Johannes Schmidt (biologist)
Encyclopedia
Johannes Schmidt (January 2, 1877 - February 21, 1933) was a Danish biologist
credited with discovering in 1920 that eel
s migrate to the Sargasso Sea
to spawn. Before this people in North America and Europe had wondered why there were no baby eels where they were fishing.
Schmidt began his studies of natural history at the University of Copenhagen
under professor of botany Eugen Warming and obtained an MS degree in 1898. He obtained a grant from the Carlsberg Foundation
to study the flora of the coastal areas of Ko Chang
in then Siam, including both mangrove
trees and microalgae. He made his doctoral thesis on shoot architecture of mangrove
trees and Eugen Warming served as faculty opponent in October 1903.
Schmidt then more or less switched to marine zoology
, working 1902-1909 parttime for the Botanical Institute of the University of Copenhagen
, parttime for the Danish Commission for Investigation of the Sea. In 1909, he was made head of the department of physiology at the Carlsberg Laboratory
, a post he held until his early death.
Schmidt worked in parallel on phycologist
, where he described the genus Richelia - filamentous heterocyst
-forming Cyanobacteria dwelling inside diatom
s, on plant physiology
and genetics
especially of hops and on large-scale oceanography
and ichtyology. 1928-1930, he led the Dana Expedition, funded by the Carlsberg Foundation
, being a two-year voyage around the world's oceans. The discovery of the spawning place of the eel was one of the results of this expedition.
A peculiar incident is worth of notice. A paper on the life-history of the eel, published 1912 in Germany
, had first been sent to London to be published by the Royal Society
, but was refused with a note that Grassi's
work on the subject sufficed. This constitutes a clear example of peer review failure. Ten years later, Schmidt's work on the spawning place of the eel was published by the Royal Society
and even later he was awarded the Darwin Medal
.
Johannes Schmidt was married (since 1903) to Ingeborg Kühle, daughter of the chief director of the Old Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen
.
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
credited with discovering in 1920 that eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
s migrate to the Sargasso Sea
Sargasso Sea
The Sargasso Sea is a region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by ocean currents. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Current; on the east, by the Canary Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current. This...
to spawn. Before this people in North America and Europe had wondered why there were no baby eels where they were fishing.
Schmidt began his studies of natural history at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
under professor of botany Eugen Warming and obtained an MS degree in 1898. He obtained a grant from the Carlsberg Foundation
Carlsberg Foundation
Carlsberg Foundation was founded by J. C. Jacobsen in 1876 and owns 30,3% of the shares in Carlsberg Group and has 74,2% of the voting power.The purpose of the foundation is to run and fund Carlsberg Laboratory, the museum at Frederiksborg Palace, to fund scientific research, run the Ny Carlsberg...
to study the flora of the coastal areas of Ko Chang
Ko Chang
Ko Chang is the third largest island of Thailand , located on the Thai east coast 310 km away from Bangkok near the border to Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand. The name means Elephant Island. Ko Chang was named for the elephant shape of its headland, although elephants are not indigenous to...
in then Siam, including both mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
trees and microalgae. He made his doctoral thesis on shoot architecture of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
trees and Eugen Warming served as faculty opponent in October 1903.
Schmidt then more or less switched to marine zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, working 1902-1909 parttime for the Botanical Institute of the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, parttime for the Danish Commission for Investigation of the Sea. In 1909, he was made head of the department of physiology at the Carlsberg Laboratory
Carlsberg Laboratory
The Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark was created in 1875 by J. C. Jacobsen, the founder of the Carlsberg brewery, for the sake of advancing biochemical knowledge, especially relating to brewing. It featured a Department of Chemistry and a Department of Physiology...
, a post he held until his early death.
Schmidt worked in parallel on phycologist
Phycology
Phycology is the scientific study of algae. Phycology is a branch of life science and often is regarded as a subdiscipline of botany....
, where he described the genus Richelia - filamentous heterocyst
Heterocyst
Heterocysts are specialized nitrogen-fixing cells formed by some filamentous cyanobacteria, such as Nostoc punctiforme, Cylindrospermum stagnale and Anabaena sphaerica, during nitrogen starvation. They fix nitrogen from dinitrogen in the air using the enzyme nitrogenase, in order to provide the...
-forming Cyanobacteria dwelling inside diatom
Diatom
Diatoms are a major group of algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans , zigzags , or stellate colonies . Diatoms are producers within the food chain...
s, on plant physiology
Plant physiology
Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology , plant ecology , phytochemistry , cell biology, and molecular biology.Fundamental processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, plant nutrition,...
and genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
especially of hops and on large-scale oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
and ichtyology. 1928-1930, he led the Dana Expedition, funded by the Carlsberg Foundation
Carlsberg Foundation
Carlsberg Foundation was founded by J. C. Jacobsen in 1876 and owns 30,3% of the shares in Carlsberg Group and has 74,2% of the voting power.The purpose of the foundation is to run and fund Carlsberg Laboratory, the museum at Frederiksborg Palace, to fund scientific research, run the Ny Carlsberg...
, being a two-year voyage around the world's oceans. The discovery of the spawning place of the eel was one of the results of this expedition.
A peculiar incident is worth of notice. A paper on the life-history of the eel, published 1912 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, had first been sent to London to be published by the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, but was refused with a note that Grassi's
Giovanni Battista Grassi
Giovanni Battista Grassi was an Italian zoologist, known for work demonstrating that mosquitos carry the malaria parasite Plasmodium in their digestive tract, on the embryological development of honey bees, on parasites, particularly the vine parasite phylloxera, migrations and metamorphosis in...
work on the subject sufficed. This constitutes a clear example of peer review failure. Ten years later, Schmidt's work on the spawning place of the eel was published by the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and even later he was awarded the Darwin Medal
Darwin Medal
The Darwin Medal is awarded by the Royal Society every alternate year for "work of acknowledged distinction in the broad area of biology in which Charles Darwin worked, notably in evolution, population biology, organismal biology and biological diversity". First awarded in 1890, it was created in...
.
Johannes Schmidt was married (since 1903) to Ingeborg Kühle, daughter of the chief director of the Old Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
Honours
- Fellow of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and LettersRoyal Danish Academy of Sciences and LettersRoyal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters is a Danish non-governmental science Academy, founded 13 November 1742 by permission of the King Christian VI, as a historical Collegium Antiquitatum...
- Honorary doctor, University of LiverpoolUniversity of LiverpoolThe University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
, 1923 - Oxford University's Weldon Memorial Prize, 1923
- Honorary fellow, Royal Society of EdinburghRoyal Society of EdinburghThe Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
, 1927 - Darwin MedalDarwin MedalThe Darwin Medal is awarded by the Royal Society every alternate year for "work of acknowledged distinction in the broad area of biology in which Charles Darwin worked, notably in evolution, population biology, organismal biology and biological diversity". First awarded in 1890, it was created in...
, 1930 - Alexander Agassiz MedalAlexander Agassiz MedalThe Alexander Agassiz Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for an original contribution in the science of oceanography. It was established by Sir John Murray in honor of his friend Alexander Agassiz.-Recipients:-References:NotesA...
, 1930 - Galathea Medal, 1930
- Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire Medal, 1931