Faces of the LIB: Martin Husemann

What led you to biology?

In principle, the path emerged a bit from my advanced biology course. I was always interested in nature and had a fishing licence as a child, for example. I also spent a lot of time outdoors and in the woods with my father, looking for mushrooms. So, there was always a bit of a basic interest. I also had a very good biology teacher who introduced me to the world of insects. Back then, we set up traps and learned how to dissect insects in our advanced course. Before I went to university, I was unsure whether to study marketing or biology, but in the end, I decided on biology and have never regretted it.

What would you have become if you hadn’t become a biologist?

I can’t imagine that very well nowadays because I’m so deeply involved in this subject. But as I said, I always found marketing and advertising quite exciting. I wanted to do something creative and something I am enthusiastic about. Besides, it’s not so different from what I do now, except that I now do advertising for nature and biodiversity.

What aspect of your job do you find a highlight?

On the one hand, the work with the collection, but on the other also field work. Now we have just come back from Georgia and Armenia – such trips are of course big highlights. Being out in the field, seeing the animals alive and learning about their interactions is super exciting. For us biologists, that’s very important. The interactions with museum visitors are just as exciting, as for example right now in our insect exhibition “Multifaceted Insects”. This way I can share my enthusiasm for biology and insects with other people.

Why are the trips such a special aspect of your work for you?

Because it not only brings me into contact with other colleagues, but also allows me to really get to know the countries and their cultures. We don’t travel the way tourists do but are usually in places where we can also have a direct exchange with local colleagues. Especially in Iran – where I have been travelling a lot lately – I have learned a lot about the people and the culture of the country. I like to try out new things – especially culinary ones: In Iran we ate “Kaleh Pacheh” for breakfast. This is a goat’s or sheep’s head cooked overnight and served relatively simple without many extras. I like to try everything at least once – the cultural exchange is simply part of field research in other countries for me.

What does nature mean to you personally? Is there a favourite place in nature?

Nature is our basis of life. Everything is nature somehow if you think about it that way. There are many places that are important to me, and they change all the time. Our student excursions to Pevestorf are always great because there are some places there that have  represent special habitats and hence have interesting insects. In summer we often visit relatives in Brandenburg who have a garden there. There is a meadow where I usually spend half of our holiday. There are so many different species of grasshoppers and beetles, many of which are on the Red List and can hardly be found anywhere else, while they fly around there in masses – for this reason it’s a little paradise for me. We were on holiday in Italy a few years ago and while wandering around I discovered a small valley basin in Tyrol. It was only about 20 by 20 metres, and it was much hotter than the surrounding area. There were so many rare species in such a small area: It was amazing. It was like entering another world. Totally awesome.

Which animal species has your personal affection?

Grasshoppers. Although I also worked with fish during my PhD. But my research has been focused on grasshoppers for years, and especially the band-winged grasshoppers. That was my first great love with insects. I wrote my bachelor’s and master’s thesis on these animals and have been captivated by the subject ever since.

Why did the locusts in particular trigger your passion for research?

I think it’s always difficult to really understand as an outsider: My advisor at the time asked me whether I wanted to do an easy or a hard topic in my bachelor’s thesis. At the time, I wanted the difficult topic and that’s why I dedicated my bachelor’s thesis to Sphingonotus grasshoppers. I wrote about a grasshopper genus with over 170 species, in which we have also been able to propose quite a lot of changes taxonomically and systematically in the meantime. Until now, there are always more open questions than we can solve. If you are more deeply involved in a topic, then you become a central contact person for it in the long term. Often, as a biologist, you stick to the first love you fell in love with, if something doesn’t go wrong.

How would you explain the term “biodiversity” in simple terms for children, for example?

Short and to the point: the diversity of all life.

What do you want people to associate with the LIB in ten years’ time?

Hopefully it will be seen as a place where people can find out about biodiversity and learn interesting things that have a connection to our research. The LIB should be a place that helps make our environment a little better.

What is the biggest challenge in the field of environmental protection now?

We need a systemic change: we need to change our mindset and act in a sustainable way. We need forms of energy that work sustainably. Even wind turbines or solar plants are comparatively sustainable in their operation, but not really in their production. And energy is only one factor that influences the future of our environment.  There should also not be many more people than there are now. But of course, that’s a difficult subject, because we can’t restrict it very well.

What advice would you give to young biologists at the beginning of their careers?

I would advise them to think it very carefully and only go down this path if they are really dedicated. You need passion for this profession and should not do it “just for money”, but out of enthusiasm.

Is there an area at the LIB that is particularly close to your heart?

Environmental education and the exhibitions because that is a window to the outside world. This is where we can best reach the public and show what we all can do to make the world a bit better. Everyone can contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and nature, and even small steps can have a great effect if many join in.

DR. HABIL. MARTIN HUSEMANN heads the Hemimetabolous Insects and Hymenoptera Section at the LIB site in Hamburg. He studied organismal biology in Osnabrück until 2008, before completing his doctorate on population genetics of East African cichlids in Waco, Texas. After working in Munich and Halle (Saale), he has been working in the insect collections in Hamburg since 2016.