| Anotation | The project deals with phylogenetic, systematic and ecological studies of selected groups of arthropods, especially dipteran insects, symbiotic shrimps Palaemonidae and Alpheidae, and swimming crabs Portunidae. Studies of both these groups are linked by similar methodology (combined morphological and molecular analyses). In groups of the dipteran insects and shrimps, the key studies are devoted to the evolution of symbiotic relation with host organisms (in shrimps - sponges, corals, echinoderms, etc.; in selected groups of dipterans - specific kinds of fungi or plants). Project follows preceding research activities of the principal investigator and co-investigators.
The main aims of the project are: (1) morphological revisions, DNA barcoding, and pilot phylogenetic studies of the swimming crabs Portunidae and shrimps Alpheidae; (2) finalization of partial phylogenetic studies of the family Palaemonidae (spongobiotic shrimps and the generic complex Cuapetes-Palaemonella); (3) finalizing of manuscripts focused on DNA barcoding of selected families of Diptera of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and possibly also those focused on molecular phylogenies of the families Bibionidae and Bolitophilidae. Multigene analyses based on mitochondrial (16S, COI, 12S) and nuclear (18S, 28S, H3 and others) markers will be used for phylogenetic studies.
A rich collection of dipteran insects, shrimps and crabs, available at the Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, and museum collections currently on loan, will be used for systematic revisions. Long-term cooperation is already established with leading dipterists from European countries (Norway, Finland, Sweden, Estonia), in the case of shrimp and crab studies, there is a similar cooperation with experts from museums and universities in Paris, Leiden, and Oxford. Both teams cooperate also with experts from the USA and Taiwan.
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