About us
We are focusing mainly on diversity and evolution of hymenopteran parasitoids, one of the most diverse and ecologically important groups of living insects. Using various lineages of parasitoids (mostly of superfamily Chalcidoidea and Ichneumonoidea), their insect hosts, and their host plants as model groups we unravel the evolutionary processes and mechanisms driving diversification of these groups. By applying a morphology- and molecular-based (both genetics and genomics) approaches to a different trophic strategies (such as of parasitism of gall-makers, secondary phytophagy, gall-making, egg parasitism), complemented by in-depth morphology-based exploration of various traits we focus on a candidate mechanism underlying parasitoid diversification in di- and tritrophic interactions. Further we are highly interested in parasitoid taxonomy and systematics, in investigation of role of parasitoids in ecosystems and using them as a biocontrol agents in agriculture.