Zuzana Münzbergová

Bio: Zuzana Münzbergová is an academic researcher from Charles University in Prague. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Habitat. The author has an hindex of 36, co-authored 183 publications receiving 4431 citations. Previous affiliations of Zuzana Münzbergová include Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic & Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Seed, dispersal, microsite, habitat and recruitment limitation: identification of terms and concepts in studies of limitations

Abstract: Recently, there is an increase in number of studies concerned with the effect of various types of limitations on species local population size and distribution pattern at the landscape scale. The terminology used to describe these limitations is, however, very inconsistent. Since the different terms often appear in conclusions of the papers, the inconsistency in their use obscures the message of these papers. In this study, we review the current uses of these terms, identify the basic concepts involved in the discussion of a limitation and link the concepts with the currently used terms. Finally, we discuss the experimental approaches used to assess the different types of limitations. We differentiated four basic concepts resulting from the combination of limitation by environment versus ability to grow and spread, and two spatial scales (local and regional scale). The two concepts at each spatial scale are expected to form a gradient of all possible combinations of the two respective types of limitations. In the considerations of various experimental approaches used to assess these limitations, we conclude that sowing experiments, i.e. seed addition into existing populations or seed introduction into unoccupied habitats, are the only reliable types of evidence for the different types of limitations.

Invasibility and species richness of a community: a neutral model and a survey of published data

Abstract: A widespread but controversial idea in ecology states that the number of invaders of a species assemblage depends on its species richness. Both negative and positive relationships have been reported. We examined whether a simple neutral model where assemblages are generated by drawing individuals from two pools of identical species (native and alien) can predict this relationship. We performed a meta-analysis of published data on this relationship. The neutral model showed that in communities with low and fixed numbers of indi- viduals, the relationship between the number of aliens and native species is strong and negative. This becomes weaker as the proportion of species from both pools already present in the community increases. The relationship between alien and native species richness becomes positive when the number of individuals is allowed to vary, because the richness depends on number of individuals and/or area sampled. The meta-analysis showed that scale-dependence of the relationship between alien and native species richness is universal and compatible with the neutral model. Unless more evidence is available to refute it, the relationship between native and alien species richness should be considered a result of a neutral processes due to constraints on the number of individuals in the community.

Acacia trees as keystone species in Negev desert ecosystems

Abstract: The only trees in most of the Negev desert are 3 native Acacia species. We tested the hypothesis that they act as keystone species as a result of the improved soil conditions under their canopies. Furthermore, because many Acacia populations suffer high levels of mortality due to water stress, we tested whether trees in high mortality populations had diminished effects on plant species and soil quality under their canopies. We show that plant species diversity beneath the tree canopies is higher than in the surrounding areas. There was also a clearly identifiable suite of species with higher occurrence under the trees. Plant species composition differed significantly between high and low mortality sites. However, there was higher species diversity in high mortality sites and under trees with higher water stress. Soil nutrient content was higher under the trees than in the open areas, especially under larger trees and trees with higher water status. The results indicate that there is a combination...

Long-term assessment of seed limitation in plants: results from an 11-year experiment

Abstract: 1 Seed limitation of plant species distribution has received much attention in recent years. The empirical evidence of seed limitation is, however, still weak, and mostly correlative. Unambiguous evidence can only be provided by long-term transplantation experiments. 2 We used an 11-year experiment, in which seeds of six perennial forest herbs were sown into 43 patches that were either occupied or unoccupied by the target species, to investigate the importance of seed limitation. In addition, we determined whether short-term (1–4 years) and long-term (11 years) experimental assessments provided similar results. Given that long-term experiments are generally not possible, we examined whether environmental factors and vegetation composition can correctly identify suitable habitats. 3 Our results show that the distribution of the forest herbs investigated were limited by the availability of seeds, and that this pattern was qualitatively consistent, over time. However, the number of initially unoccupied patches with successful recruitment decreased with time. 4 The fact that a similar trend in recruitment success was found in sowing experiments in initially occupied patches suggests that the decrease in recruitment success over time cannot solely be attributed to habitat suitability. Environmental factors, such as soil nutrients and vegetation composition, were in some cases correlated with recruitment success, but the strength of these relationships was often weak. 5 Our results support the notion that seed availability is an important limitation of plant species abundance and distribution. The results also point to several difficulties related to the empirical assessment of seed limitation. We therefore suggest a protocol that should enhance the quality of future experiments.

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Abstract: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

Human biochemical genetics

Abstract: So far in this course we have dealt entirely with the evolution of characters that are controlled by simple Mendelian inheritance at a single locus. There are notes on the course website about gametic disequilibrium and how allele frequencies change at two loci simultaneously, but we didn’t discuss them. In every example we’ve considered we’ve imagined that we could understand something about evolution by examining the evolution of a single gene. That’s the domain of classical population genetics. For the next few weeks we’re going to be exploring a field that’s actually older than classical population genetics, although the approach we’ll be taking to it involves the use of population genetic machinery. If you know a little about the history of evolutionary biology, you may know that after the rediscovery of Mendel’s work in 1900 there was a heated debate between the “biometricians” (e.g., Galton and Pearson) and the “Mendelians” (e.g., de Vries, Correns, Bateson, and Morgan). Biometricians asserted that the really important variation in evolution didn’t follow Mendelian rules. Height, weight, skin color, and similar traits seemed to