Mgr. Ondřej Mikula Ph.D.

Position full-time researcher
Direction phylogeny and morphology of rodents

+420 532 290 156
+420 774232079

Research interests

  • geometric morphometrics and species delimitation,
  • evolution and taxonomy of small mammals,
  • hybridization and speciation in house mice.

Running Projects

Phylogeny, adaptation and evolution of sociality in African mole-rats, a model group in evolutionary and biomedical research (2020–2022)

Education

  • 1999–2004: undergraduate study – Masaryk University Brno, Faculty of Science, Systematic Zoology a Ecology. Diploma thesis: Morphometric analysis of the hybrid zone between Mus musculus and Mus domesticus in the western Bohemia.
  • 2004–2009: Ph.D. study – Masaryk University Brno, Faculty of Science, Zoology. Ph.D. thesis: Changes of developmental stability in house mice as a consequence of hybridization.

Employment

  • 2009-present: Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics – postdoctoral fellow,
  • 2010-present: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Department of Population Biology Studenec – postdoctoral fellow.

International experience

  • 2005, 2006: Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii, Warsawa – short stay within the programme EU Synthesys,
  • 2012: Museum national d’historie naturelle, Paris – short stay within the programme EU Synthesys,
  • Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale, Tervuren Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Paris Natural History Museum, London American Museum of Natural History, New York – short visits at Natural History Museums.

Projects

Publications

2020

Mikula O, Nicolas V, Boratyński Z, Denys C, Dobigny G, Fichet-Calvet E, Gagaré S, Hutterer R, Nimo-Paintsil SC, Olayemi A, Bryja J (2020). Commensalism outweighs phylogeographical structure in its effect on phenotype of a Sudanian savanna rodent. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 129, 931-949.
Mizerovská D, Mikula O, Meheretu Y, Bartáková V, Bryjová A, Kostin DS, Šumbera R, Lavrenchenko LA, Bryja J (2020). Integrative taxonomic revision of the Ethiopian endemic rodent genus Stenocephalemys (Muridae: Murinae: Praomyini) with the description of two new species. Journal of Vertebrate Biology, 69, 20031.

2019

Krásová J, Mikula O, Mazoch V, Bryja J, Říčan O, Šumbera R (2019). Evolution of the Grey-bellied pygmy mouse group: highly structured molecular diversity with predictable geographic ranges but morphological crypsis. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 130, 143-155.

2018

Bryja J, Kostin D, Meheretu Y, Šumbera R, Bryjová A, Kasso M, Mikula O, Lavrenchenko LA (2018). Reticulate Pleistocene evolution of Ethiopian rodent genus along remarkable altitudinal gradient. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 118, 75-87.
Bryja J, Konvičková H, Bryjová A, Mikula O, Makundi R, Chitaukali WN, Šumbera R (2018). Differentiation underground: range-wide multilocus genetic structure of the silvery mole-rat does not support current taxonomy based on mitochondrial sequences. Mammalian Biology, 93, 82-92.
Mazoch V, Mikula O, Bryja J, Konvičková H, Russo I, Verheyen E, Šumbera R (2018). Phylogeography of a widespread sub-Saharan murid rodent Aethomys chrysophilus: the role of geographic barriers and paleoclimate in the Zambezian bioregion. Mammalia, 82, 373-387.
Šumbera R, Krásová J, Lavrenchenko LA, Mengistu S, Bekele A, Mikula O, Bryja J (2018). Ethiopian highlands as a cradle of the African fossorial root-rats (genus Tachyoryctes), the genetic evidence. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 126, 105-115.

2017

Aghová T, Šumbera R, Piálek L, Mikula O, McDonough MM, Lavrenchenko LA, Meheretu Y, Mbau JS, Bryja J (2017). Multilocus phylogeny of East African gerbils (Rodentia, Gerbilliscus) illuminates the history of the Somali-Masai savanna. Journal of Biogeography, 44, 2295-2307.
Bryja J, Šumbera R, Kerbis Peterhans JC, Aghová T, Bryjová A, Mikula O, Nicolas V, Denys C, Verheyen E (2017). Evolutionary history of the thicket rats (genus Grammomys) mirrors the evolution of African forests since late Miocene. Journal of Biogeography, 44, 182-194.

2016

Mikula O, Šumbera R, Aghová T, Mbau JS, Katakweba AS, Sabuni CA, Bryja J (2016). Evolutionary history and species diversity of African pouched mice (Rodentia: Nesomyidae: Saccostomus). Zoologica Scripta, 45, 595-617.
Vošlajerová Bímová B, Mikula O, Macholán M, Janotová K, Hiadlovská Z (2016). Female house mice do not differ in their exploratory behaviour from males. Ethology, 122, 298-307.

2014

Bryja J, Mikula O, Patzenhauerová H, Oguge NO, Šumbera R, Verheyen E (2014). The role of dispersal and vicariance in the Pleistocene history of an East African mountain rodent, Praomys delectorum. Journal of Biogeography, 41, 196-208.
Bryja J, Mikula O, Šumbera R, Meheretu Y, Aghová T, Lavrenchenko LA, Mazoch V, Oguge N, Mbau JS, Welegerima K, Amundala N, Colyn M, Leirs H, Verheyen E (2014). Pan-African phylogeny of Mus (subgenus Nannomys) reveals one of the most successful mammal radiations in Africa. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 14, 256.
Hiadlovská Z, Macholán M, Mikula O, Vošlajerová Bímová B (2014). The meek inherit the earth: less aggressive wild mice are more successful in challenging situations. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 113, 310-319.

2013

Hiadlovská Z, Vošlajerová Bímová B, Mikula O, Piálek J, Macholán M (2013). Transgressive segregation in a behavioural trait? Explorative strategies in two house mouse subspecies and their hybrids. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 108, 225-235.