Education 
| 2004-2008 | Ph.D. student; Biological Faculty, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Laboratory of Fish Genetics, IAPG AS CR, v.v.i. Topic of Ph.D. thesis: “Phylogenetic relationships of loach fishes of the superfamily Cobitoidea (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) based on molecular data analyses” |
| 2001-2004 | Master student; Biological Faculty, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Laboratory of Fish Genetics, IAPG AS CR, v.v.i. Topic of Master Thesis: „Importance of the Alps as a barrier to dispersal in cold-adapted freswater fishes: Phylogeographic history and taxonomic state of the bullhead in the Adriatic freshwater drainage with implications to bullhead diversity in Central Europe“ |
| 1998-2001 | Bachelor student; Biological Faculty, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic Topic of Bachelor thesis: „Genetic structure of populations of European Bullhead (Cottus gobio L.) within the area of Czech Republic: I. Allozyme mapping“ Carried out in: Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics AS CR, v.v.i., Liběchov, Czech Republic |
Professional experience
| 2014-now | Researcher; Laboratory of Fish Genetics, IAPG AS CR, v.v.i. |
| 2008-2014 | Postdoc; Laboratory of Fish Genetics, IAPG AS CR, v.v.i. |
Major scientific interests
My specialisation is to study biodiversity and evolution of freshwater fishes from population level to superfamily level with the use of molecular genetic tools. I like to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of fishes and then look on the major evolutionary driving forces that might have influenced the evolution of the studied group. Examples of my work include intraspecific and oligospecific phylogeographic studies on European freshwater fishes with conclusions on their colonisation history and glacial refuges.
Since 2003 I focus intensely on investigations of the diversity of loaches – that means the superfamily Cobitoidea (one of the two superfamilies of the order Cypriniformes, the most species-rich and most diverse group of primary freshwater fishes; Cobitoidea includes also the pivotal model organism of the Laboratory of Fish Genetics – Cobitis). Due to their omnipresence in all river basins in Europe and Asia, loach fishes are one of the most characteristic elements of the Eurasian freshwater fauna and an ideal model to study the impact of vicariance, radiation, colonisation and geological events on local as well as continental scale. Since also hybridisation, polyploidisation and unisexual reproduction have occurred repeatedly and at different times in the evolution of loaches, this fish group provides a perfect example to test for the relative impact of various driving forces in evolution. The high diversity of loaches with about 1100 valid species together with often weakly defined genera, families and even the outline of Cobitoidea themselves made loaches also a taxonomically challenging group. The target is to get the different sources of information (molecular genetics, geological, morphological and cytogenetical data) combined to reconstruct the evolutionary history of loach fishes, and my specialisation in this approach is the work with molecular genetics.
Currently, together with other colleagues from the Laboratory of Fish Genetics we focus on the investigation of origin and stabilisation of a polyploid lineage within the family Botiidae (Cobitoidea) that appeared about 20 mya. Due to the complexity of the topic (particularly the high age of polyploid lineage), we apply a multi-method approach including analyses of DNA variability (sequencing, microsatellites), methods of classical as well as molecular cytogenetis, and transcriptomics.
Fellowships, prizes
| 2013 | Finalist of L’OREAL – UNESCO for women in science; honorable mention for the project „Mechanisms determining origin and stabilisation of a polyploid animal lineage in evolution.“ |
| 2012 | Award of CAS; member of a team of authors; topic: „Clonal vertebrates: Discovery, mechanisms, biodiversity and reconstruction with use of a model of loach fishes“ |
| 2012 | Otto Wichterle Award for young researchers of CAS |
| 2012 | Award of the journal „21st century“ |
| 2004 | Best publication of the year 2004 of IAPG AS CR, v.v.i.: Šlechtová, V; Bohlen, J; Freyhof, J; Persat, H; Delmastro, GB, 2004: The Alps as a barrier to dispersal in cold-adapted freshwater fishes? Phylogeographic history and taxonomic status of the bullhead in the Adriatic freshwater drainage. Mol Phyl Evol 33 (1): 225 – 239. |
Research fellowships and study visits
| Oct 2006 | Museum of Natural History, London, United Kingdom topic: Morphological and genetical analyses of loaches of the genus Pangio. Scientific host: Dr. Ralf Britz, Dr. Lukas Rüber |
| May 2006 | Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University, Singapore topic: Phylogeny and systematics of Asian loaches Scientific host: Dr. Tan Heok Hui Téma: Phylogeny and systematics of Asian loaches |
