The list of national projects SAS
Institute of Forest Ecology
Adaptive variation of genetic resources of forest trees under climate change
Adaptívna variabilita genetických zdrojov lesných drevín v podmienkach klimatickej zmeny
| Duration: |
1.7.2022 - 30.6.2026 |
| Program: |
SRDA |
| Project leader: |
Ing. Jamnická Gabriela PhD. |
| Annotation: | The project focuses on the choice of appropriate genetic resources of forest trees (with primary focus on secondary
resources, i.e., seed stands) relying on integrated assessment of phenotypic and physiological traits and adaptive genetic variation based on provenance research, manipulative experiments and simulation of the effects of sylvicultural measures on genetic structure of forest stands. The project is oriented towards the identification of geographical variation of forestry-relevant traits on one side and physiological parameters potentially correlated
with these traits on the other side, as well as assessment of their genetic background. Correlations of phenotypic
and physiological traits with the climates of the sites of origin, climatic conditions of the sites of plant ation and acute climatic stress will also be addressed. Knowledge about trends of responses of tree species to shifts of
geographical position and climate, physiological response to stress, adaptive genetic variation, and effects of stand
management on genetic structure will serve as a basis for recommendations for forest reproductive material transfers under clilmate change and active management of tree genetic resources. |
Biological Corridors and Arthropods Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes
Biokoridory a biodiverzita článkonožcov v poľnohospodárskej krajine
| Duration: |
1.3.2025 - 31.12.2028 |
| Program: |
SRDA |
| Project leader: |
Mgr. Černecká Ľudmila PhD. |
| Annotation: | Biological corridors in agricultural landscapes offer multifaceted ecosystem services, enhance biodiversity, support agricultural productivity, improv the stability of biotopes, serve as refuges for various organisms, and contribute to environmental sustainability. Integrating these corridors into agricultural management practices fosters more resilient and sustainable agroecosystems. This project focuses on the study of biological corridors in intensively utilized agricultural landscapes, comparing the large-scale monoculture fields of southwestern Slovakia, which have a long-established system of biological corridors, with the small-scale diversified fields of northern Serbia, where the concept of ecological connectivity is less established. The main aim of this project is to study the relationship between the diversity and dynamics of selected bioindicatively significant groups of arthropods (harvestmen, spiders, mites, ground beetles, ants and thrips) in differently managed corridors and a wide range of autecological, synecological and environmental parameters. Considering that the agricultural landscape is heavily interwoven with linear elements (transport infrastructure), facilitating the spread of non-native species, the project will also assess the potential entry of these non-native species and their possible impacts on the diversity and stability of natural and agrarian ecosystems. The study of the behavioural and ecological aspects of competition between non-native and native species is therefore an integral part of the project. Based on these analyses, management measures will be proposed to preserve arthropod diversity in agrarian systems through the implementation of suitable biological corridors. The project will improve understanding of the importance of biological corridors in supporting arthropod diversity in agricultural landscapes and will provide new insights into targeted conservation and management practices for sustainable agroecosystems. |
Research team and infrastructure upgrade to study the mechanism of conifer resistance to bark beetles in the changing climate: From Gene to Tree level
Dobudovanie výskumného tímu a infraštruktúry pre štúdium mechanizmu rezistencie ihličnanov voči podkôrnemu hmyzu v meniacej sa klíme: Od úrovne génov po stromy
Transmission Dynamics of Artificially Applied Beauveria bassiana in Ips typographus Galleries
Dynamika prenosu umelo aplikovanej huby Beauveria bassiana v požerkoch Ips typographus
| Duration: |
1.9.2025 - 31.8.2028 |
| Program: |
SRDA |
| Project leader: |
Ing. Barta Marek PhD. |
| Annotation: | The project focuses on researching the horizontal and vertical transmission of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana in the galleries of the spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus). The adult beetles will be artificially infected in pheromone traps using an applicator containing infected spherical carriers. B. bassiana isolates will be obtained from local populations of I. typographus, and commercial formulations will also be used. The infected beetles will be reared on environmentally isolated spruce logs under field conditions. The project outcome will be a "Methodology for Artificial Application of Beauveria bassiana Isolates on Ips typographus Using Modified Pheromone Traps Equipped with an Applicator Containing Infected Spherical Carriers". |
Endomicrobiome and its contribution to drought stress resistance in oaks (Quercus sp.)
