Beginning with plant-cell contents
Schimper studied with Anton de Bary in Strasbourg and continued investigating chloroplasts and starch grains after his doctorate in 1878. Returning to Europe in 1882, he worked with Eduard Strasburger in Bonn on plant-cell anatomy, physiology and internal structures.
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Plants in their habitats
Research journeys took him to Trinidad, Venezuela, Brazil, Ceylon and Java. Publications on plant–ant relationships in tropical America, epiphytic vegetation and Indo-Malayan coastal flora investigated how plants lived and adapted in particular environments.
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A physiological approach to plant geography
His Pflanzengeographie auf physiologischer Grundlage, published in 1898, connected distribution with environmental conditions and physiological adaptation. He also contributed to an 1894 botany textbook, bringing cellular research, knowledge of plant groups and field observations into teaching.
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Basel and the Valdivia expedition
Appointed professor at Basel in 1898, Schimper participated in the Valdivia deep-sea expedition and investigated marine planktonic plants. He subsequently organized expedition material, his institute and its botanical garden. He died in 1901 from an infection acquired during the journey, leaving some studies unfinished.
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