Environmental Centre UK and Institute for environmental studies at Faculty of Science

Research project: Ecosystem Ecology and Restoration Research Group

The aim of our research is holistic understanding of ecosystem processes that determine ecosystem development after disturbance. Our findings are applicable in ecosystem restoration namely restoration of ecosystems affected by mining or other disturbances such as intensive agriculture. In our work, we combine approaches of soil ecology, ecosystem ecology and restoration ecology. We operate LTER site Sokolov post-mining ecosystems, with extensive infrastructure including eddy-towers, intensively instrumented long-term sites and FALCON – a world-unique array of artificial catchments.

Team leader & members

• prof. Jan Frouz
• Dr. Hana Veselá
• Dr. Martin Bartuška
• Dr. Olga Vindušková
• Dr. Masoud Adrestani
• Dr. Ondřej Mudrák
• Dr. Camille D´Hervilly
• + PhD and Master students

Selected publications

• FROUZ, J. 2014. Soil Biota and Ecosystem Development in Post Mining Sites. CRC Press, Boca Raton.
• FROUZ, J., LIVEČKOVÁ, M., ALBRECHTOVÁ, J., CHROŇÁKOVÁ, A., CAJTHAML, T., PIŽL, V., HÁNĚL, L., STARÝ, J., BALDRIAN, P., LHOTÁKOVÁ, Z., ŠIMÁČKOVÁ, H., CEPÁKOVÁ, Š. 2013. Is the effect of trees on soil properties mediated by soil fauna? A case study from post-mining sites. Forest Ecology and Management, 309: 87-95.
• MUDRÁK, O., FROUZ, J. 2018. Earthworms increase plant biomass more in soil with no earthworm legacy than in earthworm-mediated soil, and favour late successional species in competition. Functional Ecology, 32: 626-635.
• FROUZ, J. 2018. Effects of soil macro- and mesofauna on litter decomposition and soil organic matter stabilization. Geoderma, 332: 161-172.
• KUKLA, J., WHITFELD, T., CAJTHAML, T., BALDRIAN, P., VESELÁ – ŠIMÁČKOVÁ, H., NOVOTNÝ, V., FROUZ, J. 2018. The effect of traditional slash-and-burn agriculture on soil organic matter, nutrient content and microbiota in tropical ecosystems of Papua New Guinea. Land Degradation and Development, 1-12.
• FROUZ, J., BARTUŠKA, M., HOŠEK, J., KUČERA, J., LEITGEB, J., NOVÁK, Z., ŠANDA, M., VITVAR, T. 2020. Large scale manipulation of the interactions between key ecosystem processes at multiple scales: why and how the FALCON array of artificial catchments was built. European Journal of Environmental Sciences, 10: 51-60.
• HÜBLOVÁ, L., FROUZ, J. 2021. Contrasting effect of coniferous and broadleaf trees on soil carbon storage during reforestation of forest soils and afforestation of agricultural and post-mining soils. Journal of Environmental Management, 290: 112567.
• CORADINI, K., KREJCOVA, J., FROUZ, J. 2021. Potential of vegetation and woodland cover recovery during primary and secondary succession, a global quantitative review. Land Degradation and Development, 33: 512-526.
• ARDESTANI, M.M., MUDRAK, O., VICENA, J., SUN, D.Q., VESELA, H., FROUZ, J. 2022. Microbial community from species rich meadow supports plant specialists during meadow restoration. FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, 36: 1573-1584.
• FROUZ, J., FROUZOVÁ, J. 2022. Applied Ecology: How agriculture, forestry and fisheries shape our planet. Springer.

Contact

Charles University
Faculty of Science, Insitute for Environmental Studies
prof. Mgr. Ing. Jan Frouz, CSc.
E: jan.frouz@natur.cuni.cz
T: (+420) 221 951 068

We have an interest in motivated postgraduate students interested in soil ecology ecosystem ecology. and restoration ecology.

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