Axel Hochkirch

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Axel Hochkirch in October 2016

Axel Hochkirch (born July 27, 1970 in Bad Soden am Taunus ) is a German biologist . He is adjunct professor and laboratory head of the Biogeography department at the University of Trier and chairman of the IUCN SSC Invertebrate Conservation Committee and the IUCN SSC (Species Survival Commission) Grasshopper Specialist Group. He is also a member of the IUCN SSC Steering Committee. In 2019 he was elected President-Elect of the Orthopterists Society.

Life

The biological interest - zoo director with the first professional goal - began with a thirst for research in early childhood. The scientific path became clear when he chose biology and chemistry as advanced courses at the Tilemannschule Limburg high school. Hochkirch studied biology at the University of Bremen from 1990 to 1996 . In his diploma thesis he dealt with the ecology of grasshoppers in the Usambara Mountains ( Tanzania ). In 2001 he received his doctorate from the University of Bremen. The title of his dissertation was “A Phylogenetic Analysis of the East African Grasshopper Genus Afrophlaeoba JAGO, 1983” . From 2001 to 2007 he was a research assistant at the University of Osnabrück , where he completed his habilitation in the field of ecology with the habilitation thesis “Evolution, Maintenance and Conservation of Biodiversity: Case studies from Orthoptera” .

Axel Hochkirch has been laboratory manager in the Biogeography department at Michael Veith at Trier University since 2008 . His post-doctoral qualification for biogeography took place at the University of Trier. In 2010 he was appointed Chair of the IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group by the IUCN Steering Committee. From 2011 to 2015 he was spokesman for the Ecology Section of the German Zoological Society . In 2013 Hochkirch was appointed Chair of the IUCN SSC Invertebrate Conservation Sub-Committee. Since then he has also been a member of the IUCN SSC Steering Committee. In 2017 he was appointed adjunct professor. Since 2019 he has been "President Elect" of the Orthopterists' Society.

Research priorities

Axel Hochkirch deals with biodiversity research in a broad sense, with a focus on nature conservation biology . However, he also researches the origin of biodiversity ( evolutionary biology , phylogenetics ) and ecological mechanisms for maintaining biodiversity ( population ecology , population genetics , behavioral ecology ). His wide range of research expresses itself u. a. in the fact that in 2011 he was proposed by three specialist groups of the German Zoological Society as a symposium speaker for the annual conference (specialist groups ecology, evolutionary biology, behavioral biology).

During his first research stay in the East Usambara Mountains (Tanzania) in 1994, Hochkirch researched the ecological nesting of locust species. He also described the suitability of certain species as bio-indicators for the degradation of rainforest communities. Furthermore, Hochkirch discovered and described a previously undescribed species of grasshopper. He later carried out these investigations in other rainforest areas in East Africa and recognized the importance of predation for the high biodiversity and the endemism of rainforest species. His phylogenetic investigations into the relationship between locust species in the mountain rainforests of East Africa led to the creation of hypotheses about the earlier connection between these rainforest areas.

Hochkirch's work on reproductive interference received a lot of attention . In replacement experiments, Hochkirch and his team were able to show that wrong decisions when choosing a partner in mixed populations of animal species lead to reduced fitness even without hybridization . In this way, the coexistence of related animal species can be prevented if local distribution patterns (in particular clumped distribution and different ecological niches) of the individuals do not reduce the frequency of encounter between the two species.

Hochkirch has used molecular methods in numerous works to deal with nature conservation and evolutionary issues. With the help of population-genetic analyzes, he was able to show that in extreme climatic years there is massive influx of the flightable morph of an otherwise flightless grasshopper. He also showed that relocation measures can maintain a high level of genetic diversity if a large number of individuals are used for this purpose. Hochkirch also used molecular genetic methods to investigate sexual interspecific interactions (especially hybridization). Together with his doctoral student Kathrin Witzenberger, he was able to prove that the European wildcat zoo population is massively endangered by hybridization with domestic cats. In a project on the wall lizard, his doctoral student Joscha Beninde was able to prove multiple hybridization zones of imported wall lizards in German cities.

