Wilhelm Johannsen

Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen ( born February 3, 1857 in Copenhagen, † November 11, 1927 ) was a Danish botanist and geneticist. He coined the term "gene" as the carrier of inheritance.

Life

Johannsen was born as the son of an officer and studied at the University of Copenhagen as well as in Germany and Switzerland. He became a lecturer in 1892 and 1903, Professor at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen. In 1905 he moved to the Department of Plant Physiology at the University of Copenhagen, where he was in 1917 elected rector.

Johannsen was a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences since 1898 and was honored by several universities (including Lund, Freiburg and Groningen) with honorary doctorates.

Johannsen led 1909 - Building on the technical term coined by William Bateson, " genetics " - the term "gene " (from Greek " give birth ") and the other terms " genotype " and " phenotype " one. He also defined the concept of population

Work (selection)

• Limitations of natural selection on pure lines (1909 )
• Arvelighed i historisk above experimental belysning (1917 )