XIth Scientific Session of the Institute of Environmental Biology
We present the current program of the XIth Scientific Session of the Institute of Environmental Biology, which will take place this Friday, May 12, 2023.
Michał Bogdziewicz awarded prestigious National Science Prize 2022
Michał Bogdziewicz awarded prestigious National Science Prize 2022! Congratulations
Publication in Nature Ecology and Evolution
In a recent paper (link) Jon Parrett and co-authors from our Institute and Ghent University provided genomic evidence from mites with sexually selected weapon that this costly trait captures genome-wide variation and facilitates the purging of genetic load from populations.
A new article in Animal Behaviour about the greater diversity of personalities among urban than rural shrews
Leszek Rychlik and co-authors (mainly from the University of Lisbon, Portugal) tested average differences in behaviour as well as the inter-individual variation in behaviour in rural and urban populations of shrews belonging to two species differing in life history and time since synurbanization: the fast-paced Sorex araneus and the slow-paced Crocidura russula. As predicted, [...]
Xth Scientific Secession of IES
On Friday 20th May research groups presented their best research during Xth Scientific Secession of IES, and PhD students presented their posters {link to program}
Discovery of basking in shrews – publication in Journal of Thermal Biology
Leszek Rychlik and co-authors from Portugal assessed the use of an external heat source (basking) in the thermoregulatory strategies of three shrew species. Shrews were tested in a terrarium where they had access to a heat rock which could be turned off (cold) or on (heated). In accordance with authors' predictions, Crocidura russula (the [...]
Negative frequency-dependent selection on MHC uncovered by an emergent parasite
High polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes that encode proteins crucial for adaptive immunity of vertebrates have been long hypothesized to be maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection resulting from adaptation of parasites to common MHC types, but supporting evidence is scarce. In our new paper in Molecular Ecology (Migalska et al. 2022, http://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16486) we find [...]
New publication on the role of associative learning in originating sexual preferences
In the article published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0212 dr Magdalena Herdegen-Radwan (Department of Behavioural Ecology) presents empirical suport for the role of associative learning in originating sexual preferences. Sexual preferences of guppy females changed following food-conditoning on different colours, supporting the emergence of an association between the colour of the stimulus [...]
ERC starting grant for Michal Bogdziewicz!
We are thrilled to announce that dr Michal Bogdziewicz from our institute has been awarted prestigious European Research Council Starting Grant for the project “ForestFuture: Climate change impacts on trees reproduction and forecasts of forest recruitment change”
New publication: How environmental heterogeneity influences niche breadth
In this article, we explain how the degree of environmental heterogeneity may influence pests’ niche breadth evolution, which may in turn affect the ability of pests to persist in agricultural systems. The study was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland, research projects no. 2016/21/B/NZ8/00786 and 2017/27/N/NZ8/00305. Skoracka A., Laska A., Radwan J., Konczal. M., Lewandowski [...]