English version

Department of Evolutionary Biology was founded in 1991, in order to enhance the conceptual unification of the various research programs concerned with evolution, and using new biochemical, molecular biological, quantitative genetic, ecological as well as variation statistical methods to provide innovative insights into different aspects of the speciation process. It assembled, within a single research project - “Population-Biology Aspects of the Evolutionary Procesess”, the two groups of research workers from the Institute and the Faculty of Biology: the population genetics and population ecology group from the extant Department of Genetics and the group for taxonomy and biogeography from the Department of Taxonomy, Biogeography and Organic Evolution formerly existing in the Institute.

 

Since within the biological sciences the evolutionary biology provide the theoretical framework for the interpretation of all biological phenomena – from the gene to the ecosystem - the principal aim of the investigations in the department are the analyses of elements of the population structure in various plant and animal taxa. It endeavors to accomplish these objectives through the research on a wealth of subjects of current evolutionary interest such as: morphological, physiological and life-history responses of plants to fluctuating environmental conditions (i.e., their phenotypic plasticity), developmental stability - fitness relationships, genetic and morphological aspects of population divergence in plants and animals, evolution of life history and ecologically important morphological and physiological traits, genetical base of habitat preference in heterogeneous environments, impact of heterochrony (e.g. paedomorphosis) on the morphological traits and life history characteristics, faunistic and biogeographycal investigations of various invertebrate and vertebrate groups, including their phylogeny, phylogeography, as well as various aspects of the group protection and conservation.

 

Empirical investigations regarding the organization of genetic and phenotypic variation at various levels in the genetic hierarchy (e.g. families, populations, species) are performed on the extant laboratory (Acanthoscelides obtectus, Drosophila spp.) and natural populations (plants: e.g. Iris pumila, Picea omorika, Lamium spp., Robinia pseudoacacia; amphibians and reptiles: e.g. Triturus spp., Mesotriton sp. i Lissotriton sp., Salamandra sp., Bombina spp., Bufo bufo, Rana temporaria, Pelobates spp., Testudo spp., Cyrtopodion kotschyi, Ablepharus sp. Algyroides nigropunctatus, Podarcis spp., Lacerta spp., Dalmatolacerta spp, Dinarolacerta spp., Darevskia praticola, Zootoca vivipara, Eryx jaculus, Dolichophis caspius, , Elaphe quatuorlineata, Natrix spp., Platyceps najadum, Vipera spp.) which population structure has already been estimated or on natural populations that are not yet experimentally explored.

Faunistic and biogeographycal investigations embrace various invertebrate and vertebrate taxa (Insecta, Amphibia, Reptilia and Mammalia).