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Professor
Gerhard Eisenbeis
Lecturer and Professor in Zoology (permanent staff)
and Academic Director
Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz
Department of Biology, Institute of Zoolgy
Member of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA)
Biography
He started his acedemic career by studies in Biology and Chemistry
at Mainz University,Germany. His first investigation was about the
labial 'mask organ' of damselfly and dragonfly larvae. Examination
1970 for lectureship for secondary school. Doctoral thesis 1974
about the transporting epithelium of the collembolan ventral tube.
Postdoctoral studies on the water balance of soil animals were completed
with the Habilitation in 1988. He then used intensively the Scanning
Electron Microscopy to study the fascinating fine structural adaptations
of body surfaces both of soil arthropods and aquatic insects. The
result of these examinations leaded to the Atlas on the Biology
of Soil Arthropods (publ. by Springer) and the Biological Atlas
of Aquatic Insects (publ. by Apollo Books). At the end of the eighties
his interest turned also to Soil Zoology with respect to changes
of soil state influenced by environmental impacts (e.g. effects
of soil acidification to forest soils and of new soil management
techniques in agriculture). The appointment as a Professor in Zoology
at Mainz university was carried out in 1992. In the late nineties
he was involved in a biotope mapping project of the City of Mainz.
During the last years his Soil ecology group is involved in the
battle against root sucking insects of grape vines (grape Phylloxera)
which cause serious damage of grape vines depending on soil state.
Since 1997 he is engaged to study the ecological consequences of
artificial night lighting to nocturnal insect. Artificial night
lighting is increasing exponentially and nearly all settlement areas
are characterised by a typical urban sky glow. This may be regarded
as a new form of environmental pollution (light pollution or light
smog). There are indications that a variety of animals, primarily
insects, may be endangered significantly in a long term, especially
in urban areas and surrounding landscapes.
Selected Publications
Eisenbeis, G. & F. Hassel 2000. Zur Anziehung nachtaktiver Insekten
durch Straßenlaternen - eine Studie kommunaler Beleuchtungseinrich-tungen
in der Agrarlandschaft Rheinhessens. - Natur und Landschaft 75.
Jg. 4: 145-156.
Eisenbeis, G. 2001. Künstliches Licht und Lichtverschmutzung
- eine Gefahr für die Diversität der Insekten? - Verh.
Westd. Entom. Tag 2000, 31-50, Löbbecke-Museum, Düsseldorf.
Eisenbeis, G. 2002. Künstliches Licht und Insekten: eine vergleichende
Studie in Rheinhessen. - Schriftenr. Landespflege Naturschutz H.
67: 75-100.
Eisenbeis, G. 2003. Artificial night lighting and insects. Conf.
Ecological Consequences of Night Lighting - Los Angeles 2002. -
(submitted).
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