Research interests
I am interested broadly in ecology and (for) conservation of amphibians and reptiles. Newly I have shifted my interests toward island biogeography, metapopulation ecology, source sink systems and landscape ecology.  I remain a devotated herpetologist but using amphibians and reptiles as model organisms in testing  specific hypotheses regarding the topics mentioned above. I am convinced that a necessary condition of nature conservation is the scientific knowledge. This means a theoretical background (that ideally should ever increase) and also many field data (the quality of the field data [and the papers] will always reflect the knowledge of the researcher).
    With my colleagues Laci Demeter, Cosmin Moga, Kinga Öllerer, Dan Cogălniceanu and Nemes Szilárd (see in the "Friends" section) we are between the first who apply the "patchy landscape" approach to explain the regional distribution of a vertebrata group (these being the amphibians) in Romania. We demonstrated that four species of amphibians (Triturus cristatus, T. vulgaris, Rana temporaria and Hyla arborea) are negatively affected by the fish introductions. Moreover, the habitat loss and landscape fragmentation is already a threat for the amphibians in the Saxon area. There is no general negative effect of agriculture, because the land use is still traditional and applied in small patches.

The following main conclusions arised from these studies:
(i) the rural landscapes from Romania may have a lot of secrets that should be explored for their conservation.
(ii) the rural landscapes from Romania have a huge biodiversity, and this is still not adequately known. This biodiversity will quickly loss if we do not make steps to propose other ways for developement. A necessary condition for this is (again) a strong theoretical end empirical background.
(iii) the negative impact of humans in the landscapes is already iminent in Romania.  These effects can be (and should be) identified and proposals can(should) be made to reverse them, only with a well planned field research. I consider this task as a priority (recently I have finished a manuscript regarding this, that is now in review).
(iv) the locality based inventories are not useful for the points mentioned in i-iii. For example the habitats are managed for conservation not the localities.

Below you can find more informations about my research topics:

Amphibians and reptiles as model organisms (together with Dan Cogălniceanu PhD,  Cosmin Ioan Moga  László Demeter,
and Kinga Öllerer,)
The structure and spatio-temporal dynamic of amphibian populations (in the Târnava Mare Valley).
The landscape ecology of the amphibians and reptiles (Târnava Mare Valley, Cerna Valley, Ciuc basin, Haţeg area and Retezat National Park).
The effect of introduced fish on amphibians in Târnava Mare Valley.
Adaptations of amphibians to extreme environments (temporary ponds and high elevation mountains) (Târnava Mare Valley and Retezat National Park).
Amphibians, reptiles and birds as umbrella species for biodiversity conservation (Târnava Mare Valley).
The structure of larval amphibian communities along hydroperiod and habitat complexity gradients (Târnava Mare Valley)

Birds as model organisms (working together with Cosmin Ioan Moga)
The spatial distribution and habitat useof the corncrake (Crex crex) and the common buzard (Buteo buteo) (Târnava Mare Valley).
The feeding biology of Asio otus (Cluj Napoca area and Turda area).
The migration of the aquatic birds in the Brădeni ponds.
The use of scattered trees by the bird community in a wood pasture.
 
The biodiversity of wood pastures in the southern part of the Saxon Cultural Landscapes (together with Cosmin Ioan Moga).
Restoration ecology (various topics connected to the importance of soil hydrology, wetlands, grazing and scattered trees). These are already applied in the Breite  Reserve. The preliminary  results are promising.

 
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