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Food composition and feeding selectivity of zooplankton
Lis, Jonáš ; Škaloud, Pavel (advisor) ; Čablová, Radka (referee)
Zooplankton are an important link in the food web between phytoplankton and higher tro- phic levels, and understanding their feeding preferences is the key to unraveling the functions and dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. Current knowledge of zooplankton food composition is limited, consisting mainly of laboratory experiments that have revealed different hunting strategies and selection of prey based on size and nutritional value. Recently, publications have emerged that, through the use of DNA metabarcoding, provide a completely new and comprehensive insight into the diversity of zooplankton diet composition, especially copepods, cladocerans and rotifers. These methods reveal that the feeding niches of copepods and cladocerans are distinct and do not overlap. In general, both groups are said to prefer mainly diatoms as their food, when available. The food niches of rotifers are so diverse that no clear trend can be established for the entire phylum. Cyanobacteria appear to be the main source of energy for zooplankton and are proba- bly consumed by metazooplankton largely as secondary prey when consuming ciliates and other heterotrophic prey. Furthermore, differences in feeding niches between species are known and can be partly explained by their vertical distribution, and different levels of feeding...
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The use of molecular markers for the study of the impact of global change on fungal communities
Faltysová, Julie ; Baldrian, Petr (advisor) ; Koukol, Ondřej (referee)
Fungi are an essential part of life on Earth. Besides their main role in decomposition of organic matter, they belong among key symbiotic organisms and they take part in providing a range of ecosystem processes important for humankind such as primary production and with that related food availability or soil water regulation. For the study of fungal distribution, we often use a method called DNA metabarcoding which combines the use of specific molecular markers, most commonly universal fungal ITS, and high-throughput sequencing. The importance of the method has been rising in the current time of changing environment and it has helped us observe changes in fungal communities due to global change. It seems that primarily various climatic factors such as warming, changes in rainfall patterns and nitrogen deposition have strongly influenced community and fungal guilds composition. Consequently, these changes may potentially have an impact on ecosystem functioning so that their overall balance can be in threat. Key words: molecular markers, DNA metabarcoding, fungal community, warming, climate change, nitrogen deposition
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