Research

Archaeobotany is a scientific discipline closely related to environmental archaeology. It deals with analysing plant macroremains (mainly plant seeds), and microremains (pollen, phytoliths, starch) and interpreting plant remains within archaeological situations. Typical examples are domesticated plants, based on which social and economic relations in prehistoric and historical societies are reconstructed. The Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Paleoecology (LAPE) conducts research in the Czech Republic, southern Europe and Africa. Other areas of interest are archaeozoology, dealing with animal remains at archaeological sites, and paleoecology, integrating the relationships of human societies with nature in the past.

Bryology is a discipline dealing with all aspects of bryophyte biology. Despite their inconspicuousness, bryophytes are the second largest group of higher plants, and are represented in our country by almost 900 species. The bryology group at the Department of Botany is part of the Systematics of Higher Plants, but we also work on ecological topics and are methodologically close to groups that need microscopic methods for their work.

The working group is an informal body at the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice connecting people interested in restoration ecology. It brings together not only scientists and students of the Department of Botany but also people from other departments of the Faculty and the Institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic as well as members of non-governmental organizations.

Under the expert guidance of Karel Prach and Klára Řehounková, the working group deals with a variety of topics. One of the key areas of research is the restoration of disturbed sites, particularly mining sites, such as sand pits, quarries, peat bogs, and spoil heaps. Other topics include research into succession in abandoned fields and the restoration of flower-rich meadows. In recent years, the working group has also become interested in military areas and the influence of large herbivores on the development and composition of vegetation. It is also involved in a project on near-natural restoration in urban environments inspired by collaboration with German colleagues on flower-rich urban grasslands and strips. Recently, we have also turned our attention more towards the restoration of wetlands, particularly peatlands and springs.

Results of the research are published in prestigious scientific journals. The group also aims to disseminate the ideas of restoration ecology to the public and practitioners and to positively influence the national policy and the creation of particular laws and regulations.

The České Budějovice workplace is one of the leading centres in Europe in the field of restoration ecology. Members of the group collaborate with a number of domestic and foreign institutions, primarily with universities in Bernburg, Antwerp, Lille, Nevada, Seattle, Liverpool, Lleida, Alicante, Lisabon and others.

The Functional Plant Ecology Group investigates the mechanisms underlying plant biodiversity in species-rich semi-natural grasslands and the contribution of biodiversity to ecosystem functioning. We study how plant functional traits shape species establishment, coexistence and interactions, and how these processes influence ecosystem functions such as productivity, nutrient cycling and resistance to invasion.

We focus on the mechanisms of species establishment (gap dynamics and the role of reproductive and clonal traits), species interactions (competition, facilitation and hemiparasitism), and local adaptation (phenotypic plasticity and heritable epigenetic variation). We study a variety of plant traits, both above and below ground, combining extensive field experiments, including long-term research sites, with experiments in greenhouses and growth chambers. This approach allows us to assess how variation in functional traits affects species coexistence and ecosystem functions.

Fungi are an extremely species-rich group of organisms that play an irreplaceable role in nature, especially as decomposers, symbionts (mycorrhizal fungi, lichens) and parasites. About 150,000 species of fungi and lichens are currently known for science, the actual estimate is 2.2-3.8 million. Most of the species have not yet been described and for most of the described species we know little about their ecology and distribution. Every living organism interacts with fungi in some way, and organisms of macroscopic size contain entire fungal communities. Therefore, any change in valuable habitats brings with it a change in the fungal communities associated with them, and rare species of fungi and lichens may disappear.

Algology or also phycology is focused on the study of cyanobacteria and algae in all their habitats - from hot to cold deserts, from Třeboň ponds to tropical forests. In our laboratory, we mainly focus on the phylogeny and ecology of Cyanobacteria and Euglenophyta, but we also work with stoneworts (Charophyceae; in cooperation with nature conservation authorities) or diatoms (Bacillariophyceae; especially in cooperation with forensic research with the Criminalistics Institute). We combine field work in waters and on rocks with work at optical or electron microscopes and in the molecular laboratory.

What determines the morphological and genetic variation of plants, as well as their distribution? We study evolutionary processes (e.g. hybridization, polyploidy, origin of species), plant reproduction, and the traces of historical events (such as alternation of ice ages and interglacials). We try to link the individual approaches. We also focus on threatened species and nature conservation. We work in the field across Europe, as well as in the molecular lab.