(Kraków); Ian C. Hedge (Edinburgh); Prof. Paul Keßler (Leiden); Prof. Michael Keusgen (Marburg); Prof. Ajmal Khan (Karachi); Prof. Christian Körner (Basel); Prof. Ulrich Kull (Stuttgart); PD
Dr Thomas Littmann (Halle); Prof. Gia Nakhutsrishvili (Tbilisi); Prof. Clas Naumann (Bonn);
Dr Takajoshi Nishio (Utsunomiya); Prof. Nathalia Ogar (Almaty); Dr Tatsuhiro Ohkubo (Utsunomiya); Prof. Muazzez Önal (Istanbul); Dr Rodolpho Ortiz (San Ramón); Prof. Barry Osmond
(Canberra); Prof. Münir Öztürk (Izmir); Prof. Fabricio Queirolo (Antofagasta); Dr Daud Rafiqpoor
(Bonn); Dr Hamer Salazar (Costa Rica); Prof. Ernst-Detlef Schulze (Bayreuth/Jena); Prof. Zoldan
Varga (Debrecen); Prof. Yoav Waisel (Tel Aviv); Prof. Per Wendelbo (Gothenburg); Prof. Christian Wissel (Leipzig); Dr Walter Wucherer (Greifswald); and Prof. Aaron Yair (Jerusalem).
Special thanks are due to Ian C. Hedge for long years of intense cooperation and for his help in
smoothing this text.
Without the help of funding agencies – mainly the DFG (German Research Foundation), BMBF
(German Ministry of Education and Research), AERC (Arid Ecosystem Research Center, Jerusalem), GTZ-CCD (Bonn), BMBL (German Ministry of Agriculture), DAAD (German Academic
Exchange Service), MURL-NRW (Ministry for the Environment, State of North Rhine–Westphalia), VW Foundation, Schimper Foundation and University of Bielefeld – it would have been
impossible to have carried out these projects and studies. To them I say many thanks.
I never tried to publish in nature or science or sought impact factors. But often, over the years,
we received complimentary comments. Senckenberg’s director (Dr Mosbrugger) wrote concerning
our Field Guide Afghanistan book: “a marvellous book, even if there are no impact- or Hirschfactors improved, this book has certainly a much longer value than most of the Nature or Science
papers”. I say thanks.
All co-workers in the (relatively small) department of ecology; all assistants; all candidates for
doctoral theses (approximately 20), for diploma theses (approximately 130) and for the teacher’s
examination (approximately 25); and all Arbeits-Beschaffungs-Maßnahme (ABM; “job creation
scheme” in English) people and technical assistants (especially Irmingard Meier and Anja Scheffer)
were a good and reliable team. I say thanks.
This scientific curiosity is shared with my wife, Uta Breckle. She formed the framework of the
family and was always of indispensable help in every decade, together with my three children
(Hans, Rolf and Margit). To them I say the most important thanks.
References
Agachanjanz OE, Breckle S-W (2002) Plant diversity and endemism in high mountains of Central
Asia, the Caucasus and Siberia. In: Mountain biodiversity – a global assessment. Körner C,
Spehn E (eds) Parthenon Publ Group, Boca Raton, New York etc., chapter 9, pp 117–127
Agakhanjanz O (2002) Der Wind, der heißt Afghane. Forschungen auf dem Pamir im Jahr der
Schlange. (Hg: Breckle S-W, U) Shaker, Aachen. 236 pp
Agakhanjanz OE, Breckle S-W (1995) Origin and evolution of the mountain flora in middle and
central Asia. In: Chapin FS III, Körner C (eds) Arctic and alpine biodiversity: patterns, causes
and ecosystem consequences. Ecological Studies, vol 113, pp 63–80
Ahmadov KM, Breckle S-W, Breckle U (2006) Effects of grazing on biodiversity, productivity,
and soil erosion of alpine pastures in Tajik mountains. In: Spehn E, Körner C, Liberman M (eds)
Land-use change and mountain biodiversity. CRC Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL,
pp 253–261
Albert R (2005) Das Physiotypen-Konzept – ein Modell zur Erklärung ökophysiologischer
Anpassungen. In Veste M, Wucherer W, Homeier J (eds) Ökologische Forschung im globalen
Kontext. Festschrift zum 65. Geburtstag von Prof. Dr S.-W. Breckle, pp 1–23
Beadle NCW (1981) In: Walter H, Breckle S-W (eds) The vegetation of Australia.
