzenfam.He is best known for Pflanzengeographie auf Physiologischer Grundlage, published in Jena in 1898, in which he coined the term tropical rainforest
.
In 1898 he accepted an invitation to join the German
deep-sea expedition aboard the Valdivia under the leadership of Prof. Chun. The trip lasted 9 months during which time they visited the Canary Islands
, Cameroon
, Cape Town
, (where he joined Rudolf Marloth
on collecting trips in the southern Cape), Kerguelen, New Amsterdam and Cocos Islands, Sumatra
, the Maldives
, Ceylon, the Seychelles
and the Red Sea
.
Returning in 1899, he took up the appointment of Professor of Botany at the University of Basel
. His health had been seriously affected by malaria
contracted in Cameroon
and Dar-es-Salaam and he died in 1901.
Marloth wrote an account of the Cape floral region for Chun's proposed Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer Valdivia 1898-1899. Schimper contributed two chapters on "Gebiet der Hartlaubgehölze" and "Der Knysnawald".
Schimper is commemorated in numerous specific names.
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and phytogeographer
Phytogeography
Phytogeography , also called geobotany, is the branch of biogeography that is concerned with the geographic distribution of plant species...
who made major contributions in the fields of histology
Histology
Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and plant geography.
Biography
Schimper was born in StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, into a family of eminent 19th century scientists. His father Wilhelm Philippe Schimper (1808-1880) was Director of the Natural History Museum in Strassburg, Professor of Geology, and a leading bryologist
Bryology
Bryology is the branch of botany concerned with the scientific study of bryophytes . Bryophytes were first studied in detail in the 18th century...
. His father's cousin was Georg Wilhelm Schimper (1804-1878), prominent collector and explorer in Arabia and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the naturalist Karl Friedrich Schimper
Karl Friedrich Schimper
Karl Friedrich Schimper was a German naturalist and poet. Born in Mannheim, he was a theology student at Heidelberg University and taught at Munich University. He pioneered research in the field of plant morphology, particularly phyllotaxis...
.
Andreas studied at the University of Strassburg from 1874 to 1878, acquiring a Ph.D. Thereafter he worked in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, staying in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. In 1886 he was appointed Extraordinary Professor in Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
, where he worked largely on cell histology, chromatophores and starch metabolism. He had become interested in phytogeography
Phytogeography
Phytogeography , also called geobotany, is the branch of biogeography that is concerned with the geographic distribution of plant species...
and ecology, undertaking expeditions to the West Indies and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
in 1882-1883, and to Ceylon, Malaya
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
and Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in 1889-1890, concentrating on mangroves, epiphytes and littoral vegetation. This resulted in his account of the Rhizophoraceae in Engler & Prantl's Naturl. Pflanzenfam.He is best known for Pflanzengeographie auf Physiologischer Grundlage, published in Jena in 1898, in which he coined the term tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
.
In 1898 he accepted an invitation to join the German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
deep-sea expedition aboard the Valdivia under the leadership of Prof. Chun. The trip lasted 9 months during which time they visited the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, (where he joined Rudolf Marloth
Rudolf Marloth
Hermann Wilhelm Rudolf Marloth 28 December 1855 Lübben, Germany - 15 May 1931 Caledon, Cape Province was a German-born South African botanist, pharmacist and analytical chemist, best known for his Flora of South Africa which appeared in six superbly illustrated volumes between 1913 and 1932...
on collecting trips in the southern Cape), Kerguelen, New Amsterdam and Cocos Islands, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
, Ceylon, the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
and the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
.
Returning in 1899, he took up the appointment of Professor of Botany at the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
. His health had been seriously affected by malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
contracted in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and Dar-es-Salaam and he died in 1901.
Marloth wrote an account of the Cape floral region for Chun's proposed Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer Valdivia 1898-1899. Schimper contributed two chapters on "Gebiet der Hartlaubgehölze" and "Der Knysnawald".
Schimper is commemorated in numerous specific names.