Curriculum vitae:

Spcialization:

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.

Awards:

Internship abroad:

Selected publications:

10 selected publications:

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.