MVDr. Oldřich Tomášek Ph.D.

Position full-time researcher
Direction evolutionary ecology and ecophysiology

+420 560 590 604

Research interests

  • evolution of life histories and associated physiological adaptations,
  • physiological mechanisms associated with individual fitness and ageing,
  • condition-dependent sexual signalling.

Running Projects

A hazy barrier: Mid-elevation exchange of avian communities on Mt. Cameroon (2021–2023)

Education

  • 2004: MVDr. (DVM) in Veterinary Medicine – University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno.
  • 2007: PhD in Avian, Reptile and Small Mammal Medicine – University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno.
  • 2018: PhD in Zoology – Charles University, Prague.

Work experience

  • 2020–present: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences – Researcher,
  • 2011–2020: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences – Postdoctoral researcher,
  • 2014–2018: Charles University, Department of Zoology, Prague – Postdoctoral researcher,
  • 2007–2009: Veterinární klinika Růžodol and Zoo Liberec – Veterinarian.

International experience

  • 2019/07–2020/01: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Skotsko (prof. Daniel Nussey) – Postdoctoral fellowship,
  • 2018/07–2019/01: Université de Sherbrooke, Kanada (dr. Alan Cohen) – Postdoctoral fellowship,
  • 2006/02–2006/04: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Rakousko (prof. Michael Hess) – Postgraduate fellowship,
  • field research in tropical Africa (Cameroon).

Current PhD students

  • Kamila Vlčková: Causes and consequences of variation in blood glucose level in birds and its integration with energy metabolism and stress response mechanisms – University of South Bohemia (supervisor, advisor: T. Albrecht).
  • Matouš Janča: Ecology of free fatty acids and associated physiological mechanisms in avian blood – Masaryk University Brno (supervisor, advisor: T. Albrecht).
  • Sampath Anandan Kumar: Molecular mechanisms of life-history evolution – Masaryk University Brno (supervisor; advisor: T. Albrecht).
  • Ondřej Kauzál: Steroid hormone concentrations, feather growth and life history strategies of passerine birds – Charles University, Prague (advisor; supervisor: T. Albrecht).
  • Lukáš Pazdera: Reproductive senescence in the barn swallow – Charles University, Prague (supervisor; advisor: T. Albrecht).

Former PhD students

  • Lukáš Bobek: Ecophysiological mechanisms of life-history evolution – Masaryk University Brno (advisor; supervisor: T. Albrecht).
  • Marie Kotasová Adámková: Ornamental signalling of sexual hormones and stress in socially monogamous passerine – Masaryk University Brno (advisor; supervisor: T. Albrecht).

Publications

2022

Adámková M, Tomášek O, Albrecht T (2022). An unexpected age-related pattern in feather growth contributes to age-dependent ornament expression in a passerine bird. Journal of Ornithology, 163: 987-996.
Horák K, Bobek L, Adámková M, Kauzál O, Kauzálová T, Manialeu JP, Nguelefack TB, Nana ED, Jønsson KA, Munclinger P, Hořák D, Sedláček O, Tomášek O, Albrecht T (2022). Feather growth and quality across passerines is explained by breeding rather than moulting latitude. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 289: 20212404.
Kauzálová T, Tomášek O, Mulder E, Verhulst S, Albrecht T (2022). Telomere length is highly repeatable and shorter in individuals with more elaborate sexual ornamentation in a short-lived passerine. Molecular Ecology, :.
Kubovčiak J, Schmiedová L, Albrecht T, Těšický M, Tomášek O, Kauzálová T, Kreisinger J (2022). Within-community variation of interspecific divergence patterns in passerine gut microbiota. Ecology and Evolution, 12: e9071.
Kvapil P, Tomášek O, Bártová E, Harej M, Kastelic M, Primožič T, Kašpárková N, Račnik J (2022). Validation of medicinal leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) as a non-invasive blood sampling tool for hematology and biochemistry profiling in mammals. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9: 831836.
Schmiedová L, Tomášek O, Pinkasová H, Albrecht T, Kreisinger J (2022). Variation in diet composition and its relation to gut microbiota in a passerine bird. Scientific Reports, 12: 3787.
Šulc M, Hughes AE, Mari L, Troscianko J, Tomášek O, Albrecht T, Jelínek V (2022). Nest sanitation as an effective defence against brood parasitism. Animal Cognition, 25: 991-1002.
Tomášek O, Bobek L, Kauzálová T, Kauzál O, Adámková M, Horák K, Kumar SA, Manialeu JP, Munclinger P, Nana ED, Nguelefack TB, Sedláček O, Albrecht T (2022). Latitudinal but not elevational variation in blood glucose level is linked to life history across passerine birds. Ecology Letters, 25: 2203-2216.

2021

Kumar SA, Albrecht T, Kauzál O, Tomášek O (2021). No evidence for trade-offs between lifespan, fecundity and basal metabolic rate mediated by liver fatty acid composition in birds. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9: 638501.

2020

Hund AK, Hubbard JK, Albrecht T, Vortman Y, Munclinger P, Krausová S, Tomášek O, Safran RJ (2020). Divergent sexual signals reflect costs of local parasites. Evolution, 74: 2404-2418.

