Iberl Katerina
Visiting PhD student 2022
katerina.iberl@biologie.uni-regensburg.de
I am a PhD student at the Institute of Ecology and Conservation Genetics at the University of Regensburg, Germany. I focus on population genetics in the context of nature conservation and restoration efforts. In my research, I am focusing on the common risks to the long-time survival of restored populations. These might be, inter alia, (i) the loss of genetic diversity and (ii) enhanced levels of genetic differentiation resulting from genetic bottlenecks or founder effects. In this context, I compare source and restored populations in terms of (neutral) genetic diversity and differentiation, to assess whether the applied restoration methods and approaches were appropriate. I had the opportunity to visit the department as part of a COST project, where I utilized many of the lessons learned from my PhD research to investigate the population genetics and conservation prospects of Gentianella praecox ssp. bohemica.
Expertise
Restoration genetics, with a special focus on:
- Rare species reintroduction
- Natural (re)colonization processes
- Role of the soil seed banks
Education
1995-1998 BSc Biology, Charles University, Czech Republic
2000-2003 MSc Biology, Charles University, Czech Republic
2017-Present PhD candidate; Regensburg, Germany
Publications
Iberl, K., P. Poschlod, Reisch, C. (2023) A Source of Hidden Diversity: Soil Seed Bank and Aboveground Populations of a Common Herb Contain Similar Levels of Genetic Variation. Plant Biology https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13571.
Iberl, K., Poschlod, P., Reisch, C. (2022) Restoration of calcareous grasslands by natural recolonization after forest clearing and its impact on the genetic variation of three common herb species. Biodiversity and Conservation https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02518-2