Andreas Helbig

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Andreas Johannes Helbig (born July 28, 1957 in Berlin ; † October 19, 2005 ) was a German ornithologist and molecular biologist , from 1993 head of the Hiddensee ornithological station , chairman of the research commission of the German Ornithological Society and member of numerous international committees and associations as well as editor , Initiator and author of several specialist journals.

Life

Helbig grew up in Enger in the Herford district and graduated from high school there in 1976. He studied biology in Bielefeld , San Diego and Frankfurt am Main , where he obtained his diploma in 1983 in the subjects of zoology, biochemistry and meteorology. It concerned itself in this context with the domestic migration and also conducted research in Canada over snow geese . After completing his studies, he did his community service at Dümmer . From 1985 to 1989 he worked on his dissertation on the genetic basis of innate migration directions in songbirds and went on a research trip to Malaysia , where he did research on the winter ecology of kingfishers . As a postdoctoral fellow, he continued to work on molecular genetic issues. Among other things, he worked at Queen's University in Kingston (Canada) on blackcaps and in Heidelberg on evolutionary and phylogenetic issues. In 1993 he became head of the Hiddensee ornithological station , completed his habilitation in 1997 at the University of Greifswald and became an associate professor there in 2003.

With his research contributed Helbig and his team significantly enhance our understanding of the genetic basis of bird migration and the phylogeny of bird groups such as the United gulls of the genus Larus , foliage singers , warbler-like , buzzards and storks .

Helbig died on October 19, 2005 after a short, serious illness.

Memberships in committees and associations

  • Chairman of the research commission of the German Ornithological Society
  • Chairman of the National Committee of the International Congress of Ornithologists (IOC)
  • Representative of the DOG in the German rarity commission
  • Secretary of the European Ornithologist's Union (2001-2004)
  • Member of the European Rarities Committee
  • Member of the Standing Committee on German Names for Birds of the World (IOC)
  • Member of the Taxonomic Sub-committee of the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee

Editorial activity

  • Co-editor of the magazine Die Vogelwelt - contributions to ornithology
  • Editor of the Journal of Ornithology
  • Significant participation in Limicola magazine
  • Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Evolutionary Biology

Awards

  • 1997 - Erwin Stresemann Prize of the German Ornithological Society

literature

  • Franz Bairlein : Obituary for Prof. Dr. Andreas Helbig . In: Communications of the German Zoological Society . 2006, p. 55–58 ( online (PDF; 241 kB) [accessed on October 22, 2011]).
  • Renate van den Elzen: Andreas Helbig (July 28, 1957 - October 19, 2005) . In: Bonn zoological contributions . tape 54 , no. 1 , 2005, p. 1–2 ( online (PDF; 910 kB) [accessed on October 22, 2011]).
  • George Sangster: Andreas J. Helbig 1957-2005 . In: Dutch Birding . tape 26 , no. 6 , 2005, p. 443-444 .