| Nov-Dec 2005 | Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Science, Madrid, Spain topic: Nuclear DNA analyses of European Misgurnus (in frame of European-funded Integrated Infrastructure Initiative grant called SYNTHESYS) Scientific host: Prof. I. Doadrio |
| April 2005 | Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Science, Madrid, Spain topic: Genetic insight to expansion of non-indigenous fish species and their impact to native ichthyofauna (in frame of the joint project of IAPG AS CR and CSIC) Scientific host: Prof. I. Doadrio |
| June 2004 | Institut für Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany; topic: cytogenetic evolution in the African killifish genus Chromaphyosemion; Scientific host: Dr. Harald Kullmann |
| May-June 2003 | Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Science, Madrid, Spain; topic: Phylogeography of Cottus in the perialpine area (in frame of Biod-Iberia project of Improving Human Research Potential Program of European Community); Scientific host: Prof. I. Doadrio |
| Září-říjen 2002 | Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Science, Madrid, Spain topic: Molecular phylogeny of European freshwater fishes of the genus Cobitis Scientific host: Prof. I. Doadrio |
| Prosinec 2001 | Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany topic: Molecular analyses of the European bullhead ( Cottus ) Scientific host: Prof. D. Tautz, Dr. A. Nolte |
Publications
10 selected publications:
| 2014 | Geiger M.F., M. T. Monaghan, V. Almada, R. Barbieri, M. Bariche, P. Berrebi, J. Bohlen, M. Casal-Lopez, G. B. Delmastro, G. P. J. Denys, A. Dettai, I. Doadrio, E. Kalogianni, H. Kärst, M. Kottelat, M. Kovačić, M. Laporte, M. Lorenzoni, Z. Marčić, M. Özulu?, A. Perdices, S. Perea, H. Persat, S. Porcelotti, C. Puzzi, J. Robalo, R. Šanda, M. Schneider, V. Šlechtová jr., M. Stoumboudi, S. Walter, J. Freyhof 2014. Spatial Heterogeneity in the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot Affects Barcoding Accuracy of its Freshwater Fishes. Molecular Ecology Resources 14: 1210-1221. IF 2013: 5.626 |
| 2013 | Bohlen, J., V. Šlechtová jr. 2013. Two new species of Schistura (Nemacheilidae) from Myanmar. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 24: 21-30. IF 2013: 2.275 |
| Bohlen, J., V. Šlechtová jr. 2013. Schistura puncticeps (Cobitoidea: Nemacheilidae), a new species of loach from Myanmar. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 24:85-92. IF 2013: 2.275 |
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| 2011 | Bohlen, J., Šlechtová, V. jr., Tan, HH, Britz, R, 2011: Phylogeny of the Southeast Asian freshwater fish genus Pangio (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae). MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION 61 (3): 854 – 865. doi 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.08.003. |
| 2008 | Šlechtová, V. jr., Bohlen, J., Perdices, A. , 2008: Molecular phylogeny of the freshwater fish family Cobitidae (Cypriniformes : Teleostei): Delimitation of genera, mitochondrial introgression and evolution of sexual dimorphism. MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION 47 (2): 812 – 831. doi 10.1016/j.ympev.2007.12.018. |
| Šedivá, A., Janko, K., Šlechtová, V. jr., Kotlík, P., Simonovic, P., Delic, A., Vassilev, M, 2008: Around or across the Carpathians: colonization model of the Danube basin inferred from genetic diversification of stone loach (Barbatula barbatula) populations. MOLECULAR ECOLOGY 17 (5): 1277 – 1292. doi 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03656.x. |
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| 2007 | Šlechtová, V. jr. , Bohlen, J., Tan, HH, 2007: Families of Cobitoidea (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) as revealed from nuclear genetic data and the position of the mysterious genera Barbucca, Psilorhynchus, Serpenticobitis and Vaillantella. MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION 44 (3): 1358 – 1365. doi 10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.019. |
| 2006 | Šlechtová, V. jr., Bohlen, J., Freyhof, J., Ráb, P., 2006: Molecular phylogeny of the Southeast Asian freshwater fish family Botiidae (Teleostei : Cobitoldea) and the origin of polyploidy in their evolution. MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION 39 (2): 529 – 541. doi 10.1016/j.ympev.2005.09.018. |
| Bohlen, J., Šlechtová, V. jr., Bogutskaya, N., Freyhof, J, 2006: Across Siberia and over Europe: Phylogenetic relationships of the freshwater fish genus Rhodeus in Europe and the phylogenetic position of Rhodeus sericeus from the River Amur. MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION 40 (3): 856 – 865. doi 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.04.020. |
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| 2004 | Šlechtová, V. jr., Bohlen, J., Freyhof, J., Persat, H., Delmastro, GB., 2004: The Alps as barrier to dispersal in cold-adapted freshwater fishes? Phylogeographic history and taxonomic status of the bullhead in the Adriatic freshwater drainage. MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION 33 (1): 225 – 239. doi 10.1016/j.ympev.2004.05.005. |