Zuzana Starostová - CV
Education
2004 - 2009: Ph.D. study of Zoology at the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Thesis: “ Body size in reptiles: proximate mechanisms and ecophysilogical correlates.”
1999 - 2004: M.Sc. study of Zoology. Thesis: “Phylogeny and evolution of body size, cell size and genome size of eublepharid geckos.” Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
Research and professional experience
2008 - present: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University in Prague (Assistant Professor)
2005 - 2008: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University in Prague (Researcher, part time and later full time position)
Current research interests
animal energetics; metabolic rate scaling; body size; temperature-induced phenotypic plasticity; cell and genome size evolution; tail regeneration; evaporative water loss in lizards; reptile phylogeny
Teaching experience
Participation in courses: Human and Animal Ecophysiology (since 2010); General Animal Biology (since 2010); Genetic Methods in Zoology (since 2009); Molecular Applications in Zoology (since 2014); Herpetofauna of Europe (since 2014); Practicals in Systematic Zoology – part Herpetology (since 2005); Field Course in Zoology (since 2006); weekly seminar for students at the Department of Zoology (2011-2019); Specialized Fied Course in Zoology (since 2010)
Grants
Principal investigator:
2004-2006: student project supported by the Grant Agency of Charles University in Prague: “Perspectives of captive populations of endangered reptiles: Genetic variation in two model species (Epicrates angulifer and Cyclura nubila)“ see more.
2007-2009: youth project supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Academy of Science: “Testing the role of cell size variation in body size changes and intra- and interspecific metabolic allometries: phylogenetically informed analysis in geckos“ see more.
2010-2012: post-doc project supported by the Czech Science Foundation: “Thermal influence on life-history decisions and physiology in ectotherms: a case study in a tropical lizard”
Team member:
2012 - 2018: junior team member of the University centre of excellence (UNCE) grant project “Centre for research of biodiversity dynamics”
2016 - 2018: project supported by the Czech Science Foundation: “Hormonal control of sexual dimorphism in squamate reptiles”
2019 - 2022: project supported by the Czech Science Foundation: “Growth plasticity in lizards: consequences for sexual dimorphism and maternal effect in body size”
Travel grants:
2008: Short Visit Grant within ESF programme "Thermal adaptation in ectotherms", project: "The role of cell size in evolutionary and thermally induced changes in body size of ectothermic vertebrates" - 15 day visit, prof. J. Kozłowski, Jagiellonian University, Poland
2010: Exchange Grant within ESF programme "Thermal adaptation in ectotherms", project: "Thermal influence on energy assimilation in vertebrate ectotherms: a case study in a tropical lizard" - 9 week visit, M. J. Angilletta, Ph.D., Arizona State University, USA
Awards
2014 - L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science, Czech Republic fellowship; project title: The energetic perspective of tissue regeneration: a case study of tail re-growth in lizards
2014 - Dean´s Award for Young Scientist, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague
Research fellowship
2008 (May, 15 days) – Krakow, Poland (Institute of Environmental Science, Jagiellonian University, Prof. Jan Kozłowski)
2010 (9 weeks) - Tempe, USA (Arizona State University, School of Life Science, lab of Michael J. Angilletta, Ph.D.)
2015 (7 weeks) - Stellenbosch, South Africa (Stellenbosch University, Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, lab of Susana Clusella-Trullas, Ph.D.)
Attended courses
Workshop on Molecular Evolution 2006, Woods Hole, USA; July 23 - August 11, 2006
Phylogenetic Analysis: Theory and Practice Workshop of the Willi Hennig Society in Pruhonice, Czech Republic; September 4-7, 2006
Summer Schools in Ecology and Biodiversity: Understanding Patterns and Processes, Białowieża, Poland; May 28 - June 2, 2007
Ecological Genomics Summer School, Bertinoro, Italy; October 19 - 24, 2009
Respirometry Course- An Introduction to Animal Respirometry, Las Vegas, USA; December 2012
Publications
Bury S., Kratochvíl L. & Starostová Z. (2023): Scaling of erythrocyte shape and nucleus size among squamate reptiles: reanalysis points to constrained, proportional rather than adaptive changes. Royal Society Open Science 10: 221513.
Meter B., Kratochvíl L., Kubička L. & Starostová Z. (2022): Development of male-larger sexual size dimorphism in a lizard: IGF1 peak long after sexual maturity overlaps with pronounced growth in males. Frontiers in Physiology 13: 917460.
Hlubeň M., Kratochvíl L., Gvoždík L. & Starostová Z. (2021): Ontogeny, phylogeny, and mechanisms of adaptive changes in evaporative water loss in geckos. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 34: 1290–1301.
Stöck M., Dedukh D., Reifová R., Lamatsch D.K., Starostová Z. & Janko K. (2021): Sex chromosomes in meiotic, hemiclonal, clonal and polyploid hybrid vertebrates: along the ‘extended speciation continuum’. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 376: 20200103.
Meter B., Starostová Z., Kubička L. & Kratochvíl L. (2020): The limits of the energetical perspective: Life-history decisions in lizard growth. Evolutionary Ecology 34: 469–481.
