Bálint Halpern

Eötvös Loránd University · Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology

Species with wide-range distributions usually display high genetic variation. This variation can be partly explained by historical lineages that were temporally isolated from each other and are back into secondary reproductive contact, and partly by local adaptations. The smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) is one of the most widely distributed amph...

Semi-natural environments within cities can provide habitats for vulnerable reptile species. Better understanding of their habitat use and home range sizes is important for their conservation. We investigated the spatial ecology of Caspian whipsnakes (Dolicophis caspius) in a peri-urban habitat in Budapest, Hungary. We used radiotelemetry to track...

Understanding heritability patterns in functionally relevant traits is a cornerstone for evaluating their evolutionary potential and their role in local adaptation. In this study, we investigated patterns of heritability in the head shape of the Hungarian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis). To this end, we used geometric morphometric data fr...

The Meadow and Steppe viper, Vipera ursinii-renardi complex is a well-studied group that is divided into several morphological subspecies. In this study, we combine the analyses of two mitochondrial genes with 9 microsatellite markers to compare both phylogenetic signals. Whereas the signal is similar between both genomes within most subspecies, th...

1. Infectious diseases are influenced by interactions between host and pathogen, and are rarely homogenous across the landscape. Areas with elevated pathogen prevalence maintain a high force of infection, can facilitate pathogen spread to new regions, and may indicate areas with impacts on host populations. However, isolating the ecological process...

An overview of ungulate impacts in the urban habitat of the strictly protected Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius) in Hungary Ungulate activities can have significant top-down effects on the structure of plant communities resulting in indirect impacts on the habitat of other animal species. Our research looks at such impacts of ungulates in an...

The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a widely distributed freshwater species inhabiting much of Europe, but it is often in population decrease or is locally extinct. In this study, we sampled five central European populations, of which four were autochthonous and one was introduced outside the native range. Moreover, two of the native pop...

The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a widely distributed freshwater species inhabiting much of Europe, but it is often in population decrease or is locally extinct. In this study, we sampled five central European populations, of which four were autochthonous and one was introduced outside the native range. Moreover, two of the native pop...

Across the distribution of the Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), populations have become increasingly disconnected due to habitat alteration. To understand population dynamics and this widespread but locally endangered snake’s adaptive potential, we investigated population structure, admixture, and effective migration patterns. We took a lan...

Research on the thermal ecology and physiology of free‐living organisms is accelerating as scientists and managers recognize the urgency of the global biodiversity crisis brought on by climate change. As ectotherms, temperature fundamentally affects most aspects of the lives of amphibians and reptiles, making them excellent models for studying how...

The designation of taxonomic units has important implications for the understanding and conservation of biodiversity. Eurasian vipers are a monophyletic group of viperid snakes (Serpentes, Viperinae), currently comprising four genera (Daboia, Macrovipera, Montivipera and Vipera) and up to 40 species. Taxonomic units have been described using a wide...

The Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata) is is a semi-aquatic snake, widely distributed along wetlands in Hungary (see Herpetological Atlas of Hungary in Puky et al. 2005). The Dice Snake inhabits a great variation of lentic to lotic wetlands and functions as a relevant element of healthy ecosystems (Mebert 2011). It is a top predator on fish and an exce...

Deliberate tail loss was recorded for the first time in three large whip snakes (Dolichophis caspius) and one dice snake (Natrix tessellata). Observations were made in different years and in different locations. In all cases the tail breakage happened while snakes were being handled by researchers. Pseudoautotomy was confirmed in one large whip sna...

Budapest is situated in the Carpathian Basin close to Central Europe. It occupies 525 km2 and has a population of 1.7 million. Although the city is built on one of the oldest hominid settlements in Europe, it was not given its present name until 1873 when it was formed by the merging of Buda, Obuda and Pest. The city is divided by the Danube river,...

