Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology

The Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology was a research facility of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science eV, which at its site in Seewiesen worked from 1958 to 1999. For the successor of the Institute and its ornithological research, the "Max Planck Research Centre for Ornithology " was founded. This is now with the Senate's resolution of March 2004 as an independent Max Planck Institute for Ornithology.

The Institute for Behavioral Physiology was founded on April 1, 1954 by resolution of the Senate of the Max Planck Society, rebuilt in February 1956 in Upper Bavaria on an open field and was inaugurated on 16 September 1958. The place names Seewiesen for the resulting small village on Eßsee researchers chose the two founding directors Erich von Holst and Konrad Lorenz as terrain descriptive address. The Institute was officially closed on 30 November 1999, however, a small "residual force" funded until 2006 by the Max Planck Society.

Historical Background

The first plans for the founding of a German Research Institute for Behavioural Research ( ethology) emerged as Konrad Lorenz in Berlin first met in February 1936 after a lecture at the Harnack House with Erich von Holst.

First plans

In talking about what is offered, both quickly realized that they - if somewhat different methodology - studied probably closely related processes in the central nervous system. While Lawrence had set itself the task to study spontaneously occurring behavior patterns and their hereditary laws on intact, if possible, of course, animals kept, analyzed by Holst at that time coordinated movements that are triggered from the isolated nervous system by elimination of afferent pathways.

The results of both research directions were - contrary to that time in Germany widely accepted reflex chain theory and thanks to a completely different understanding of behavior as in behaviorism usual - be interpreted as a system of pulse patterns that arise spontaneously in the nerve cells and also without external stimulus too often complicated instinctive movements lead.

According to an anecdote often repeated by Konrad Lorenz of the then 25 -year-old Erich von Holst was sitting in that lecture on February 17, 1936 random addition to his wife Margaret Lorenz. Mrs. Lorenz was her husband therefore tell of her unknown neighbor had finally resorted during the lecture after initial consent repeatedly to the head and "idiot" muttered after Lorenz was trying to explain his behavior observations with a succession of reflections. Supposedly 've Holst after the lecture ten minutes needed Lorenz convince them of the " idiocy " of the reflex chain theory - these ten minutes for the Konrad Lorenz quasi mythological beginning of the subject Ethology in Germany.

Staying in the water castle

1948 Erich von Holst received a department at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Biology in Wilhelmshaven, Konrad Lorenz for a branch of the Institute in the water castle of Baron Gisbert von Romberg in Buldern Friedrich Christian ( Westphalia ) was established in 1951; William Thorpe and Nikolaas Tinbergen had then prepared a professorship at the University of Bristol for Lorenz, and the Max Planck Society have now countered this offer with its own Research Centre. While von Holst in Wilhelmshaven the sensory physiology and behavior of fish examined, the beauty of lakes Buldern the birthplace of a goose colony, became internationally known by the Konrad Lorenz were. The descendants of this colony moved several times around with Konrad Lorenz and stayed him physically until his death near.

This " Research Center for Ethology " (also known as "Station Lorenz " ), however, only a brief existence was fortunate, because after the early death of the generous landlord Gisbert von Romberg in June 1952 whose legacy was particularly interested in the hunt, and this with the verhaltenskundlichen field studies of the Max Planck researchers not just in harmony.

However, Konrad Lorenz decreed in Buldern the first time in his career through adequate and sufficient job opportunities for himself and his employees, meant his senior position in the Max Planck Society, however, that he received the full salary of a university professor and was able to choose his employees free: At last he could his hitherto unpaid employees Irenaeus Eibl- Eibesfeldt, Wolfgang Schleidt, Ilse and Heinz Prechtl offer a paid job.

The beginnings in Seewiesen

The escalating dispute with the new landlord of Castle Buldern and the obvious thought that thematically closely adjacent research on fish and geese merge spatially, ultimately led in April 1954 to the decision of the Senate of the Max Planck Society, a new "Institute for Behavioral Physiology " to establish - a misleading name basically because the planned there ethological studies had with " physiology "as good as doing nothing. The physiology was but a " hard science ", while the descriptive and comparative primarily behavioral research had the reputation of mere hobby and amateurism.

Even during the construction of the Institute building at the small, remote Eßsee (about 30 km southwest of Munich, the location was Konrad Lorenz set after he had more than a dozen lakes explored in Upper Bavaria) were the Institute, two additional research areas: firstly, the working Group of Gustav Kramer, on the other hand by Jürgen Aschoff. Gustav Kramer had passed since 1948 and discovered that migratory birds use the sun as a compass, a department at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Biology in Wilhelmshaven; He thus concluded that such a capability would have the possession of a " inner clock " for the condition. The basis of this clock circadian rhythms were considered, as they were known in various organisms long time. With such processes, Jürgen Aschoff employed at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Kramer and therefore wished to work with Aschoff, when he was asked to connect to the resulting Seewiesen Institute. The Senate of the Max Planck Society decided the establishment of departments for both researchers from April 1, 1958.

Before the planned cooperation but had really begun, Gustav Kramer crashed on April 19, 1959 in search of wild pigeons eggs while climbing to death. It was then for Jürgen Aschoff in Erling - Andechs, six kilometers away from Seewiesen, purchased a larger property, where he was still devoted to the biological rhythms of animals and humans, especially the daily and annual periods of behaviors. As head of the former department Kramer Horst Mittelstaedt was appointed in December 1960, a longtime employee Erich von Holst, who dealt with the technical control analysis complicated orientation wise and instinctive movements.

Research topics ( selection)

Given the diversity of the researched in Seewiesen special areas, it may be target the following overview only to give a rough insight into this diversity by means of some researchers:

• Jürgen Aschoff: biological rhythms in animals and humans, especially daily and annual periods of migratory birds; Energy balance and temperature regulation

• Irenaeus Eibl- Eibesfeldt: evolutionary adaptations in the behavior of people; cross-cultural documentation of social interactions; Aggression research; Analysis of communication in kindergarten groups

• Erich von Holst: central nervous system and sensory organs in fish,

• Franz Huber: nervous bases of behavior of crickets and grasshoppers, especially in the sound production

• Karl -Ernst Kaißling: Conversion of stimuli in arousal in olfactory sensory neurons

• Paul Leyhausen: Exploring the behavioral repertoire of cats and their drive systems

• Konrad Lorenz: Documentation of the behavioral repertoire of gray geese

• Horst Mittelstaedt: principles and mechanisms of message processing in the body, cybernetic behavior analysis

• Dietrich Schneider: Physiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics of olfaction of insects, fine structure of sense organs, biosynthesis of pheromones and chemical communication

• Hermann Beautiful: spatial orientation and gravity sense in crustaceans

• Wolfgang Wickler: social behavior and communication between animals and the occurrence of which in the course of evolution; Biology of the bird including bird migration research

Swell

• Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology: reports and communications from the Max Planck Society 4/78. Published by the General Headquarters of the Max Planck Society, Munich 1978.