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Diversity and abundances of birds along altitudinal gradients of Cameroon Mountains
Dubský, Marek ; Sedláček, Ondřej (advisor) ; Reif, Jiří (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to describe the changes of bird species diversity along elevation gradient on six mounts in Cameroon and nearby Bioko island. The results of the analyses confirm most of the defined hypotheses, especially they show that species diversity declines with altitude and rises with area. Cluster analysis shows the similarity of individual mountains in particular altitude zones. Despite the original hypothesis, mount Cameroon is found to be most similar to mount Kupé, although high mountain assemblages of mount Cameroon and Bioko island are very alike as well. The absolutely highest diversity was detected on mount Cameroon and mount Kupé, but above 2100 m above sea level mounts Oku and Manenguba are the most diverse. The results of this thesis contribute to a clearer notion about factors influencing species diversity; however, more thorough data (particularly from mount Nlonako) and data extension for e.g. bird abundance would enrich the study and it would enable us to perform more detailed diversity analysis, especially an analysis of competition relationship among species. Key words Species diversity, Cameroon, bird assemblages, elevational gradient
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Western Carpathians as diversity hotspot during the Quaternary climatic cycle
Kubíková, Kateřina ; Juřičková, Lucie (advisor) ; Horáček, Ivan (referee)
In the context of the entire Europe, the Western Carpathians is a unique area of priceless biological significance. Topological complexity, together with significant climatic and edaphic variability, is reflected in the high habitat heterogeneity and has enabled the survival of a large number of species in this area during the Quaternary climatic cycle. The Western Carpathians thus represents one of the most important glacial as well as interglacial refugium in Europe. The result of these environmental variables and the unique history of this region is an enormous species diversity, a high degree of endemism and the occurrence of many glacial relics. This bachelor's thesis contains a review of mainly zoological studies dealing with high biodiversity and degree of endemism in the Western Carpathians and its possible causes. The role of the Western Carpathians as an important Pleistocene refugium, its influence on other parts of Europe and the postglacial development of the area are discussed in individual chapters.
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Development of endemic freshwater ichthyofauna of Greece
Kyralová, Eva ; Vukićová, Jasna (advisor) ; Švátora, Miroslav (referee)
The Balkans is one of the hot spots of biodiversity, and is known for a high diversity and endemism of freshwater fishes. The development of Greece was significantly affected by the climatic, geologic and orogenetic events resulting in high concentration of freshwater fish endemism. Some of the important historical events were the emergence of land bridges during the early Oligocene and Miocene, through which freshwater fishes dispersed to the Balkans from Asia and subsequently to Africa, the freshwater phase of the Paratethys sea or Alpine orogeny, which began 65 million years ago, and which gradually formed the Greek mountain systems, leading to a long-term isolation of local freshwater ichthyofauna and subsequent speciation. Other major events include Messinian salinity crisis and Pleistocene climate oscillations. Most of the freshwater fish families occurring in Greece most probably originated in the Southeast Asia, from where they colonized the Balkans by several routes. These colonizations took place repeatedly at different times and by different routes. The dispersion of freshwater fishes from Asia to Europe through Siberia started before the uplift of the Ural Mountains about 33 million years ago and continued until Pliocene. Another important colonization route from Asia was via the...
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Aquatic fauna of karstic fields in the Balkans
Doulíková, Tereza ; Vukićová, Jasna (advisor) ; Kalous, Lukáš (referee)
Dinaric Karst region of the Balkan Peninsula is one of the hot spots of biodiversity, and it is characterized by a high degree of endemism of freshwater fishes. Numerous geological and climatic events have influenced the formation of the area and speciation. Karst poljes are the specific features of Dinaric Karst. They represent a specific ecosystem full of endemic species, where hydrogeological processes play an important role. The periodic flooding appears on poljes. It leads to activation of various underground channels and their interconnection. Twenty two endemic fish species have adapted to this regime. They live in underground waters or in surface waters part of the year and they can migrate between poljes through karst channels. They show significant reduction in size and change in complexity of scaliness. Scales are small and they are barely visible in some species. All these species and abundant underground karst fauna are threatened primarily by pollution, habitat destruction, and drainage of poljes.
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The role of high-altitude habitats for speciation of central European endemics from the genus Campanula
Folbrová, Magdaléna ; Šemberová, Kristýna (advisor) ; Reif, Jiří (referee)
Mountain environment plays an important role in plant's life. Extreme conditions lead to continuous speciation accompanied by a complex processes e.g. geographical isolation (variation) or polyploidization. These processes can be studied by using a suitable model plant, represented in this thesis by selected mountain endemic bellflowers species belonging to Campanula rotundifolia agg. These species appear to be morphologically very similar but they are supposed to be of different origin. Mountain ecosystem is considered to be one of the most diverse and the most valuable environment for nature conservation. It hosts many endangered plants as well as plants protected by law. From the model group, these plants are represented by Campanula bohemica Hruby, Campanula gelida Kovanda and Campanula rotundifolia subsp. sudetica (Hruby) Soó. This thesis aims to sum up the up the current knowledge about a high altitude environment and endemism and to give a description of speciation mechanisms leading to the variability of mountain Campanula species. Further descriptions of their endangerment level, conservation and origin are also given. The subsequent MSc Thesis, introduced in the last part of this thesis, aims to reveal the origin of Czech and Slovakian mountain Campanula endemics. It is mainly focused on...