Endomikrobióm a jeho príspevok k formovaniu odolnosti dubov (Quercus sp.) na sucho
| Duration: |
1.1.2025 - 31.12.2027 |
| Program: |
VEGA |
| Project leader: |
Ing. Kyseľ Matúš PhD. |
| Annotation: | Extended drought periods of the past decades significantly affected not only Slovak oak forests. Furthermore, weakened trees are easily infected by bacteria causing so called acute oak decline. On the other hand, their inner environment is usually colonized by a scale of endophytic microorganisms, which can more-or-less contribute to the host protection against climatic extremes as well as pathogens. Therefore, in this project we intend to study relations between endomicrobiome dynamics and physiological/metabolic parameters in two phylogenetically different oak species during formation of drought. Our aim is characterization of their participation in the stress signalling and stress-caused tissue damage alleviation. |
Phenological response of trees and herbs as a bioindicative tool of changing environmental conditions and spatio-temporal analysis of nutrient accumulation and deposition of selected pollutants in forest and urban environments.
Fenologická odozva drevín a bylín ako bioindikačný nástroj meniacich sa podmienok prostredia a časovo-priestorová analýza akumulácie živín a depozície vybraných polutantov v lesnom a urbánnom prostredí
Genetic diversity and pathogenicity of selected fungi that colonize Pinus sp.
Genetická diverzita a patogenita vybraných húb kolonizujúcich Pinus sp.
The plant species diversity and physiological response to changing ecological conditions of floodplain forests
Hodnotenie druhovej diverzity a fyziologickej odozvy rastlín na ekologické podmienky lužných lesov
Integrative analysis of soil water deficit and adaptive mechanisms in selected beech forests of Slovakia
Integračná analýza deficitu pôdnej vody a adaptačných mechanizmov vo vybraných bukových lesoch Slovenska
| Duration: |
1.1.2026 - 31.12.2029 |
| Program: |
VEGA |
| Project leader: |
Ing. Barna Milan PhD. |
| Annotation: | With ongoing global warming, increasing water deficit heightens physiological stress on forest ecosystems,
negatively affecting tree growth, vitality, and survival. Understanding how tree species respond to rising drought
stress is crucial for developing effective climate change mitigation strategies.
This project aims to improve knowledge of beech ecosystem responses to summer drought, focusing on water
fluxes within the ecosystem—ranging from atmospheric precipitation and throughfall to soil moisture and the
physiological responses of mature trees and natural regeneration. Special attention will also be paid to
anthropogenic stress as an additional burden. Research will be conducted at forest sites, complemented by a pot
experiment simulating stress conditions.
The findings will contribute to climate-smart forestry and a deeper understanding of the mechanisms influencing
beech ecosystem adaptability and self-regeneration. |
Intra- and interspecies physiological and growth reaction of forest trees in the frame of climate change
Medzi- a vnútrodruhová fyziologická a rastová odozva lesných drevín v kontexte meniacej sa klímy
Silicon nanoparticles for alleviating various types of environmental stress and the possibility of their utilisation
Nanočastice kremíka pri zmierňovaní rôznych typov environmentálneho stresu a možnosti ich využitia
| Duration: |
1.1.2025 - 31.12.2028 |
| Program: |
VEGA |
| Project leader: |
doc. Ing. Kurjak Daniel PhD. |
| Annotation: | The proposed project focuses on transferring acquired knowledge about crops to economically and ecologically important species of forest trees. It consists of several experiments aimed at various aspects of plant responses to stress in order to provide more information on the functioning of silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs). We hypothesize that silicon nanoparticles increase tolerance to abiotic stress (such as drought, temperature, and heavy metals) in a complex cascade of reactions involving several morpho-physiological changes. These changes are likely a result of the regulatory influence of silicon on the level of expression of genes regulating photosystem II (PSII), protein channels for water transfer, scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cell defence mechanisms. |
Endangerment of soils, plants and macromycetes by risky industrial pollutants in selected forest ecosystems of Slovakia
Ohrozenie pôd, rastlín a makromycétov rizikovými industriálnymi polutantmi vo vybraných lesných ekosystémoch Slovenska
Populations and communities of arboricolous insects in the context of global and local changes: distribution and adaptations to new environments
Populácie a spoločenstvá arborikolného hmyzu v kontexte globálnych a lokálnych zmien: distribúcia a adaptácie na nové prostredie
| Duration: |
1.1.2023 - 31.12.2026 |
| Program: |
VEGA |
| Project leader: |
doc. Ing. Saniga Miroslav CSc. |
| Annotation: | The scientific project aims to obtain original knowledge about the spatial distribution of arboricolous insect
species - mycophages, phytophages, and predators and the composition of their communities along ecological
gradients (temperature, humidity, and light gradients) in forest and urban habitats in the context of global and
local changes. Attention is paid to moths, sawflies, beetles, ants, and horseflies in terms of their occurrence on
woody plants and along horizontal or vertical gradients of forests in the Western Carpathians and in lowland
