Tomáš Bartonička

group head; associate professor

Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic


Academic Education / Positions Held

  • 2004
    Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, PhD topic: Flight activity and echolocation behaviour of Pipistrellus pygmaeus (Leach, 1825) with respect to P. pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774).
  • 2000
    Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, M.Sc. thesis: Flight activity of some bat species in the urban habitats revealed by bat detector.

Professional Career

  • since 2005
    Assistant Professor in Biodiversity Research Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.
  • 2002-2004
    Research assistant, Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.

Professional experience

Mammalogy and animal ecology, i.e. ecological monitoring and behavioral ecology of bats, population ecology of bats; biogeography of Western Palearctic bats; forest dwelling bat communities; bats of Eastern Mediterranean; bat conservation in the Czech Republic.
He has been known as an experienced bat researcher of the distribution, taxonomy and mainly ecology of bats, including bat-netting and bat-detectoring also in the Mediterranean region.
Membership: Secretary of Czech Bat Conservation Trust.

General Research Interests

  • Behavioural ecology
  • Mating strategies
  • Host–parasite coevolution

Our research group is focussed on ecology, behaviour, distribution and taxonomy of terrestrial vertebrates, mainly bats and their ectoparasites. In our lab we have a long experience with field investigation of roosting and foraging biology of bats and related instrumental techniques. Our lab is well equipped by modern techniques like audio detection techniques – bat detectors, playback equipments, loudspeakers, microphones, cameras, stereomicroscopes, softwares for PC acoustic and video analyses etc.

During the last years we focused our efforts on understanding:

  • Coevolution of acoustic systems between bats and moths
  • Interaction between bats and their roost ectoparasites
  • Roost selection in bats with respect to olfactory clues
  • Special ectoparasite avoiding strategies
  • Migration of bats along the river valleys and through the mountain saddles.
  • Automated radiotelemetry system

Together with I. Horáček and R. Lučan we have organized the 15th International Bat Research Conference, August 23-27, 2010.


Active projects

The role of sperm adaptation and sperm plasticity in ecological speciation


Past projects

 

Bat adaptations to the fungal disease geomycosis

Evolutionary biogeography of a fruit-bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus, in the Mediterranean region

Intraspecific variability of populations of two cryptic bat species of genus Pipistrellus in Central Europe

Parasitation by bed bugs (Cimicidae): a possible cause of roost switching by bats

Situation Pipistrellus pipistrellus superspecies in Czech Republic

 


Selected publications

  • Some publications


Graduated student list: past PhD, MSc, Bc students