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Evolutionary history of tetraploid representatives Galium pusillum group (sect. Leptogalium) in central Europe. Allopatric differentiation of Czech endemic species G. sudeticum
Knotek, Adam ; Kolář, Filip (advisor) ; Chrtek, Jindřich (referee)
The presented study tries to reveal the evolutionary history of polyploid complex Galium pusillum aiming on a rare czech endemic species G. sudeticum, an ideal model to study allopatric speciation in the context of Central European (post)glacial development. The species G. sudeticum grows in Krkonose Mts. and on serpentines in western Bohemia (Slavkovský les) more than 200 kilometers away. Our morphological and molecular data suggest a clearly different history of its two isolated areas. The populations in Krkonose Mts. are probable relics of mountainous species G. anisophyllon which was there on its northern border of occurence and hybridized with lowland species G. valdepilosum during postglacial vegetations shifts. This fact is well supported by intermediate position of Krkonose Mts. populations in both morphological and molecular AFLP analyses and by sharing the same chloroplast haplotype with geographically close lowland populations. On the other hand the serpentine lowland populations in western Bohemia are both morphologicaly and genetically indistinguishable from G. valdepilosum. Distinct genetic lineage of few populations belonging to G. valdepilosum (incl. one traditionaly referred as G. sudeticum) was found in western Bohemia and Bavaria, located on relic stands (calcareous and serpentine...
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Differentiation within the Carlina vulgaris complex in central Europe
Mašková, Hana ; Kaplan, Zdeněk (advisor) ; Chrtek, Jindřich (referee)
The Carlina vulgaris complex includes in central Europe several forms with specific morphology, ecology and distribution. Their mutual relationships and ancestry are unclear. This fact leads to many different views on their taxonomy. The critically endangered endemic taxon C. biebersteinii subsp. sudetica was described from the Czech Republic. Its differentiation from other central-European populations has not been studied yet. For this reason, my following master thesis will focus on taxonomic re-evaluation of this complex by means of investigation of genetic and morphological variation. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Endemic plants of the Sudeten Mts., with emphasis on the taxonomically controversial Primula elatior subsp. corcontica
Konečná, Veronika ; Suda, Jan (advisor) ; Knotek, Adam (referee)
The endemic species of the Czech Republic still present a hot topic. Effective research of this topic means understanding of factors which create and influence endemism. With the exception of the Alps and the Carpathians, endemics are relatively very rare in Central Europe. In the Czech Republic they are concentrated mainly in subalpine (alpine) areas in the High Sudetes. Majority of the Czech endemics is of relatively recent origin. They have not well differentiated yet and so it is difficult to taxonomically evaluate them. Endemics of the High Sudetes have probably originated in Holocene with the exception of apomicts, e.g. species of genus Hieracium, which have likely originated even earlier. The origin of most of the Sudetes endemics was possible due to geographic isolation of small populations called peripatric speciation. Peripatric speciation is probably responsible for the origin of taxonomically uncertain endemic species Primula elatior subsp. corcontica, which is a subspecies of highly variable P. elatior. In the Czech Republic occur three subspecies of P. elatior - subsp. corcontica, subsp. elatior and subsp. tatrensis. These subspecies are differentiated in the morphology of leaves and in their distribution. The description of P. elatior subsp. corcontica was based on morphological...
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Risk assessment of interspecific hybridization between endemic Campanula bohemica and widespread C. rotundifolia s.l.
Hanušová, Kateřina ; Suda, Jan (advisor) ; Krahulec, František (referee)
The thesis deals with phenotypic, ploidy and genetic variation of two Campanula species occurring in the Krkonoše Mts., namely the endemic C. bohemica and widespread C. rotundifolia subsp. rotundifolia. For comparative purposes subspecies sudetica of the latter species was also included. The main aim was to get insight into population structure and assess the threat of interspecific hybridization to the survival of the endemic bluebell. Flow cytometry, distance-based morphometrics and molecular analysis were used to address these questions. Three distinct groups of fluorescence intensities were revealed by flow cytometry, corresponding to DNA diploids, tetraploids and pentaploids. While diploids morphologically matched the nominate subspecies of C. rotundifolia, tetraploids corresponded either to C. rotundifolia subsp. sudetica or C. bohemica. Most populations from the Krkonoše Mts. were uniform although a sympatric growth of diploids and tetraploids was encountered in 12 populations. Only two pentaploids individuals, most likely of hybrid origin, were found, which indicated that interspecific hybridization is much less common than previously assumed. The two tetraploid taxa were distinguished by molecular markers. A combination of flow cytometry and molecular analyses thus allowed reliable...
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Utilization of Biology Olympiad in schools and implementation of selected tasks into highschool teaching.
Dvořáková, Darina ; Janštová, Vanda (advisor) ; Drda Morávková, Alena (referee)
This thesis deals with the Biology Olympiad and remaking of selected tasks of region round. The remaked tasks can be used in highschool education. The thesis includes theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part provides general information about the Biology Olympiad (BiO), charts the achievements of Czech students in International Biology Olympiad (IBO), includes literary review of selected topics. The practical part encompass four remaked tasks of different topics: Eucaryotic cell as a mosaic, Water in life of animals, Animals' areas and their distribution, History of the flora in Czech Republic. The tasks are processed in the form of worksheets. The worksheets were tested at schools. Knowledge of students was tested by using of created pretests and posttests. The practical part also presents the result of research based on a questionnaire survey focused on the involvement of school in BiO and teachers' opinions on these topics.
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