Ongoing projects

The summary of research topics of the Department of Ecology will be gradually added here.

The list below is not complete yet; members of the Department are involved in research spanning a broader range of disciplines (see also the list of published papers).

Biological invasions

• Distribution, ecology and negative impacts of alien crayfish species and crayfish plaque in Central Europe
• Temperature characteristics and forecasts of pest invasions
• Land snail communities of natural and plant-invaded alluvial ecosystems in the Czech Republic

Community ecology and autecology

• Diversity and conservation of butterfly communities
• Diversity and metacommunity ecology of crustaceans in small water bodies of the Kokořínsko Protected Landscape Area
• Diversity, ecology and biogeography of diatom communities (Baccilariophyta) in the Antarctic region
• Phytoplankton of Tatra lakes – determinants of species diversity and biomass of cyanobacteria and algae

Behavioral ecology

• Vocal communication and behaviour of selected passerine species. See website of the Bioacoustics Research Group

Evolutionary ecology

• Interspecific hybridization of cladocerans of the Daphnia longispina complex and its ecological and evolutionary significance
• Energy allocation in avian life histories
• Ecology, biology and evolutionary ecology of symbiotic shrimps from the subfamily Pontoniinae
• Evolution of reproductive and life strategies in lizards
• Evolution of sex-determining mechanisms in squamate reptiles
• Evolution of sexually dimorphic traits in lizards and their hormonal control

Macroecology

• Null and neutral models of abundance, spatial distribution and diversity of organisms
• Determinants of biodiversity: why there are more species in a more productive environment and in mountains?
• Geographical variation in functional components of bird diversity