Project title: What is the origin of dry grasslands in Central Europe? A synthesis of comparative phylogeography and palaeodistribution modelling
Project number: 18-03028S
Programme: GAČR
Project coordinator: Ing. Michaela Kopřivová Stejskalová, Ph.D.
Project leader: prof. Mgr. Bohumil Mandák, Ph.D.
Project schedule: 2018 - 2020
Total project budget: 10 020 000 CZK
Abstract:
This project aims to shed light upon the glacial and postglacial history of dry grassland species and communities in Central Europe. We will combine data on colonization history with ecological niche modelling to disentangle the history of dry grasslands using modern approaches of community phylogeography. The main hypothesis is that dry grassland species occurring in Central Europe represent community assemblages with similar phylogeographic histories, sharing routes of postglacial expansion and tracking each other through space and time. We will (A) reconstruct the individual last glacial and postglacial phylogeographic histories for a set of nine dry grassland plant species, (B) test for spatial and temporal congruence among reconstructed phylogeographies and compare inferred locations of glacial refugia and postglacial expansion, and (C) use the tools of ecological niche modelling to (i) identify possible historical refugia in suitable habitats for a high number of dry grassland and steppe species, and (ii) quantify niche differentiation among tested species.