Vegetationsmonographien der einzelnen Großräume, vol 4, Fischer, Stuttgart, 690 pp
54
S.-W. Breckle
Dr Thomas Littmann (Halle); Prof. Gia Nakhutsrishvili (Tbilisi); Prof. Clas Naumann (Bonn);
Dr Takajoshi Nishio (Utsunomiya); Prof. Nathalia Ogar (Almaty); Dr Tatsuhiro Ohkubo (Utsunomiya); Prof. Muazzez Önal (Istanbul); Dr Rodolpho Ortiz (San Ramón); Prof. Barry Osmond
(Canberra); Prof. Münir Öztürk (Izmir); Prof. Fabricio Queirolo (Antofagasta); Dr Daud Rafiqpoor
(Bonn); Dr Hamer Salazar (Costa Rica); Prof. Ernst-Detlef Schulze (Bayreuth/Jena); Prof. Zoldan
Varga (Debrecen); Prof. Yoav Waisel (Tel Aviv); Prof. Per Wendelbo (Gothenburg); Prof. Christian Wissel (Leipzig); Dr Walter Wucherer (Greifswald); and Prof. Aaron Yair (Jerusalem).
Special thanks are due to Ian C. Hedge for long years of intense cooperation and for his help in
smoothing this text.
Without the help of funding agencies – mainly the DFG (German Research Foundation), BMBF
(German Ministry of Education and Research), AERC (Arid Ecosystem Research Center, Jerusalem), GTZ-CCD (Bonn), BMBL (German Ministry of Agriculture), DAAD (German Academic
Exchange Service), MURL-NRW (Ministry for the Environment, State of North Rhine–Westphalia), VW Foundation, Schimper Foundation and University of Bielefeld – it would have been
impossible to have carried out these projects and studies. To them I say many thanks.
I never tried to publish in nature or science or sought impact factors. But often, over the years,
we received complimentary comments. Senckenberg’s director (Dr Mosbrugger) wrote concerning
our Field Guide Afghanistan book: “a marvellous book, even if there are no impact- or Hirschfactors improved, this book has certainly a much longer value than most of the Nature or Science
papers”. I say thanks.
All co-workers in the (relatively small) department of ecology; all assistants; all candidates for
doctoral theses (approximately 20), for diploma theses (approximately 130) and for the teacher’s
examination (approximately 25); and all Arbeits-Beschaffungs-Maßnahme (ABM; “job creation
scheme” in English) people and technical assistants (especially Irmingard Meier and Anja Scheffer)
were a good and reliable team. I say thanks.
This scientific curiosity is shared with my wife, Uta Breckle. She formed the framework of the
family and was always of indispensable help in every decade, together with my three children
(Hans, Rolf and Margit). To them I say the most important thanks.
References
Agachanjanz OE, Breckle S-W (2002) Plant diversity and endemism in high mountains of Central
Asia, the Caucasus and Siberia. In: Mountain biodiversity – a global assessment. Körner C,
Spehn E (eds) Parthenon Publ Group, Boca Raton, New York etc., chapter 9, pp 117–127
Agakhanjanz O (2002) Der Wind, der heißt Afghane. Forschungen auf dem Pamir im Jahr der
Schlange. (Hg: Breckle S-W, U) Shaker, Aachen. 236 pp
Agakhanjanz OE, Breckle S-W (1995) Origin and evolution of the mountain flora in middle and
central Asia. In: Chapin FS III, Körner C (eds) Arctic and alpine biodiversity: patterns, causes
and ecosystem consequences. Ecological Studies, vol 113, pp 63–80
Ahmadov KM, Breckle S-W, Breckle U (2006) Effects of grazing on biodiversity, productivity,
and soil erosion of alpine pastures in Tajik mountains. In: Spehn E, Körner C, Liberman M (eds)
Land-use change and mountain biodiversity. CRC Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL,
pp 253–261
Albert R (2005) Das Physiotypen-Konzept – ein Modell zur Erklärung ökophysiologischer
Anpassungen. In Veste M, Wucherer W, Homeier J (eds) Ökologische Forschung im globalen
Kontext. Festschrift zum 65. Geburtstag von Prof. Dr S.-W. Breckle, pp 1–23
Beadle NCW (1981) In: Walter H, Breckle S-W (eds) The vegetation of Australia.
Vegetationsmonographien der einzelnen Großräume, vol 4, Fischer, Stuttgart, 690 pp
54
S.-W. Breckle