Department of Botany and Nature Protection

Staff:

  • Head of the Department:
    • Professor Barbara Tokarska-Guzik
  • Academic Teachers:
    • Gabriela Woźniak, PhD, DSc
    • Barbara Fojcik, PhD, DSc
    • Agnieszka Kompała-Bąba, PhD, DSc
    • Paweł Kwiatkowski, PhD, DSc
    • Edyta Sierka, PhD, DSc
    • Adam Rostański, PhD, DSc
    • Alina Urbisz, PhD, DSc
    • Andrzej Urbisz, PhD, DSc
    • Agnieszka Błońska, PhD
    • Katarzyna Bzdęga, PhD
    • Kornelia Gudyś, PhD
    • Monika Jędrzejczyk-Korycińska, PhD
    • Teresa Nowak, PhD
  • Technical Staff:
    • Beata Babczyńska-Sendek, Phd, DSc
    • Wojciech Bierza, PhD
    • Izabela Gerold-Śmietańska, PhD
    • Agnieszka Hutniczak, PhD
    • Andrzej Pasierbiński, PhD
    • Jadwiga Pojnar, MSc
    • Adrian Zarychta, MSc

Main field of research:

  • Diversify of flora and vegetation in relation to the structure of landscape and environmental factors, including particularly the chorology and resources of rare, endangered and protected vascular plants and natural habitats (the state and the protection);
  • The functional diversity of the vegetation and its using in the assessment of the degree of ecosystems transformation (ecosystem services);
  • Biology, ecology, distribution and genetic variation in native and alien plant species, with particular reference to invasive species; assessment of threat and management of invasive alien species;
  • Metalophytes as the effect of micro-evolutionary processes in plants in the presence of the high level of environmental stress;
  • The taxonomy and classification of selected taxa of vascular plants and mosses;
  • Plant and vegetation mapping and spatial databases; GIS-base and mathematical modelling in research of the flora and vegetation.

Unique resources of the Department:

  • Creating and the development of the regional system of information concerning the nature and the state of the environment of the Silesian province and adjacent regions – The Open-access Spatial Database (abbreviated OBD) set up under the “Open-access Bio- and Geodiversity Database of the Silesia Voivodeship – an integral part of the Open-access Regional Spatial Information System, BIOGEO-SILESIA ORSIP”;
  • Herbarium collection;
  • The Pocket PEA chlorophyll fluorimeter;
  • State of the art soil analysis lab.

Laboratory of Botanical Documentation and Scientific Herbarium of the Uiversity of Silesia – KTU

  • Head of the Herbarium:
    • Adam Rostański, PhD, DSc
  • Technical Staff:
    • Izabela Gerold-Śmietańska, PhD

Herbarium founded in 1974 is the scientific collection counting 140 000 herbarium specimens documenting the work of botanists from the area of the Upper Silesia, as well as the whole of Poland and abroad (entire world). Herbarium KTU is being distinguished as one of the largest and famous in Europe (more than 10 000 herbarium specimens) collection of evening primrose genus (Oenothera L.) containing type-specimens of Oenothera-taxa.

Scientific Herbarium KTU runs / operates plant specimen database (over 130 000 records), which is partly accessible online through GBIF and Bio-GeoSilesia platforms.

For students:

  • Erasmus +:
    • The diversity of fungi and algae
    • The diversity of vascular plants and bryophytes
    • Biological Invasions
    • Nature of the Upper Silesia
    • Remediation of degraded lands
    • Diversity of vegetation and their conditions
    • The basis of monitoring of natural habitats
  • PhD studies on Advanced methods in biotechnology and biodiversity:
    • Molecular methods in plant and animal biodiversity research;
    • Plant invasion: species biology, ecological threat and ecosystem menagement.