The focus of his research activities is nature conservation biology. Hochkirch has written numerous international publications, particularly on the protection of insects. His publications on the effectiveness of the European network of protected areas Natura 2000 ( Habitats Directive ) and a meta-analysis on biodiversity in cities received special attention . In addition, Hochkirch published various comments in the journals "Science" and "Nature", in which he repeatedly refers to aspects of the protection of invertebrate species, such as: B. on the responsibility of reserves for the protection of invertebrates, the lack of monitoring of insect populations., Or the ecological importance of earthworms in protecting the soil. His comment in the magazine "Nature" had political consequences, in which he criticized the lack of transparency in the definition of the teams of authors in the " Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services " (IPBES). As a result, IPBES adopted new guidelines on transparency and the avoidance of conflicts of interest. In an essay in the journal "Nature", Hochkirch summarized the need to establish large applied research centers for the protection of invertebrate species.

Taxonomic work is also part of Hochkirch's work area. He described some taxa from the grasshopper family (Acrididae), including Parodontomelus luci , Physocrobylus tessa , Arminda palmae , Sphingonotus fuerteventurae , Sphingonotus almeriense and Sphingonotus nodulosus . In 2014 a species of locust was named after him: Dolatettix hochkirchi .

Courses

Even during his doctoral phase (1998–2000), Hochkirch was also involved in lectures and offered excursions and internships at the University of Bremen. In the years 1999-2000 he received a teaching position at the University of Bremen for the course "Systematics of Animals". During his habilitation phase (2001–2008) he taught animal ecology, nature conservation biology, population biology at the University of Osnabrück and carried out numerous excursions. Since 2008 he has been teaching nature conservation biology, molecular biogeography, population genetics and species knowledge courses at the University of Trier.

natural reserve

Hochkirch has been involved in nature conservation since childhood and is a member of numerous nature conservation associations. At the age of 16 he became secretary of the BUND district group Limburg / Weilburg. During his community service at BUND Diepholzer Moorniederung, he developed protection concepts for endangered insect species, such as B. the field cricket. He accompanied this project during his studies up to the successful settlement of the species in a neighboring protected area. During his studies and his doctorate, he worked as a freelance ecological expert and examined the effects of care measures on endangered species. During the habilitation phase, too, he cooperated with nature conservation associations in order to develop optimal protection strategies for endangered insects. In 2010 he was appointed Chairman of the IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group by the IUCN SSC . In this context, Hochkirch led the creation of the European Red List of Locusts, and developed protection strategies for endangered species. In 2013, Hochkirch was appointed chairman of the IUCN SSC Invertebrate Conservation Committee. In this context, he coordinates activities for the protection of invertebrate species worldwide and initiated various new "Specialist Groups" within the IUCN Species Survival Commission. Since 2016 he has been committed to the establishment of a large applied research center for the protection of insects by researching invertebrate species and their endangerment factors, evaluating the endangered status of species, developing protection strategies for species, reviewing the success of nature conservation measures and public relations for the Insect protection should be integrated.

Others

Hochkirch is a member of several biological societies and since 2019 "President-Elect" of the Orthopterists' Society. He is also a juror at Jugend Forscht and a reviewer for numerous research funding institutions ( ESF , DFG , SNF , DBU etc.), as well as for nominations for UNESCO World Heritage sites . He is Associate Editor for the journals "BMC Evolutionary Biology" and "Journal of Insect Conservation" and has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund since 2019.

