Welcome to Biodiversity Research Group
Biodiversity Research Group is part of the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science of the Charles University. Our research covers a wide range of topics, spanning from systematic zoology, evolutionary ecology and neuroanatomy to evolutionary genomics and proteomics. Using modern genetic and molecular techniques in combination with ecological and behavioural experiments, we investigate phenomena such as speciation, social communication, magnetoreception or phenotypic plasticity. Most of our work is done on various non-model species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Much of our involvement also centres on teaching including practicals and field excursions.
Recent News
Apr 2012 |
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Summer School: Current methods on speciation research, 28-30th August 2012, Pruhonice, Czech Republic
This school will provide students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills in methods relevant to the study of speciation. This will be accomplished by bringing together population geneticists, bioinformaticians, statisticians and theoreticians, who will present theoretical lectures and provide practical computer tutorials. The school puts particular emphasis on the use of state-of-the-art molecular genetic tools and novel computational methods in analysis of genome-wide sequence data, and will stimulate the development of interdisciplinary approaches. This event is focused primarily on PhD and/or post-doctoral students who are encouraged to discuss their own projects and analyse their own datasets. Attendance is free. Registration deadline is 30th June 2012.
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Apr 2012 |
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Publication: An Alternative Theoretical Approach to Escape Decision-Making: The Role of Visual Cues
Theory of behavioral mechanisms linked with decision-making processes were to date strictly based on ultimate costs/benefits paradigm, whereas physiological, and cognitive-based mechanisms remained overlooked. In the recent issue of Plos One, we presented an alternative theoretical model solely based on visual processing of moving predator for explanation of variability in escape decision-making in birds. Because we found high consistency of observational data with proposed theoretical model, we assume that our simple and more parsimonous approach fills the gap in the complex understanding of escape behavior and simultaneously points out a need for incorporation of proximate mechanisms into the theoretical interpretation of behavioral processes.
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Feb 2012 |
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Microevolutionary miniconference III, 14.2.2012
The use of organelar DNA in evolutionary studies, phylogeography and population genetics.
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Jan 2012 |
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Publication: The slower the better: how sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction is modified in the presence of estrogens
This study published in journal Reproduction shows an existence of estrogen receptor beta in mature mouse spermatozoa. It also provides evidence that estrogens significantly stimulate capacitation in a concentration-dependent manner, but consequently reduce the number of sperm able to undergo acrosome reaction. It can be inferred that a raising concentration of estrogens in the environment may lead to a decrease of fertilizing ability of sperm.
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Jan 2012 |
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Student Poster Session
On 10 January 2012, we organized poster session for master students of the Biodiversity Research Group. Three posters were awarded:
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Dec 2011 |
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Publications on house mouse hybrid zone
Three 2011 papers (in Molecular Ecology and Evolution) co-authored by members of the Biodiversity Research Group highlight the house mouse hybrid zone as a model of speciation.
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Nov 2011 |
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Publication: Superiority of extra-pair offspring: maternal but not genetic effects as revealed by a mixed cross-fostering design
Recent study of Miloš Krist (Museum of Natural History, Olomouc) and Pavel Munclinger (Biodiversity Research Group) in Molecular Ecology suggests that the most likely reason for females’ infidelity in birds is the insurance against the infertility of a social mate.
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Nov 2011 |
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Publication: Ornamentation and PHA-induced inflammation in Scarlet Rosefinch
PHA skin-swelling test is currently one of basic immunological methods adopted in animal ecology. Our most recent paper published in Animal Behaviour provides new information on the association between ornamentation and dermal inflammatory immune response triggered by PHA. In Scarlet rosefinch we show that stronger response might indicate, in fact, impaired health.
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Jun 2011 |
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Publication: Factors affecting sleep/vigilance behaviour in incubating mallards
To date, there is limited information about the factors affecting sleep/vigilance pattern under natural condition in birds. A team of authors from Avian Evolutionary Ecology Group (V. Javůrková, J. Kreisinger and Tomáš Albrecht) and Department of Ecology published detailed study in Ethology which demonstrates how several environmental factors such as vegetation cover and time of day may contribute to changes in antipredator vigilance during sleep in cryptic ground-nesting Mallard.
