Limnoterrestrial Ecology
The laboratory is mainly concerned with the ecology of soil microfauna. We study the influence of the environment, physical, chemical and biological factors on soil fauna and its development, as well as the influence of fauna on soil organic matter. Given the importance of microfauna, we focus particularly on extreme polar and alpine ecosystems, but we also work in the tropics and temperate zones as well as agricultural soils. Taxonomically, we cover the groups Rotifera, Nematoda and Tardigrada, as well as Oribatida and others. We also study the influence of fires on forest ecosystems. We participate in the AV21 Strategy program.
Research projects
The effects of forest fire on soil, hydrology, and the balance of ecologically significant elements in the context of the vegetation
Project number: SS07010308
Main beneficiary: Biology Centre CAS
Other beneficiaries: Czech Geological Survey, Czech Technical University in Prague / Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, public research institution
Principal investigator: RNDr. Miloslav Devetter, Ph.D.
Project duration: 01. 04. 2024 - 31. 12. 2026
The aim of the project: The project deals with the interaction between soil, precipitation, vegetation and soil fauna. The objective is to 1) evaluate the influence of different vegetation types preceding a forest fire on soil properties, 2) describe the consequences of fire on precipitation-runoff relationships, and 3) evaluate the mobility of substances in the soil and watershed and their relationship as a function of soil organic matter composition and burn rate of the basin under study. The presented project benefits from the opportunity of a large-scale forest fire in the České Švýcarsko NP in 2022, which allows measurements depending on the vegetation cover, infiltration, precipitation and runoff, which has fundamental consequences for nature conservation and management of areas before and after a fire.
This project has been financed with the state support of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic within the Environment for Life Programme .