Publications (selection)

  • Gröning J., Lücke N., Finger A. & Hochkirch A. (2007): Reproductive interference in two ground-hopper species: Testing hypotheses of coexistence in the field. Oikos 116: 1449-1460
  • Hochkirch A., Gröning J. & Bücker A. (2007): Sympatry with the devil - Reproductive interference could hamper species coexistence. Journal of Animal Ecology 76: 633-642
  • Gröning J. & Hochkirch A. (2008): Reproductive interference between animal species. The Quarterly Review of Biology 83: 257-282
  • Witzenberger KA & Hochkirch A. (2008): Genetic consequences of animal translocations: A case study using the field cricket, Gryllus campestris L. Biological Conservation 141: 3059-3068
  • Hochkirch A. & Görzig Y. (2009): Colonization and speciation on volcanic islands: Phylogeography of the flightless grasshopper genus Arminda (Orthoptera, Acrididae) on the Canary Islands. Systematic Entomology 34: 188-197
  • Hochkirch A. & Damerau M. (2009): Rapid range expansion of a wing-dimorphic bush-cricket after the 2003 climatic anomaly. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 97: 118-127
  • Exeler N., Kratochwil A. & Hochkirch A. (2009): Restoration of riverine inland sand dunes: Implications for the conservation of wild bees (Apoidea). Journal of Applied Ecology 46: 1097-1105
  • Witzenberger KA & A. Hochkirch (2011): Ex situ conservation genetics: A review of molecular studies on the genetic consequences of captive breeding programs for endangered animal species. Biodiversity and Conservation 20: 1843-1861
  • Hochkirch A. & Lemke I. (2011): Asymmetric mate choice and hybrid fitness in two sympatric grasshopper species. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 65: 1637-1645
  • Hochkirch A., Mertes T. & Rautenberg J. (2012): Conspecific flowers of Sinapis arvensis are stronger competitors for pollinators than those of the invasive weed Bunias orientalis. Science 99: 217-224
  • Husemann M., Habel JC, Namkung S., Danley PD & A. Hochkirch (2012): Phylogenetic analyzes of band-winged grasshoppers reveal convergence of wing morphology. Zoologica Scripta 41: 515-526
  • Schulte U., Veith M. & A. Hochkirch (2012): Rapid genetic assimilation of native wall lizard populations (Podarcis muralis) through extensive hybridization with introduced lineages. Molecular Ecology 21: 4313-4326
  • Hochkirch A. (2013): Hybridization and the Origin of Species. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 26: 247-251
  • Hochkirch A., Schmitt T., Beninde J., Hiery M., Kinitz T., Kirschey J., Matenaar D., Rohde K., Stoefen A., Wagner N., Zink A., Lötters S., Veith M . & Proelss A. (2013): Europe needs a new vision for a Natura 2020 network. Conservation Letters 6: 462-467
  • Engler J., Rödder D., Elle O., Hochkirch A. & J. Secondi (2013): Species distribution models contribute to determine the effect of climate and interspecific interactions in moving hybrid zones. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 26: 2487-2496
  • Hochkirch A. (2014): Biodiversity: Broaden the Search. Science 343: 248
  • Witzenberger KA, Hochkirch A. (2014): The genetic integrity of the ex situ population of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is seriously threatened by introgression from domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus). PLOS One 8: e106083
  • Beninde J., Veith M., Hochkirch A. (2015): Biodiversity in cities needs space: A meta-analysis of factors determining intra-urban biodiversity variation. Ecology Letters 18: 581-592
  • Beninde J., Fischer ML, Hochkirch A., Zink. A. (2015): Ambitious advances of the European Union in the legislation of invasive alien species. Conservation Letters 8: 199-205
  • Matenaar D., Bazelet CD, Hochkirch A. (2015): Simple tools for the evaluation of protected areas for the conservation of grasshoppers. Biological Conservation 192: 192-199
