Research conducted by workers of the Department focus on systematics, taxonomy, ecology, biology, zoogeography and faunistics of particular invertebrate groups:

 

  • mites (Acari)

 

Wojciech Niedbała, Professor, Wojciech Magowski, Professor AMU, Ziemowit Olszanowski, Professor AMU, Daria Bajerlein, Ph.D., Klaudia Bromberek, M.Sc.

 

 

R1
R2
R3

 

  • spiders (Arachnida)

 

Paweł Szymkowiak, Ph.D.

 

 

P1
P1
P3
 

 

  • tardigrades (Tardigrada)

 

Łukasz Kaczmarek, Ph.D, Krzysztof Zawierucha, M.Sc., Weronika Erdmann, M.Sc.

 

N1
N2
N3
  

 

  • insects (Insecta)

Daria Bajerlein, Ph.D., Mateusz Jarmusz, M.Sc, Katarzyna Frątczak, M.Sc.

 

 

  • hairybacks (Gastrotricha)

Małgorzata Kolicka, M.Sc.

 

Systematics:

  • Taxonomy and systematics of selected group of mites (Acari), tardigrades (Tardigrada), insects (Insecta) and hairybacks (Gastrotricha) at the species -, genus - and family - levels, including descriptions of new taxa.

Zoogeography:

  • Faunistic research in various geographical regions of the world, with a special respect for the southern hemisphere (Neotropical, Australian, Oriental and Ethiopian realms). Speciation centers ("hot spots"), age estimation of faunas, rate of evolution of particular taxa in various regions of the world.

Ecology:

  • Ecology of soil fauna (mainly moss mites - Oribatida).
  • The research concerns rate and direction of changes of species composition in natural habitats under the human pressure, and estimation of the degree of environment degradation. The research on autecology of some mite and spider species is also carried out. Other activities include work on arachnid and tardigrade communities in various types of habitats (e.g. plant associations), esp. microhabitats in particular regions of the world, and protected areas (national parks, nature reserves).
  • Ecology of  phytophagous mites: host specificity, population dynamics, demography, bioindication (mainly Eriophyoidea, Tetranychidae and Tarsonemidae).
  • Ecology of dispersal (mainly Uropodina).