Zuzana Provazník

Comenius University Bratislava · Department of Zoology

Sexual conflict arises from differences in reproductive interests between the sexes. We allowed the female harvestman Phalangium opilio to sequentially mate with two different males to examine female sexual receptivity in this species. Virgin females were more sexually receptive than non-virgins. Males exhibited a high interest in repeated copulati...

Anther smuts are fungal diseases that have detrimental effects on the biology of their host plants. We investigated the transmission of Anther smut Antherospora vindobonensis to its host, Scilla vindobonensis under natural and laboratory conditions. Plants flowering early in spring were less vulnerable to disease (∼ 20–30% of plants which appeared...

Human emotions had a significant impact on the survival of our ancestors throughout our evolutionary history. Nowadays, it is possible that our emotions still influence our attitudes in favor or against wildlife conservation. To analyze this hypothesis, we designed a study using eight iconic vertebrate species (two birds, five mammals, and a snake)...

Males of a gift-giving spider Pisaura mirablis silk-wrap prey and offer it a nuptial gift to the female during courtship. The sensory trap hypothesis proposes that males exploit the maternal care instinct of females by a close resemblance to a wrapped gift with an egg sac. We predict that if the sensory trap hypothesis works, then females should no...

Human emotions had a significant impact on the survival of our ancestors throughout our evolutionary history. Nowadays, it is possible that our emotions still influence our attitudes in favor or against wildlife conservation. To analyze this hypothesis, we designed a study using eight iconic vertebrate species (two birds, five mammals, and a snake)...

Intraspecific trait variability, produced by genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity within species, allows the optimization of individual’s fitness in different conditions, ultimately enhancing survival and reproduction. We investigated variability in morphological traits of invasive thrips species Hercinothrips femoralis (O. M. Reuter, 1891)...

Simple Summary Various signals are used in insects to identify mates. Signals based on visual, acoustic, or chemical communication play an important role in sexual selection. Frequently occurring chemical-based signals are the most important and understudied field of communication. Spiders use a wide variety of chemicals to find potential mates, bu...

Humans show strong preferences for large, “charismatic” animals. However, the ultimate reasons for these innate preferences remain unclear. In our research, we investigate the affective components of human attitudes toward animals, as well as the willingness to pay (WTP) for their conservation in a sample of N = 549 Slovak people using an online qu...

Flower angle is crucially important for accurate pollination and flower protection against abiotic factors. Evolutionary factors shaping floral traits are particularly strong for bilaterally symmetric flowers because these flowers require more pollination accuracy than radially symmetrical flowers. We experimentally investigated the flower angle in...

The Houdini flies (Cacoxenus indagator Loew, 1858) are a frequent kleptoparasites of mason bees. They carry impressive behavioural adaptations that enable them to secretly enter their host's nest cavities to lay eggs. However, they are relatively poor fliers, which raises the question of their migratory abilities. In this study, a single rare obser...

Large, charismatic animals trigger human emotional responses, which consequently result in taxonomic biases that have been proven in various fields. In our research, we analysed the representation of animals and plants in scientific papers published in three major conservation journals (Conservation Biology, Journal of Applied Ecology and Conservat...

The quality of human-animal interactions may crucially influence conservation efforts. Unfortunately, and despite their important roles in the functioning of the ecosystem, some animals are considered notoriously unpopular. Using the forced-choice paradigm, we investigated which cues humans perceive as frightening and disgusting in spiders, one of...

Flower shapes, colors, sizes and fragrances are shaped mostly for pollinator attraction. Flower phenotypes are, however, subjected to conflicting selection directed by both pollinators and non-pollinating agents. We investigated flower attractiveness to a model pollinator in the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis L.) under laboratory conditions. Naïve bum...