Research

euglenoids

Euglenoids are a cosmopolitan, extremely diverse group of organisms. They are traditionally classified as algae, but they also contain taxa that have lost or never gained plastids and their nutrition is heterotrophic (colorless euglenoids). They represent a important part of the algal and protist communities of edaphon, plankton and benthos (colorless euglenoids occupy a majority of the biomass of benthic protist communities). The study of their phylogeny and ultrastructural morphology outlines many fundamental and interesting phenomena in evolution (endosymbiosis, secondary heterotrophy, molecular architecture and plastid rearrangement, mixotrophy).

The research of euglenoids in our laboratory focuses mainly on their floristics, biogeography, ecology and study of cryptic diversity. In the past, a check-list of photosynthetic euglenoids in the Czech Republic was created, currently a check-list of colorless euglenoids in the Czech Republic is in the process of preparation. As part of the floristic study of colorless euglenoids, a huge gallery of their microphotographs has been created so far. For the summer of 2021, we are planning an international determination course of euglenoids.

A platform - Euglenoids Global Diversity Project - has been set up to share information about euglenoids research among experts from around the world.

  • People focusing on this topic: Josef Juráň │ Sára Brožíková │ Jaroslav Kubín │ Adélka Paulíková

Selected publications:

  • Juráň, J. & Kaštovský, J. (2019): The procedure of compiling the Red List of microscopic algae of the Czech Republic. Biodiversity and Conservation. 28(10): 2499-2529. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01792-x

  • Poniewozik, M. & Juráň, J. (2018): Extremely high diversity of euglenophytes in a small pond in eastern Poland. Plant Ecology and Evolution 151 (1): 18–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2018.1308

  • Juráň, J. & Couté, A. (2018): African Trachelomonas saccasii found in a European mesotrophic pond (Czech Republic). Implication for euglenoid biogeography and recommendations for euglenoid flagship species. Phytotaxa 334(3): 201-214. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.334.3.1

  • Juráň, J. (2017): The checklist of photosynthetic euglenoids (order Euglenales) of the Czech Republic: ecology, taxonomy, distribution. Phytotaxa 317(1): 1 - 16. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.317.1.1

  • Wołowski, K. Poniewozik, M., Juráň, J. (2016): Morphological variability of loricae in Trachelomonas caudata complex (Euglenophyta). Cryptogamie Algologie 37(2): 97 - 108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7872/crya/v37.iss2.2016.97

  • Juráň, J. (2016): Trachelomonas bituricensis var. lotharingia M.L. Poucques 1952, a morphologically interesting, rare euglenoid new to the algal flora of the Czech Republic. Phytokeys 61: 81-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.61.7408