Martin Kaltenpoth (born in 1977 in Hagen) is a German evolutionary ecologist.
Scientific career After studying biology at the University of Würzburg, which was supported by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung), Kaltenpoth completed his doctorate in 2006 under the supervision of Erhard Strohm on the topic Protective bacteria and attractive pheromones - symbiosis and chemical communication in beewolves.Online Publication Service of Würzburg University He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Regensburg and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. In 2009, he joined the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology as head of the Max Planck Research Group Insect Symbiosis. In 2015, he was appointed Chair of Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Mainz. Since 2020, he has been Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and Head of the Department of Insect Symbiosis.Profile on the webpage of the Max Planck Society
Research Kaltenpoth studies symbioses between insects and microorganisms. Bacteria are important partners for their hosts, as they help open up new habitats and the exploit new food sources.Versatile symbionts: Reed beetles benefit from bacterial helpers through all life stages, press release, Dec. 6, 2020 They also play a vital role in their host insects’ defense against enemies.Defensive symbiosis leads to gene loss in bacterial partners, press release, Appr. 19, 2021 The goal of Kaltenpoth's research is to characterize the diversity of bacterial symbionts in insects and their importance for the ecology of their hosts, tracing their evolutionary origin.Beewolves have been successfully using the same antibiotics for 68 million years, press release, Feb. 13, 2018
Honors and awards Student Research Grant Award, Animal Behavior Society, USA, 2001 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant, American Museum of Natural History, USA, 2002 Biocenter Science Award of the University of Würzburg, 2006 Award of the Ingrid Weiss / Horst Wiehe Foundation, German Society for General and Applied Entomology (DGaaE), 2007Förderpreis der Ingrid Weiss / Horst Wiehe Stiftung Young Scientist Award, Society for Experimental Biology (SEB), United Kingdom, 2007 Thuringian Science Award of the Thuringian Ministry for Economy, Science and Digital Society, Germany, 201420. Thüringer Forschungspreis geht an vier Institute Griswold Lecture, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, USA, 2018 European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant, 2019ERC Consolidator Grant for research on the relationship between beetles and symbiotic bacteria, press release, Dec. 6, 2018 Elected Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization, 2023EMBO announces election of new members, EMBO Communications, July 4, 2023 Honorary Professorship for Evolutionary Ecology at University of Jena, Faculty of Biosciences, 2023,Martin Kaltenpoth appointed honorary professor at Friedrich Schiller University, October 30, 2023
References
External links Website of the Department of Insect Symbiosis at the MPI for Chemical Ecology