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May 2011 |
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Publication: Ecological character displacement in the face of gene flow: Evidence from two species of nightingales
A recent study of R. Reifová, J. Reif, M. Antzak and M. W. Nachman in BMC Evolutionary Biology shows that interactions between two hybridizing species of nightingales result in divergence in bill size in sympatry. This divergence most likely reflects segregation of feeding niches between the species. These results suggest that interspecific competition for food resources can drive species divergence even in the face of ongoing hybridization. Such ecological character displacement may enhance reproductive isolation between the species and thus contribute to speciation.
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Feb 2011 |
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Microevolutionary miniconference II, 15.2.2011
The use of microsatellite, AFLP and RAPD markers in evolutionary studies.
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Nov 2010 |
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Dean's Awards 2010
Our student, Libor Mořkovský, obtained the Dean's Award for his MSc thesis: Characterization of the Z chromosome gene content in chicken (supervisor: Radka Reifová). |
Oct 2010 |
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Publication: Functional analysis of the skin-swelling response to phytohaemagglutinin
The phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin-swelling test is widely used in immunoecology and ecotoxicology to estimate cell-mediated immunity. Not much is, however, known about the functional mechanism triggering the immune response. M. Vinkler, H. Bainová and T. Albrecht have recently reported in Functional Ecology their results indicating that this test reliably mirrors the individual general proinflammatory potential but not T-cell activity as formerly assumed. This interpretational change importantly alters our view on the test results regarding the costs of the response or the evolutionary immunological adaptations.
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Oct 2010 |
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Microevolutionary miniconference, 12.11.2010
The first meeting of students and researchers from the Department of zoology, Department of botany and Department of parazitology. What can we learn from each other?
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Jun 2010 |
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Speciation workshop, Villa Lanna, Prague, 11.10.2010
One day workshop on Evolution of reproductive isolation: models and empirical evidence supported by Frontiers of Speciation Research (FroSpects) programme will be held on 11.10.2010 in Villa Lanna. Attendance is free. Registration deadline is 8.8.2010.
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Apr 2010 |
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Publication: Input from the magnetosensory system contribute to the internal representation of space in a subterranean rodent
The neural substrate subserving magnetoreception and magnetic orientation in mammals is largely unknown. A recent paper published by T. Burger, P. Němec and colleagues in Journal of the Royal Society Interface demonstrates that key constituents of the rodent navigation circuit contain populations of neurons that are responsive to magnetic stimuli. Thus, magnetic information may be integrated with multimodal sensory and motor information into a common spatial representation of allocentric space within this circuit.
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Apr 2010 |
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Publication: Interspecific differences in sexual size dimorphism in geckos mirror the trend induced by changes in environmental temperature
In April issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Biology Z. Starostová, L. Kubička and L. Kratochvíl showed that sexual size dimorphism correlates with body size across species of the gecko genus Paroedura. Moreover, they found that the same trend can be induced intraspecifically by differences in thermal environment.
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Feb 2010 |
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Publication: Reduced introgression of the Z chromosome between two species of nightingales
A study of R. Storchová, J. Reif and M. W. Nachman in Evolution demonstrates an important role of the Z chromosome in reproductive isolation between two species of nightingales. The results point to the similar genetic basis of postzygotic reproductive isolation in organisms with heterogametic males and organisms with heterogametic females during the early stages of speciation.
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Jan 2010 |
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Publication: Novel OBP genes similar to hamster Aphrodisin in the bank vole, Myodes glareolus
A recent paper published by R. Stopková and colleagues in BMC Genomics presents new facts about lipocalin protein family, specifically about members known as Odorant Binding Proteins. Authors submit three novel sequences of Obp genes identified in model species Myodes glareolus and they confirm the existence of such variants on both genomic and proteomic level. The novel Obp variants share the higest similarity with hamster Aphrodisin, described as an „aphrodisiac“ protein and known to protect and transport pheromones.
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