Laboratory of Aquatic Insect Evolution and Diversity (Pavel Sroka)
Our research focuses on several groups of insects that are closely associated with freshwater habitats, mainly mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and stoneflies (Plecoptera). Using fossil material, we study the evolution of these lineages through deep time. The fossil record of both mayflies and stoneflies extends back to the Palaeozoic, and their fossils can help us address broader questions in insect evolution, such as the origin of wings, the development of various feeding strategies, and changes in the global distribution of individual groups. We are also interested in extant mayflies, focusing on their taxonomy and biogeography. In addition to Central Europe, we mostly study the fauna of the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Research projects
DNA barcoding of Czech aquatic insects: building a database of reference sequences
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Project number: SQ01020207
Main beneficiary: Biology Centre CAS
Principal investigator: RNDr. Pavel Sroka, Ph.D.
Other beneficiaries: Masaryk University / Faculty of Science
Project duration: 01. 03. 2025 - 29. 02. 2028
The aim of the project:
Reliable reference database is a crucial requirement for widespread use of modern progressive methods based on DNA analyses. These can be utilised for organism identification and consequent evaluation of ecosystem's species richness, estimates of biodiversity loss, presence of rare and endangered species, or expansion of invasive species. This project aims to develop a reference database of DNA barcode sequences for five major aquatic insect groups inhabiting the Czech Republic. The outcome of this project comprises a database including multiple specimens of each species, each expertly determined and paired with a DNA sequence. Such a reference database could be used to advance innovative monitoring methods like environmental DNA (eDNA) or metabarcoding.
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 2
Wings in deep time: form, structure and function in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic insects
Insects are an extremely diversified group of organisms providing crucial ecosystem services. The morphological novelty largely responsible for their unparalleled success are the wings. Insect wings evolved into an extreme variety of forms, reflecting not only various flight patterns, but also many other roles, such as protection, signaling, etc. The crucial period for the evolution of major types of wing morphologies was the Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic; at that time, most of the known types of wings appeared, but some also went extinct. Despite the abundance of wings in the fossil record, relatively little attention has been paid to the functional interpretation of their various designs, specialized morphological structures and various cuticular microstructures. We intend to explore a material of Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic insects from several lineages across Pterygota, including their examination using advanced imaging techniques. We aim to clarify the process of wing diversification in the early evolution of selected lineages and unravel the factors that shaped this process.
Research team: P. Sroka, R. Godunko
External cooperation: J. Prokop (PI), K. Daňková, K. Rosová (Charles University, Prague)
Mayflies of the Caucasus Mts
Freshwaters of the Caucasus Mountains host exceptionally high biodiversity and endemism. Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) constitute an important component of this unique fauna. We undertook many fieldtrips to the area during the past decade and collected an extensive material, that is still being processed. Our aim is to provide a complex information on the diversity, identification, and distribution of Caucasian mayflies, which will enable to better use their potential in hydrobiology, water quality assessment, and conservation. We will also examine the origins and mechanisms driving diversification of the local mayfly fauna to understand the evolutionary history and formation of endemism in relation to the geological history of the area.
Research team: R. Godunko, Ľ. Hrivniak, P. Sroka
External collaborators: J. Bojková (Masaryk University, Brno), A.V. Martynov (National Museum of Natural History, Kiev), D.M. Palatov (Moscow State University
