Christian Konrad Sprengel
Encyclopedia
Christian Konrad Sprengel (22 September 1750 – 7 April 1816) was a German
theologist, teacher
and, most importantly, a naturalist
. He is most famously known for his research into plant sexuality
.
Sprengel was born in Brandenburg an der Havel in the Margraviate of Brandenburg
. He studied theology
in Halle
. In 1774 he became a teacher in Berlin
. After 1787, Sprengel did considerable research on the pollination
of plant
s and the interaction between flower
s and their insect
visitors in what was later called a pollination syndrome
. With his work Das entdeckte Geheimnis der Natur im Bau und in der Befruchtung der Blumen
(Berlin 1793), he was one of the founders of pollination
ecology
as a scientific discipline. Together with one of his predecessors, Josef G. Köhlreuter
, he is still the classic author in this field.
During his lifetime, his work was neglected, not only because it seemed to a lot of his contemporaries as obscene that flowers had something to do with sexual functions, but also because the immanent importance of his findings on the aspects of selection
and evolution
was not recognized. Until Charles Darwin
's book On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing
(London 1862), floral ecology was not considered a 'proper science'.
Important successors like Paul Knuth
, Fritz Knoll and Hans Kugler were inspired by Sprengel and brought great advances to the field of pollination ecology. After the second World War
, their work was continued by Stefan Vogel, Knut Faegri, Leendert van der Pijl, Amos Dafni, G. Ledyard Stebbins
as well as Herbert Baker
and Irene Baker
.
Sprengel is buried at the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin
. A small monument designed after the frontispiece of his fundamental work can be seen in Berlin Botanical Gardens.
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...
theologist, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and, most importantly, a naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
. He is most famously known for his research into plant sexuality
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
.
Sprengel was born in Brandenburg an der Havel in the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
. He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Halle
University of Halle-Wittenberg
The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg within Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
. In 1774 he became a teacher in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. After 1787, Sprengel did considerable research on the pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
of plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s and the interaction between flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s and their insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
visitors in what was later called a pollination syndrome
Pollination syndrome
Pollination syndromes are suites of flower traits that have evolved in response to natural selection imposed by different pollen vectors, which can be abiotic or biotic, such as birds, bees, flies, and so forth. These traits include flower shape, size, colour, odour, reward type and amount, nectar...
. With his work Das entdeckte Geheimnis der Natur im Bau und in der Befruchtung der Blumen
Das entdeckte Geheimnis der Natur im Bau und in der Befruchtung der Blumen
Das entdeckte Geheimnis der Natur im Bau und in der Befruchtung der Blumen, a little known book by Christian Konrad Sprengel on The Secret of Nature in the Form and Fertilisation of Flowers Discovered, was rejected by other naturalists when it was published in 1793, but was found to be of immense...
(Berlin 1793), he was one of the founders of pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
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...
as a scientific discipline. Together with one of his predecessors, Josef G. Köhlreuter
Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter
Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter , also spelled Koelreuter or Kohlreuter, was a German botanist.Kölreuter was born the son of a pharmacist in Karlsruhe, Germany, and grew up in Sulz. He studied medicine at the University of Tübingen under physician and botanist Johann Georg Gmelin, receiving his PhD in...
, he is still the classic author in this field.
During his lifetime, his work was neglected, not only because it seemed to a lot of his contemporaries as obscene that flowers had something to do with sexual functions, but also because the immanent importance of his findings on the aspects of selection
Selection
In the context of evolution, certain traits or alleles of genes segregating within a population may be subject to selection. Under selection, individuals with advantageous or "adaptive" traits tend to be more successful than their peers reproductively—meaning they contribute more offspring to the...
and evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
was not recognized. Until Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's book On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing
Fertilisation of Orchids
Fertilisation of Orchids is a book by Charles Darwin published on 15 May 1862 under the full explanatory title On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing...
(London 1862), floral ecology was not considered a 'proper science'.
Important successors like Paul Knuth
Paul Knuth
Paul Erich Otto Wilhelm Knuth was a 19th century German botanist and pollination ecologist....
, Fritz Knoll and Hans Kugler were inspired by Sprengel and brought great advances to the field of pollination ecology. After the second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, their work was continued by Stefan Vogel, Knut Faegri, Leendert van der Pijl, Amos Dafni, G. Ledyard Stebbins
G. Ledyard Stebbins
George Ledyard Stebbins, Jr. was an American botanist and geneticist who is widely regarded as one of the leading evolutionary biologists of the 20th century. Stebbins received his Ph.D. in botany from Harvard University in 1931. He went on to the University of California, Berkeley, where his work...
as well as Herbert Baker
Herbert Baker
Sir Herbert Baker was a British architect.Baker was the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, 1892–1912....
and Irene Baker
Irene Baker
Edith Irene Bailey Baker was a United States Representative from Tennessee, the first woman to represent that state in the United States Congress as a member of the Republican Party...
.
Sprengel is buried at the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. A small monument designed after the frontispiece of his fundamental work can be seen in Berlin Botanical Gardens.
Sources
- VOGEL, S. (1996): Christian Konrad Sprengel's Theory of the Flower: The Cradle of Floral Ecology. In: LLOYD, D. G. & BARRET, S. C. H. (Eds.). Floral Biology: Studies on Floral Evolution in animal-Pollinated Plants. Chapman & Hall, New York.
- Zepernick, B. & Meretz, W. 2001: Christian Konrad Sprengel’s life in relation to his family and his time. On the occasion of his 250th birthday. – Willdenowia 31: 141-152.
- http://www.bgbm.org/bgbm/pr/zurzeit/papers/sprengel.htm