  • Engler JO, Secondi J., Dawson DA, Elle O., Hochkirch A. (2016): Range expansion and retraction along a moving contact zone has no effect on the genetic diversity of two passerine birds. Ecography 39: 884-893
  • Beninde J., Feldmeier S., Werner M., Peroverde D., Schulte U., Hochkirch A., Veith M. (2016) Cityscape Genetics: Structural versus Functional connectivity of an urban lizard population. Molecular Ecology 25: 4984-5000
  • Holderegger R., Segelbacher G., Balkenhol N., Biebach I., Bolliger J., Gugerli F., Hochkirch A., Keller L., Widmer A. & Zachos F. (2016): Nature conservation genetics - A handbook for practice . Haupt Verlag, Bern. 258 pp.
  • Hochkirch A. (2016) The insect crisis we can't ignore. Nature 359: 141
  • Wagner N., Hochkirch A., Martin H., Matenaar D., Rohde K., Wacht F., Wesch C., Wirtz S., Klein R., Lötters S., Proelss A., Veith M. (2017) De-extinction, nomenclature, and the law. Science 356: 1016-1017
  • Hochkirch A. (2017) Fossil data lacking for insects and fungi. Science 335: 1033
  • Blakemore R., Hochkirch A. (2017) Restore earthworms to rebuild topsoil. Nature 545:30
  • Hochkirch A., Pina S. (2017) Invest in insects. Science 356: 1131
  • Hochkirch A. (2017) Factor in species' conservation value. Nature 547: 403
  • Hochkirch A., Beninde J., Fischer M., Krahner A., ​​Lindemann C., Matenaar D., Rohde K., Wagner N., Wesch C., Wirtz S., Zink A., Lötters S., Proelss A. ., Veith M. (2018) License to Kill? - Disease eradication programs may not be in line with the Convention on Biological Diversity. Conservation Letters 11: 1-6
  • Beninde, J., Feldmeier, S., Veith, M. & Hochkirch, A. (2018): Admixture of hybrid swarms of native and introduced lizards in cities is determined by the cityscape structure and invasion history. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 285: 20180143
  • Dijkstra, K.-DB, Schrama, MJJ, Gorsich, EE & Hochkirch, A. (2018) “Deadly mosquito” or “living freshwater”? Science 361: 341.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://ybo.ewq.mybluehost.me/2019/01/25/new-president-elect-axel-hochkirch/
  2. ↑ http://www.uni-trier.de/index.php?id=20302
  3. ↑ http://www.uni-trier.de/?id=14985
  4. ↑ http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/species_51.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.dzg-ev.de/de/fachgruppen/sprecher_ab2011.php
  6. ↑ https://ybo.ewq.mybluehost.me/2019/01/25/new-president-elect-axel-hochkirch/
  7. ↑ http://www.uni-trier.de/index.php?id=20301
  8. ↑ Hochkirch A. (1996) Habitat preferences of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea, Eumastacoidea) in the East Usambara Mts., NE Tanzania, and their use for bioindication. Ecotropica 2: 195-217
  9. ↑ Hochkirch A. (1996) Physocrobylus tessa, a new grasshopper species from the East Usambara Mountains, NE Tanzania and its systematic position (Acridoidea, Acrididae, Coptacridinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 5: 53-55
  10. ^ Hochkirch A. (1998) A comparison of the grasshopper fauna (Orthoptera: Acridoidea & Eumastacoidea) of the Uluguru Mountains and the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Journal of East African Natural History 87: 221-232
  11. ^ Hochkirch A. (2005) Morphometric Differentiation in the East African Grasshopper Genus Afrophlaeoba JAGO, 1983 (Orthoptera: Acrididae). In: Huber BA, Sinclair BJ & K.-H. Lampe (eds.): African Biodiversity: Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems. Springer Verlag: 109-118
  12. ^ Hochkirch A., Gröning J. & Bücker A. (2007) Sympatry with the devil - Reproductive interference could hamper species coexistence. Journal of Animal Ecology 76: 633-642
  13. ↑ Gröning J., Lücke N., Finger A. & Hochkirch A. (2007) Reproductive interference in two ground-hopper species: Testing hypotheses of coexistence in the field. Oikos 116: 1449-1460
  14. ^ Hochkirch A. & Damerau M. (2009) Rapid range expansion of a wing-dimorphic bush-cricket after the 2003 climatic anomaly. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 97: 118-127
