Jochen Martens (born June 10, 1941, in Jena) is a German zoologist, whose areas of expertise are primarily in ornithology and arachnology. He taught at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz from 1976 to 2012 and is considered a pioneer in the use of bioacoustics for studying the evolution of songbirds and one of the most recognized researchers in the field of Opiliones (harvestmen).[1]
Jochen Martens grew up in Jena, Weimar, Berlin, Bonn Bad-Godesberg, and Stuttgart.[2] From 1962 to 1967, he studied biology and chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, earning his doctorate in 1968 under Rudolf Braun on an arachnological topic.[2][3] In 1969/70, Martens spent 15 months in Nepal on a post-doctoral fellowship from the DAAD. Since 1971, he has been an assistant at the Institute of Zoology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, where he habilitated in 1975 on an ornithological topic.[2] In 1976, he initially took up an assistant professorship at the same institute, followed by a full professorship in 1978.[3] Martens led the "Systematic Zoology" research group at his institute. After his retirement in 2006, he remained associated with the institute as a senior professor until 2011.[2] Jochen Martens lives in Mainz, is married, and has three children.
The two main research areas of Jochen Martens are ornithology and arachnology. His research projects include the formation of local dialects in the songs of songbirds as an evolutionary factor, the investigation of species diversity and speciation in the Himalayas and other high mountain ranges of Asia and Europe, and the systematics and phylogeny of arachnids.[3] To date, Martens has described 298 new species, numerous new genera, and three new families of harvestmen (Nipponopsalididae, 1976, Fissiphalliidae, 1988, and Suthepiidae, 2020).[2]
In ornithology, Martens researched the evolution and taxonomy of songbirds using bioacoustic, later genetic, methods. His bioacoustic work extended the classical description of the geographical variation of birds by adding a bioacoustic component.[4] Martens defined the Tembrock's "Regiolect" more precisely, introduced the term "Mikrolekt" (2000), and thereby narrowed down the overly diverse term "dialect."[4]
In the field of Aves, he described three new species and four new subspecies.[2]
In arachnology, Jochen Martens focused on the systematics and phylogeny of arachnids. Research focus includes Opiliones (harvestmen), especially the families in the Eurasian region. In the field of Arachnida, Martens described 321 taxa, including 262 Opiliones taxa (231 species, 29 genera, 3 families), 40 Araneae species (spiders), and 19 Acari species (mites).[2]
Martens gained attention beyond the scientific community in 2020 when he named a new genus and species of harvestmen, Thunbergia gretae, after Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.[5][6][7]
Jochen Martens' extensive travel for research purposes took him to 27 countries. He undertook 40 research trips within Europe and 40 more to Asia and New Zealand, spending a total of 2631 days and 9% of his life on expeditions.[8] Manfred Grasshoff, former de facto curator of the arachnological collection at the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main, referred to Jochen Martens as the "last great research traveler of our time."[8]
The focus of his travels and research was the Himalayas (Nepal and China). His Nepal travels between 1969 and 2005 resulted in more than 300 publications by colleagues around the globe,[2] known as the Results of the Himalaya Expeditions of J. Martens.[4] Besides his activities in Nepal, Jochen Martens also conducted research in Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan), Western and Eastern Siberia, the Philippines, large parts of South, Southeast, and East Asia, as well as the Mediterranean region.[8][4]
Throughout his academic career, Martens was always committed to teaching. He gave lectures on topics such as Animal blueprints and phyla, Animals in soil, The origin of species, mimicry, and Himalayan ecosystem. His teaching repertoire also included beginner and advanced zoological exercises on the morphology and anatomy of all animal phyla and animal identification exercises. His regular laboratory and field experiments focused on the bioacoustics of birds. He was also known for his zoological excursions, particularly those on bird bioacoustics (birdsong excursions).[3] During his tenure as a professor, Martens supervised around twelve doctoral students.
Jochen Martens published 329 scientific papers, 188 on ornithological topics, 114 on arthropods (mainly harvestmen), and 27 on various topics, such as high mountain research[8] and flower biology.
The 1978 volume Spinnentiere, Arachnida: Weberknechte, Opiliones in the series Die Tierwelt Deutschlands is still considered a standard work, a "benchmark for publications on Opiliones worldwide"[8] and an "arachnological milestone".[9] Jochen Martens is credited with ending the "dark age of harvestman research and initiating the era of 'opilionological enlightenment'".[9]
On Jochen Martens' 80th birthday, a special issue of the international journal Zootaxa was published on June 10, 2021, dedicated to him, edited by Peter Jäger, Peter J. Schwendinger, and William A. Shear.[2]
Since 1961, Jochen Martens has been a member of the German Ornithologists' Society, where he served as Secretary-General from 1980 to 1987.[4]
Since 1962, Jochen Martens has been a member of the Verein für vaterländische Naturkunde in Württemberg (now called the Gesellschaft für Naturkunde in Württemberg)[10], the Ornithological Society in Bavaria[11], and the Verein Thüringer Ornithologen.[4]
Since 1973, Jochen Martens has been an honorary associate at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt/M in arachnology.[12] He is also an honorary associate of the Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden in the ornithology team.
Since the 1980s, Jochen Martens has been a Fellow of the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU).[13]
In 1984, Jochen Martens was a founding member of the Oriental Bird Club (OBC), in which he remains a member to this day.[14]
Since the early 1990s, Jochen Martens has been a member of the Berlin Circle of Editors and Contributors of the Atlas of Palearctic Birds. To continue this atlas project, the Erwin Stresemann Society for Palearctic Avifaunistics was founded in 1994, with Jochen Martens serving as president from 1997 to 2014 and as vice president from 2015 to 2021.[4]
From 1993 to 2006, Jochen Martens was a trusted lecturer for the German National Academic Foundation.[8]
Since 1997, Jochen Martens has been a member of the Arachnological Society, where he has served on the scientific advisory board of the Arachnological Bulletins since then.[15]
In 2005, the German Ornithologists' Society awarded Jochen Martens the Ornithologists' Prize for his research in Asia and his lifetime achievements.[2][16]
In 2006, Hainan Normal University in Haikou, China, awarded Jochen Martens the title of Visiting Professor.[8]
List of animal genera, species, and subspecies named after Jochen Martens. The list comprises 230 taxa, consisting of 13 genera, 217 species, and three subspecies. A map shows the geographical distribution of the taxa named after Jochen Martens.[17]
List of animal genera, species, and subspecies described by Jochen Martens. The list comprises 297 taxa.
Comprehensive bibliography of Jochen Martens, sorted by fields of activity.