2019

Adámková M, Bílková V, Tomášek O, Šimek Z, Albrecht T (2019). Feather steroid hormone concentrations in relation to age, sex, and molting time in a long‐distance migratory passerine. Ecology and Evolution, 9: 9018-9026.
Michálková R, Tomášek O, Adámková M, Kreisinger J, Albrecht T (2019). Extra-pair paternity patterns in European barn swallows Hirundo rustica are best explained by male and female age rather than male ornamentation. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73: 119.
Pap PL, Fülöp A, Adámková M, Cepák J, Michálková R, Safran RJ, Stermin AN, Tomášek O, Vágási CI, Vincze O, Wilkins MR, Albrecht T (2019). Selection on multiple sexual signals in two Central and Eastern European populations of the barn swallow. Ecology and Evolution, 9: 11277-11287.
Støstad HN, Rowe M, Johnsen A, Tomášek O, Albrecht T, Lifjeld JT (2019). Sperm head abnormalities are associated with excessive omega-6 fatty acids in two finch species feeding on sunflower seeds. Journal of Avian Biology, 50: e02056.
Tomášek O, Bobek L, Králová T, Adámková M, Albrecht T (2019). Fuel for the pace of life: Baseline blood glucose concentration co‐evolves with life‐history traits in songbirds. Functional Ecology, 33: 239-249.

2018

Klvaňa P, Cepák J, Munclinger P, Michálková R, Tomášek O, Albrecht T (2018). Around the Mediterranean: an extreme example of loop migration in a long-distance migratory passerine. Journal of Avian Biology, 49: e01595.
Kreisinger J, Schmiedová L, Petrželková A, Tomášek O, Adámková M, Michálková R, Martin J, Albrecht T (2018). Fecal microbiota associated with phytohaemagglutinin-induced immune response in nestlings of a passerine bird. Ecology and Evolution, 8: 9793-9802.

2017

Blažek R, Polačik M, Kačer P, Cellerino A, Řežucha R, Methling C, Tomášek O, Syslová K, Terzibasi Tozzini E, Albrecht T, Vrtílek M, Reichard M (2017). Repeated intraspecific divergence in life span and aging of African annual fishes along an aridity gradient. Evolution, 71: 386-402.
Kreisinger J, Kropáčková L, Petrželková A, Adámková M, Tomášek O, Martin J, Michálková R, Albrecht T (2017). Temporal stability and the effect of transgenerational transfer on fecal microbiota structure in a long distance migratory bird. Frontiers in Microbiology, 8: 50.
Kropáčková L, Těšický M, Albrecht T, Kubovčiak J, Čížková D, Tomášek O, Martin J, Bobek L, Králová T, Procházka P, Kreisinger J (2017). Codiversification of gastrointestinal microbiota and phylogenyin passerines is not explained by ecological divergence. Molecular Ecology, 26: 5292-5304.
Rymešová D, Králová T, Promerová M, Bryja J, Tomášek O, Svobodová J, Šmilauer P, Šálek M, Albrecht T (2017). Mate choice for major histocompatibility complex complementarity in a strictly monogamous bird, the grey partridge (Perdix perdix). Frontiers in Zoology, 14: 9.
Tomášek O, Albrechtová J, Němcová M, Opatová P, Albrecht T (2017). Trade-off between carotenoid-based sexual ornamentation and sperm resistance to oxidative challenge. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 284: 20162444.

2016

Opatová P, Ihle M, Albrechtová J, Tomášek O, Kempenaers B, Forstmeier W, Albrecht T (2016). Inbreeding depression of sperm traits in the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata. Ecology and Evolution, 6: 295-304.
Tomášek O, Gabrielová B, Kačer P, Maršík P, Svobodová J, Syslová K, Vinkler M, Albrecht T (2016). Opposing effects of oxidative challenge and carotenoids on antioxidant status and condition-dependent sexual signalling. Scientific Reports, 6: 23546.
Vitousek MN, Tomášek O, Albrecht T, Wilkins MR, Safran RJ (2016). Signal traits and oxidative stress: a comparative study across populations with divergent signals. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 4: 56.

2015

Petrželková A, Michálková R, Albrechtová J, Cepák J, Honza M, Kreisinger J, Munclinger P, Soudková M, Tomášek O, Albrecht T (2015). Brood parasitism and quasi-parasitism in the European barn swallow Hirundo rustica rustica. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 69: 1405-1414.
Vinkler M, Bainová H, Bryjová A, Tomášek O, Albrecht T, Bryja J (2015). Characterisation of Toll-like receptors 4, 5 and 7 and their genetic variation in the grey partridge. Genetica, 143: 101-112.

2014

Schnitzer J, Exnerová A, Poláková R, Vinkler M, Tomášek O, Munclinger P, Albrecht T (2014). Male ornamentation and within-pair paternity are not associated with male provisioning rates in scarlet rosefinches Carpodacus erythrinus. Acta Ethologica, 17: 89-97.

2013

Rymešová D, Tomášek O, Šálek M (2013). Differences in mortality rates, dispersal distances and breeding success of commercially reared and wild grey partridges in the Czech agricultural landscape. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 59: 147-158.