  15. ^ Witzenberger KA & Hochkirch A. (2008) Genetic consequences of animal translocations: A case study using the field cricket, Gryllus campestris L. Biological Conservation 141: 3059-3068
  16. ↑ Schulte U., Veith M. & A. Hochkirch (2012) Rapid genetic assimilation of native wall lizard populations (Podarcis muralis) through extensive hybridization with introduced lineages. Molecular Ecology 21: 4313-4326
  17. ↑ Witzenberger KA & A. Hochkirch (2014) The genetic integrity of the ex situ population of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is seriously threatened by introgression from domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus). PLOS One 8: e106083
  18. ↑ Beninde, J., Feldmeier, S., Veith, M. & Hochkirch, A. (2018): Admixture of hybrid swarms of native and introduced lizards in cities is determined by the cityscape structure and invasion history. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 285: 20180143
  19. ↑ Exeler N., Kratochwil A., Hochkirch A. (2009) Restoration of riverine inland sand dune complexes: implications for the conservation of wild bees. Journal of Applied Ecology 46: 1097-1105
  20. ↑ Gerlach J., Samways MJ, Hochkirch A., Seddon M., Cardoso P., Clausnitzer V., Cumberlidge N., Daniel BA, Hoffman Black S., Ott J., Williams PH (2014): Prioritizing non-marine invertebrate taxa for red listing. Journal of Insect Conservation 18: 573-586
  21. ↑ Hochkirch, A. (2016): The insect crisis we can't ignore. Nature 359: 141
  22. ↑ Hochkirch A., Schmitt T., Beninde J., Hiery M., Kinitz T., Kirschey J., Matenaar D., Rohde K., Stoefen A., Wagner N., Zink A., Lötters S., Veith M., Proelss A. (2013) Europe needs a new vision for a Natura 2020 network. Conservation Letters doi : 10.1111 / conl.12006 .
  23. ↑ Beninde, J., Veith, M. & Hochkirch, A. (2015): Biodiversity in cities needs space: A meta-analysis of factors determining intra-urban biodiversity variation. Ecology Letters 18: 581-592.
  24. ^ Hochkirch A. (2014) Biodiversity: Broaden the Search. Science 343: 248
  25. ↑ Hochkirch A., Pina S. (2017) Invest in insects. Science 356: 1131
  26. ^ Blakemore, R. & Hochkirch, A. (2017): Restore earthworms to rebuild topsoil. Nature 545:30
  27. ^ Hochkirch A., McGowan PJK, van der Sluijs J. (2014): Biodiversity reports need author rules. Nature 516: 170
  28. ^ Hochkirch A. (2016): The insect crisis we can't ignore. Nature 359: 141
  29. ↑ Hochkirch A. (1996) The field cricket (Gryllus campestris L., 1758) as a target species for the development of a sand heather relict in northwest Germany. Articulata 11: 11-27
  30. ↑ Witzenberger KA, Hochkirch A. (2007) Free Grilly - Resettlement of the field cricket (Gryllus campestris L.) in the Diepholzer Moorniederung (Lower Saxony). Entomology Today 19: 75-86
  31. ↑ Hochkirch A. (2001) Success control of the Bremen grassland extensification program using the example of grasshoppers. Negotiations of the Society for Ecology 31: 258
  32. ↑ Hochkirch A., Gärtner A.-C., Brandt T. (2008) Effects of forest-dune ecotone management on the endangered heath grasshopper, Chorthippus vagans (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 98: 449-456.
  33. ↑ Hochkirch, A., Nieto, A., García Criado, M., Cálix, M., Braud, Y., Buzzetti, FM, Chobanov, D., Odé, B., Presa Asensio, JJ, Willemse, L. , Zuna-Kratky, T. et al. (2016) European Red List of Grasshoppers, Crickets and Bush-crickets. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. 94 pp.
  34. ↑ Hochkirch, A., Tatin, L., Stanley Price, M. (2014) Crau Plain Grasshopper, a strategy for its conservation 2015-2020. IUCN SSC & CEN PACA, Saint-Martin-de-Crau, France.
  35. ↑ https://tribico.jimdo.com/
personal data
SURNAME Hochkirch, Axel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German biologist
DATE OF BIRTH July 27, 1970
PLACE OF BIRTH Bad Soden am Taunus