Elisabeth Kalko
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Klara Viktoria Kalko (10 April 1962 - 26 September 2011) was a German
tropical scientist and ecologist
working at the Smithsonian Institution
and the University of Ulm
.
from the Universität Tübingen in Germany, which was followed by a doctorate in 1991. The topic of her thesis was The ecolocation and hunting behaviour of three European dwarf bat species Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774), Pipistrellus nathuslii (Keyserling et Blasius, 1839) and Pipistrellus kuhli (Kuhl, 1819), in the wild. Her studies were conducted as fellow of the National Merit Foundation ('Studienstiftung', 1984-1987, 1988-1990). From 1991-1993, Kalko held a NATO post-doc stipend for research at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. (USA) and at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. In 1993-1997, she worked on the DFG programs 'Mechanism maintaining tropical diversity' (research group) and 'Diversity, structure and dynamics of neotropical bats' and held a DFG Heisenberg habilitation stipend from 1997-1999. The habilitation was completed in 1999 in Tübingen.
In 1999, Kalko was appointed staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
in Panama
. She spent considerable amounts of time on expeditions and at scientific institutions in the US such as the National Museum of Natural History
in Washington, D.C., in the Congo
and many other countries. Since 2000, Kalko held a joint appointment not only at STRI but also as director and full professor at the Institute of Experimental Ecology at the University of Ulm
in Germany, the town where Albert Einstein
was born. Part of her scientific crew was one of the leading German entomologists, Heiko Bellmann. She also maintained relations with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as a Research Associate.
Kalko was a member of the German National Committee on Global Change
Research (2002-2011), elected for life to the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences (2006). From 2005-2011, she was elected vice-president of the Society of Tropical Ecology (GTOE), and from 2008 on she was a member of the Senate Commission on Biodiversity of the German Research Foundation (DFG). The same year, Kalko became Head Elect of DIVERSITAS Germany. As editor-in-chief of the international tropical ecology journal Ecotropica
, she strengthened the journal's profile considerably. During the early 2000's, she was one of the most prominent experts in the areas of bat community ecology, echolocation
and bat
behaviour.
Elisabeth Kalko died during a visit in Tanzania
on 26 September 2011.
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...
tropical scientist and ecologist
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...
working at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
and the University of Ulm
University of Ulm
The University of Ulm is a public university in the city of Ulm, in the South German state of Baden-Württemberg. The university was founded in 1967 and focuses on natural sciences, medicine, engineering sciences, mathematics, economics and computer science...
.
Life
Elisabeth Kalko was an ecologist with a first degree in biologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
from the Universität Tübingen in Germany, which was followed by a doctorate in 1991. The topic of her thesis was The ecolocation and hunting behaviour of three European dwarf bat species Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774), Pipistrellus nathuslii (Keyserling et Blasius, 1839) and Pipistrellus kuhli (Kuhl, 1819), in the wild. Her studies were conducted as fellow of the National Merit Foundation ('Studienstiftung', 1984-1987, 1988-1990). From 1991-1993, Kalko held a NATO post-doc stipend for research at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. (USA) and at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. In 1993-1997, she worked on the DFG programs 'Mechanism maintaining tropical diversity' (research group) and 'Diversity, structure and dynamics of neotropical bats' and held a DFG Heisenberg habilitation stipend from 1997-1999. The habilitation was completed in 1999 in Tübingen.
In 1999, Kalko was appointed staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, the only bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the United States, is dedicated to understanding biological diversity. What began in 1923 as small field station on Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal Zone has developed...
in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. She spent considerable amounts of time on expeditions and at scientific institutions in the US such as the National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
in Washington, D.C., in the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
and many other countries. Since 2000, Kalko held a joint appointment not only at STRI but also as director and full professor at the Institute of Experimental Ecology at the University of Ulm
University of Ulm
The University of Ulm is a public university in the city of Ulm, in the South German state of Baden-Württemberg. The university was founded in 1967 and focuses on natural sciences, medicine, engineering sciences, mathematics, economics and computer science...
in Germany, the town where Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
was born. Part of her scientific crew was one of the leading German entomologists, Heiko Bellmann. She also maintained relations with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as a Research Associate.
Kalko was a member of the German National Committee on Global Change
Global change
Global change refers to planetary-scale changes in the Earth system. The system consists of the land, oceans, atmosphere, poles, life, the planet’s natural cycles and deep Earth processes. These constituent parts influence one another...
Research (2002-2011), elected for life to the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences (2006). From 2005-2011, she was elected vice-president of the Society of Tropical Ecology (GTOE), and from 2008 on she was a member of the Senate Commission on Biodiversity of the German Research Foundation (DFG). The same year, Kalko became Head Elect of DIVERSITAS Germany. As editor-in-chief of the international tropical ecology journal Ecotropica
Ecotropica
Ecotropica is a biannual, peer-reviewed international scientific journal covering all aspects of tropical ecology. Papers reflect results of original research or review important fields in tropical ecology....
, she strengthened the journal's profile considerably. During the early 2000's, she was one of the most prominent experts in the areas of bat community ecology, echolocation
Animal echolocation
Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals.Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects...
and bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
behaviour.
Elisabeth Kalko died during a visit in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
on 26 September 2011.
Research
Recent research conducted by Elisabeth Kalko has highlighted the importance of bats for maintenance of tropical forests and has revealed that ecolocation signal intensity has been a largely underestimated aspect in echolocation research (links below). Kalko initiated and led a series of German Research Foundation (DFG) projects into tropical bat ecology, biodiversity and zoonoses on all continents, she also spearheaded EU-funded research in bioacoustics.External links
- Elisabeth Kalko STRI Staff Scientist Home Page
- SWR TV: The bat researcher Elisabeth Kalko (in German)
- ZDF Knowledge - The bat island of Elisabeth Kalko in Panama (in German)
- Planet Knowledge, Portrait of Elisabeth Kalko (in German)
- 3Sat Nano, 'The bat researcher' (in German)
- German National Committee on Global Change Research
- Ecotropica, an international journal of tropical ecology
- University of Ulm, Elisabeth Kalko homepage
- Bats cry out loud to detect their prey (PLoS One, 30 April 2008)
- Bats limit arthropods and herbivory in a tropical forest (Science, 4 April 2008)