A new Viewpoint by Jan Kollár has been published in BioScience (Oxford University Press), one of the leading general biology journals. The article discusses how the rapid expansion of molecular methods since the 1990s has transformed taxonomy and biodiversity research. This development is often framed as a trajectory of replacement, with morphology and organismal expertise […]
We are very proud to announce that Jan Kollár, founding member of the DiCE research group, has accepted a new researcher position at the University of Rostock, Germany. As of May 2026, he will be part of the newly-funded project “BENKIESO: Diatoms of the Baltic Sea – DNA and AI in biodiversity monitoring,” where his […]
A new paper from the DiCE group has been published in the European Journal of Phycology. We show that the widely reported diatom Pinnularia acidicola is not a single species but a pseudocryptic complex. Using an integrative (polyphasic) approach that combines morphology, molecular data, and eDNA-based biogeography and ecology, we resolve its taxonomy and describe […]
We are thrilled to share that our group leader Dr. Tyler J. Kohler will coordinate a brand-new long-term environmental monitoring program (LTER) in Antarctica, under the Czech Antarctic Research Programme (CARP) hosted by Masaryk University, Brno. This nationally funded effort, led by the Faculty of Science, Charles University, marks a major step forward in tracking […]
From September 10–12, 2025, the DiCE team took part in the 66th annual meeting of the Czech Phycological Society in ÄŚeskĂ© BudÄ›jovice. We contributed with five oral presentations and one poster, showcasing ongoing research on cryospheric diatom diversity and ecology in Antarctic and Alpine habitats. It was a pleasure to exchange ideas with colleagues from […]
Our PhD student Raquel Viso was recently featured in the Diatom of the Month series of the International Society for Diatom Research (ISDR). In the post, Raquel reflects on the challenges and rewards of studying diatoms in Antarctica, arguably the most remote and extreme environment on Earth. Her story highlights how scientific curiosity, logistical resilience, […]
In early 2025, our colleague KateĹ™ina Kopalová returned to Antarctica for another scientific expedition, this time to the Argentinian research station Esperanza. Together with science communicator and photographer Petr Jan JuraÄŤka, she collected samples of diatoms which, thanks to their silica shells and ecological specificity, offer unique insights into both past climate change and present-day […]
We’re excited to announce a new first-author paper of our PhD student Hristina Kochoska, just published in Diatom Research! The study explores one of Africa’s last tropical glacier-fed streams, draining from the Mt. Stanley Glacier in the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda — a unique and vanishing habitat. Using a combination of light and electron microscopy […]
We are thrilled to welcome Tereza Vošická as a new PhD student in the Diatoms in Cryospheric Ecosystems (DiCE) group at Charles University! Tereza recently completed her MSc at the Department of Ecology, where she explored diatom communities in Alpine glacier-fed streams using eDNA metabarcoding. Her Master thesis research was awarded 3rd prize for the […]
Glaciers cover 10% of Earth’s terrestrial surface, and their melt initiates flow for some of the world’s largest river networks. Despite their importance, little is known about the life that inhabits glacier-fed streams, and even less is known about how this life is set to change with ongoing glacier retreat. Three new papers in Nature, […]