forests in Slovakia. Greater attention is paid to the occurrence of alien insect species in communities of native
insect species dwelling on trees with a focus on invasive species. Research outputs aim at a better understanding
of the adaptive and bioindication potential of arboricolous insects in new environments. |
Foraging and acoustic ecology and trends of flag bird species during global change
Potravná a akustická ekológia a trendy vlajkových druhov vtákov v čase globálnych zmien
| Duration: |
1.1.2024 - 31.12.2027 |
| Program: |
VEGA |
| Project leader: |
RNDr. Krištín Anton DrSc. |
| Annotation: | Rapid changes in landscape and climate during the last centuries have been largely responsible for the decline in
insectivorous birds. These changes caused also decline in food and habitat diversity as well as negative range trends in several species. The food and habitat are crucial for the survival of a population, especially in specialists. The project will evaluate food parameters in relation to environmental conditions in time series in some species of insectivorous birds (genera Merops, Lanius, Galerida) and, using acoustic playback experiments, also intraspecific interactions of some species (Acrocephalus). Assessment of foraging behavior and vocalizations in specific habitats of these species will bring new, more complex scientific knowledge, help explain population and range trends and use them as indicators of landscape changes. Understanding the functional relationships of model endangered species could also improve a different approach in conservation management compared to common species. |
Spatial components of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of orthopteroid insects in relation to ecological and evolutionary drivers
Priestorové zložky taxonomickej, funkčnej a fylogenetickej diverzity ortopteroidného hmyzu vo vzťahu k ekologickým a evolučným faktorom
| Duration: |
1.1.2023 - 31.12.2026 |
| Program: |
VEGA |
| Project leader: |
Ing. Jarčuška Benjamín PhD. |
| Annotation: | The project will assess orthopteran diversity and its scale components (alpha, beta, zeta and gamma diversities) and aspects (taxonomic, phylogentic and functional diversity) in relation to ecological and evolutionary drivers while taking into account operating scale of potential drivers. Assessing quantitative information on habitat and other environmental requirements and preferences of orthopterans will enable us to use orthopterans as bioindicator species for grassland ecosystems. Understanding distribution patterns of orthopterans diversity in regions according to a scale-dependent manner will have conservation implications. Functional and phylogenetic approach could improve explanation of differences in distributional pattern of species of European and national importance in comparison to ubiquitous species. |
Nature based solutions in integrated management of forest and urban greenery
Prírode blízke riešenia v integrovanom manažmente lesa a mestskej zelene
River corridors as a vector for the spread of non-native plants: spatio-temporal studies
Riečne koridory ako vektor šírenia nepôvodných rastlín: časovo-priestorové štúdie
The North-American honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos L.) in Slovakia: risk of switch to invasive behaviour as accelerated by climate change
Severoamerická gledíčia trojtŕňová (Gleditsia triacanthos L.) na Slovensku: riziká prechodu k inváznemu správaniu sa akcelerované klimatickou zmenou
Influence of habitat heterogeneity on composition of root-associated mycobiome in temperate rocky habitats
Vplyv rôznorodosti prostredia na zloženie hubových spoločenstiev kolonizujúcich korene rastlín v temperátnych skalných stanovištiach
Population research and management opportunities of the invasive species the oak lace bug (Corythucha arcuata) in oak ecosystems of Slovakia
Výskum populácie a možností ovládania invázneho druhu sietnička dubová (Corythucha arcuata) v dubových ekosystémoch Slovenska
| Duration: |
1.7.2024 - 30.6.2026 |
| Program: |
SRDA |
| Project leader: |
Ing. Barta Marek PhD. |
| Annotation: | The Oak Lace Bug, Corythucha arcuata (Say 1832) (Hemiptera: Tingidae), is a small insect native to North America. Until 2000, it was known only from the United States and southern Canada. This species has recently been introduced to Europe, first recorded in 2000 in Lombardy and Piedmont in northern Italy. In the following years, C. arcuata spread to a significant part of Southeastern Europe. It has also been identified in Slovakia since 2018, and by 2023, it had occupied most of Slovakia's oak forests. Its presence is associated with several risks, including increased susceptibility of stands to attacks by secondary pest species, reduction of tree growth, decreased acorn production, changes in ecosystems, and the risk of negative impacts on humans. Due to the current spread of the species, there are no acceptable control methods applicable in such large areas. The only feasible solution appears to be the application of classical biological control. The project will focus on researching the species' spread, its life cycle, population dynamics, natural enemies, impact on secondary pest species, and other aspects associated with its occurrence in Slovakia. The goal is to obtain information useful for management measures aimed at utilizing its natural enemies in biological control. |
Establishment and extinction of plant communities in the 21st century
Vznik a zánik rastlinných spoločenstiev v 21. storočí
The total number of projects: 21
