Vertebrate Research Group

Evolution, ecology and behavior of small mammals

About Us

The Vertebrate Research Group aims at the study of evolution, ecology and behaviour of small mammals, bats in particular. We organize university lectures and courses about various aspects of vertebrate life and supervise BSc, MSc and PhD theses as part of zoology studies.

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Research Interests

Our interests concern the morphology, ecology, behavioural ecology, phylogenetics and systematics of vertebrates, mainly bats, shrews and rodents.
The multidisciplinary research is based on interconnection of classical ecological (composition and diversity of mammalian assemblages), genetic (phylogenetics and phylogeography) and behavioural approaches.

A particular attention is given to their ecto- and endoparasites, mainly on host co-evolution and co-adaptation. Long-term changes of species diversity and population abundance are also monitored, with respect to human and environmental impact.

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.

The study of bats has been established in 1969, when Jiří Gaisler, one of the two founders of modern Czech chiropterology, moved from the Academy of Sciences to the Masaryk University. Since that time the vertebrate research has been carried out in close cooperation with the Institute of Vertebrate Biology, AS CR.

News

2025

Safe migration corridors

The project Maintaining safe migration corridors for flying vertebrates in the Czech-Saxon border region focuses on research of the effectiveness of road protection walls in the Czech Republic and Germany. For more and up-to-date information, follow the project website (in Czech and German)

June 2024

Veronika Chalupová recieved the Dean’s Award

Our student Veronika Chalupová was awarded the Dean’s Award of the MU Faculty of Science 2024 in the category of the Best Student of Master Degree Programme for her exceptional academic achievements.

March 2024

MJUNI Children’s University program

On Saturday, April 13, as part of the MJUNI Children’s University program, we showed handicapped bats and talked about their life and importance. The children also played games and accomplished bat quests. See pictures in our gallery and on FB Masarykova Juniverzita.

2024

Documentary Eat the Snake

Tomáš Bartonička appeared in the Czech Television documentary “Eat the Snake,” based on a fairy tale in which the king eats a rare snake and understands the language of animals (9:40 min). In it, he talks about the interesting facts of bat echolocation.

February 2023

Zoological Days 2023

The national zoological conference “Zoological days” was held in Brno with a plenary talk (Bíl M., Bartonička T.: Zvířata na silnicích, aneb riskantní počínání na obou stranách – křest nové knihy; a launching ceremony of a new book from Tomáš Bartonička: Animals on roads), 15 talks and 7 poster contributions from VRG students or staff members.

Bachelor student Karel Kotoul was awarded by the Czech Entomological Society for the best talk on an entomological topic (Kotoul K., Konečný A., Bartonička T.: On anti-predator escaping strategies of moths confronted with bat predators). PhD student Kryštof Horák was awarded by the Czech Ornithological Society for the best talk on an ornithological topic (Horák K., de la Hera I., Pérez-Rigueiro J., Javier Rojo F., Tomášek O., Kauzál O., Albrecht T.: On comparison of mechanistic traits in feather of tropical versus temperate passerines).

February 2022

Support for outstanding diploma theses

Our master student Veronika Chalupová has been successful to obtain a year financial support from the Grant Agency of Masaryk University (“Support for outstanding diploma theses”) for her diploma research project about genetic structure of Central European Apodemus agrarius populations.

March 2020

MUNI rector's support for diploma project

Our master student Mořic Jurečka has been successful to obtain a MUNI rector’s financial support for his diploma research project about odour repellent effects on wildlife behavior.

February 2020

Talk guided by Adam Konečný and Jana Křemenová

Elementary school pupils visited the VRG vertebratological collection at the Department of Botany and Zoology and attended talk about Moravian vertebrate species, glinding and active flying in vertebrates (bats specifically); guided by Adam Konečný and Jana Křemenová.

Department Location

University Campus Bohunice building A32
Kamenice 5
625 00 Brno - Bohunice
Czech Republic

Where to Find Us

Mailing Address

Department of Botany and Zoology
Kotlářská 2
611 37 Brno
Czech Republic