Department of Animal Ecology

Research activities:

The department deals with a wide scale of biological problems connected with ecology and zoology, with the help of methods widely used in hydrobiology, parasitology, epidemiology, systematics, zoogeography, ethology, entomology, acarology, ornithology, and mammalogy. It is concerned with different groups of aquatic and terrestrial animals, namely Oligochaeta, Isopoda, Amphipoda, Acarina, Mallophaga, Opiliones, Coleoptera, Trichoptera, Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Aves and Mammalia.
– ecology, ethology, population and reproduction biology of invertebrates and vertebrates including humans, of ticks and tick-borne micro-organisms and tick-host-pathogen interactions
– bioindication of natural and anthropogenic changes of environment, with focus on floodplain, alpine aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and their restoration, as well as impact of climatic changes on ecosystems,
– relationships of bird ecto- and endoparasites and non-parasitic arthropods inhabiting bird nests,
– ecology, physiology and host-pathogen interactions of the tick-borne diseases,
The members of the department participated successfully in projects supported by the 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7FP of the EU (Alpe 2, MOLAR, EMERGE, STAR, EDEN, ICCTD3, EDENext) and in national projects funded by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic and Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA) and by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVT, APVV).

Head of the Department:
prof. doc. Ing. Ladislav Hamerlík, PhD.

Members:
RNDr. Alžbeta Darolová, CSc. – senior researcher
Ethology, ecology and reproductive strategies of birds, influence of parasites and bacteria on reproductive and physiological parameters of birds, analyses of song quality of birds

RNDr. Mária Kazimírová, CSc. – senior researcher
Experimental acarology, ecology of tick-borne diseases, physiology of ticks and tick-host-pathogen interactions, identification of novel tick salivary bioactive compounds

Mgr. Igor Kokavec, PhD. – junior researcher
Biodiversity, population structure and ecology of non-insect benthic invertebrates – flatworms (Turbellaria), aquatic worms (Oligochaeta), molluscs ( Mollusca), leeches (Hirudinea) and crustaceans (Crustacea); ecology of regulated streams, effect of reservoirs on riverine ecosystems; invasive invertebrates

RNDr. Ján Krištofík, CSc. – senior researcher
Ecology and distribution of mammal in Slovakia, reproductive biology of birds, relationship between birds, parasites (Mallophaga, Acarina, Diptera) and bacteria, analyses of song quality of birds

RNDr. Peter Mašán, PhD. – senior researcher
Acarology, especially systematics and biology of mesostigmatic mites (Acarina, Mesostigmata), including morphology, taxonomy, ecology and zoogeography of taxa living in Palaearctic Region, primarily based on free-living edaphic mites, parasitic mites associated with small mammals and birds (and their nests), and phoretic mites associated with coprophilous, necrophilous and mycophilous arthropods.

RNDr. Tomáš Navara, PhD. – junior researcher
Ecology of water insect – mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera) and caddisflies (Trichoptera); population structure, biodiversity and distribution of the listed insect orders in river ecosystems, mountain and submountain streams, and springs; impact of anthropogenic factors on water insect taxocoenoses

RNDr. Pavol Prokop, PhD. – senior researcher
Evolution of nuptial feeding and sexual cannibalism in arthropods, sexual selection of animals including humans.

Ing. Zbyšek Šustek, CSc. – senior researcher
Ecology and biogeography of Carabidae and Stapbylinidae (Insecta, Coleoptera), bioindication of environmental changes and landscape structure with focus on urban, floodplain and alpine forest ecosystem, as well as interrelations of beetles with other arthropods in bird nests

Mr. Daniel Kosa – laboratory technician

Consultant:
RNDr. Marian Vranovský, CSc.
– zooplankton of standing and flowing waters, ecology and taxonomy of Copepoda and Cladocera