Kratochvíl L., Kubička L., Vohralík M. & Starostová Z. (2018): Variability in vertebral numbers does not contribute to sexual size dimorphism, interspecific variability, or phenotypic plasticity in body size in geckos (Squamata: Gekkota: Paroedura). Journal of Experimental Zoology A 329: 185-190.
Starostová Z., Gvoždík L. & Kratochvíl L. (2017): An energetic perspective on tissue regeneration: the costs of tail autotomy in growing geckos. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A, 206: 82-86.
Czarnoleski M., Labecka A.M., Starostová Z., Sikorska A., Bonda-Ostaszewska E, Woch K., Kubička L., Kratochvíl L. & Kozlowski J. (2017): Not all cells are equal: temperature and sex effects on the size of different cell types in the Madagascar ground gecko Paroedura picta. Biology Open 6: 1149-1154.
Matschiner M., Musilová Z., Barth J.M.I., Starostová Z., Salzburger W., Steel M. & Bouckaert R. (2017): Bayesian phylogenetic estimation of clade ages supports trans-Atlantic dispersal of cichlid fishes. Systematic Biology 66 (1): 3-22.
Starostová Z. & Musilová Z. (2016): The complete mitochondrial genome of the Madagascar ground gecko Paroedura picta (Squamata: Gekkonidae). Mitochondrial DNA Part A, 27(6): 4397–4398.
Kubička L., Starostová Z. & Kratochvíl L. (2015): Endogenous control of sexual size dimorphism: Gonadal androgens have neither direct nor indirect effect on male growth in a Madagascar ground gecko (Paroedura picta). General and Comparative Endocrinology 224: 273-277.
Starostová Z., Kubička L., Golinski A. & Kratochvíl L. (2013): Neither male gonadal androgens nor female reproductive costs drive development of sexual size dimorphism in lizards. Journal of Experimental Biology 216: 1872-1880.
Starostová Z., Kozlowski J., Konarzewski M. & Kratochvíl L. (2013): Ontogeny of metabolic rate and red blood cell size in eyelid geckos: Species follow different paths. PLoS ONE 8(5): e64715. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064715
Weiser H., Starostová Z., Kubička L. & Kratochvíl L. (2012): Overlap of female reproductive cycles explains shortened interclutch interval in a lizard with invariant clutch size (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Paroedura picta). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 85: 491-498.
Starostová Z., Angilletta M.J., Kubička L. & Kratochvíl L. (2012): Thermal dependence of reproductive allocation in a tropical lizard. Journal of Thermal Biology 37: 159-163.
Kubička L., Starostová Z. & Kratochvíl L. (2012): Temperature-dependent rate of clutch production in a tropical lizard (Paroedura picta: Gekkonidae): Intraspecific test of the Metabolic Theory of Ecology. Journal of Thermal Biology 37: 179-184.
Starostová Z., Kubička L. & Kratochvíl L. (2010): Macroevolutionary pattern of sexual size dimorphism in geckos corresponds to intraspecific temperature-induced variation. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 23: 670-677.
Starostová Z., Rehák I. & Frynta D. (2010): New haplotypes of Cyclura nubila nubila from Cuba changed the phylogenetic tree of rock iguanas: a challenge for conservation strategies? Amphibia-Reptilia 31:134-143.
Starostová Z., Kubička L., Kozlowski J., Konarzewski M. & Kratochvíl L. (2009): Cell size but not genome size affects scaling of metabolic rate in eyelid geckos. American Naturalist 174: E100-E105.
Hynková I., Starostová Z. & Frynta D. (2009): Mitochondrial DNA variation reveals recent evolutionary history of main Boa constrictor clades. Zoological Science 26: 623-631.
Starostová Z., Kratochvíl L. & Flajšhans M.(2008): Cell size does not always correspond to genome size: Phylogenetic analysis of genome size in eublepharid geckos. Zoology 111: 377-384.
Starostová Z., Kratochvíl L. & Frynta D.(2005): Dwarf and giant geckos from the cellular perspective: The bigger the animal, the bigger its erythrocytes? Functional Ecology 19: 744-749.
Conference presentations
Poster and oral presentations at 24 international conferences or workshops: e.g.: 18th International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology (2017); Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting (2010-2014, 2018, 2022); Metabolic Basis of Ecology Gordon Research Conference (2010, 2012); International Congress of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry - From Molecules to Macrophysiology, Cracow, Poland (2015); Congress of the European Society of Evolutionary Biology (2005, 2007); Workshop on Evolutionary and Physiological Adaptation to Climate Induced Environmental Changes. Bialowieza, Poland (2009); Macrophysiology Meeting, Plymouth, Great Britain (2008); EMBO Workshop Size and Shape, Bengaluru, India (2018); EMBO Workshop on Cell Size Regulation, Joachimsthal, Germany (2016); Evolutionary and Plastic Responses of Animal Growth to Different Temperatures: Adaptations and Constraints, Tartu, Estonia (2011)
Presentations at national conferences: Conference of the Czech Herpetological Society; Zoological Days