In order to stop the decline of Hungarian meadow viper Vipera ursinii rakosiensis, in 2004 MME BirdLife Hungary together with national parks and Budapest Zoo started a complex conservation programme, supported by the European Union LIFE-Nature fund. The Hungarian Meadow Viper Conservation Centre was established with 16 adult individuals, collected...

Report to the project "Sustainable Nature Conservation On Hungarian Natura 2000 sites" (SH/4/8) funded by the Swiss Contribution to the EU

BSTRACT. During 2002, 2003 and 2005, we managed to examine 101 meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii) from two different populations in the Romanian Danube-Delta. We examined 42 animals from population near Sfântu-Gheorge and 59 individuals from Periteaşca: 56 males (55.5%) and 45 females (44.5%). Fifteen of the observed were juvenile (14.9%), 16 of them w...

For cultural reasons and due to the narrow vision of environmental policy makers, most conservation efforts focus on a few charismatic species and consequently neglect the majority of others under threat; many unpopular species are even killed in large numbers with little concern. Redressing this bias through educational programs is therefore impor...

The objective of our research was to determine the heritability of head scale numbers of Vipera ursinii rakosiensis. 430 specimens (177 males and 253 females) were included in the analysis, most of which were born and raised in the Hungarian Meadow Viper Conservation Centre between 2004 and 2008. Due to the controlled breeding conditions, the dams...

Aim The aim of this study was to elucidate the phylogeographical pattern of taxa composing the Vipera ursinii complex, for which the taxonomic status and the dating of splitting events have been the subject of much debate. The objectives were to delimit potential refugia and to date splitting events in order to suggest a scenario that explains the...

The aim of this study was to elucidate the phylogeographical pattern of taxa composing the Vipera ursinii complex, for which the taxonomic status and the dating of splitting events have been the subject of much debate. The objectives were to delimit potential refugia and to date splitting events in order to suggest a scenario that explains the dive...

A Rákosivipera-védelmi Program (LIFE04NAT/HU/000116) szerves részét alkotja a rákosi vipera (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis MÉHELY, 1893) Kiskunsági Nemzeti Parkban található élőhe-lyeinek monitorozása és tanulmányozása. A tanulmány célkitűzései a következők: (1) a térinformatikai adatbázisban összegyűjtött monitorozási adatok elemzésével bizonyos élőh...

Toutes les études convergent pour montrer que : 1) L’éducation à l’environnement est essentielle pour engendrer des comportements responsables et impliquer les citoyens dans des actions concrètes de conservation ; 2) L’expérience de terrain est primordiale pour connecter les individus avec leur environnement. Malheureusement, à l’école comme à la m...

Environmental education should be heavily based on field experiences. Unfortunately, most educational effort for biodiversity is channelled via virtual systems, essentially television, magazines, and Internet/media at school. A limited number of charismatic animal species (i.e. mammals) are employed because they have the virtue to generate strong g...

A rákosi vipera (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis Méhely, 1893) hazánk legveszélyeztetettebb gerincese. A faj megőrzéséért 2004-ben indult meg egy az EU által támogatott LIFE-Nature program. A kutatások egyik fontos része a rákosi vipera aktuális és potenciális élőhelyeinek minősítése és a veszélyeztető tényezők értékelése. A vipera túlélése szempontjábó...

Abstract. During three field-trips, we examined 101 medow vipers (Vipera ursinii moldavica) from two populations in the Romanian Danube-Delta. We examined 42 animals from population Sfântu Gheorghe and 59 from Periteașca. We recorded morphometrical data on every animal and we collected blood-samples from 48 adult individual for genetic analysis usi...

During our field research, in the autumn of 2002 and 2003, we managed to examine 44 meadow viper (Vipera ursinii) from two different population in the Romanian Black-sea coast. We examined 29 animals from population near Sfântu-Gheorge and 15 individuals from Periteaşca, of which 20 was male (45.5%) and 24 was female (55.5%). Twelve of the observed...