Understanding whether lakes are fed predominantly by groundwater or rainwater is critical to managing our water resources in the face of droughts and shortages, new research has found. The study drew on data from 350 lakes across 18 European countries, collected between 2022 and 2024, to provide a comprehensive picture of how the continent’s lakes are coping with climate change. The research...
Biological invasions are widely acknowledged as a serious threat to biodiversity, global economies, and a good quality of life. Yet, they are not universally perceived as a nuisance and are sometimes gaining – often unexpectedly - cultural acceptance in local communities around the world. The consequences of this acceptance are not trivial for invasive species management.
The international portal Research.com has published its latest rankings of the most cited scientists for 2025. More than 20 researchers from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences appear among the Czech scientific elite across several disciplines. Notably, two of them – Julius Lukeš and Jiří Macas – secured leading positions in the fields of genetics and molecular biology.
A vast international study recently published in Nature reveals surprising and complex changes in Arctic plant biodiversity driven by climate change. Researchers tracked more than 2,000 tundra plant communities across 45 sites over four decades and found no simple pattern of winners and losers: while some areas saw an increase in plant species, others experienced biodiversity loss. Among the 54...
When one thinks about conservation symbols, things that typically come to mind are particular emblematic species—pandas, tigers, elephants, polar bears, dolphins, and the likes. Such iconic animals, referred to as flagship species, are widely used in conservation campaigns to capture public attention and mobilize support for conservation goals. However, a new study by an international team of...
There is an increasing awareness and understanding in global science about a troubling and persistent research imbalance, where studies overwhelmingly originate from economically developed countries, particularly those in Europe and North America. However, a new study published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Evironment argues that despite growing efforts within the scientific community to...
An international scientific team, including colleagues from the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Biology Centre CAS, has published an extensive study mapping the chemical pollution of the Elbe River from its spring in the Krkonoše Mountains to its mouth in the North Sea. The researchers analyzed more than 700 different organic compounds—including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial...
Spring is the most favorable time for reproduction for many organisms, and the pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) is no exception. Every year around this time, pikeperch pairs migrate to the shallower parts of the Lipno Reservoir to spawn and ensure the survival of the next generation. As in previous year, the South Bohemian District of the Czech Anglers´ Union, in cooperation with the Biology...
Natural vegetation often lacks many species that could be present, especially in regions heavily affected by human activities, according to a new study coordinated by researchers at the University of Tartu and published in Nature. Over 200 scientists from the research collaboration DarkDivNet, including researchers from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, studied plants at...
How do salmonid fish prepare for the harsh Alaskan winter? During the short summer period, they must catch enough food and accumulate energy reserves to survive the cold remainder of the year. The battle for food among Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) has become the focus of scientists from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of Georgia. Thanks to advanced...
