Nikol Kmentová
Postdoctoral researcher
Master in Zoology, Thesis: Monogenea in deepwater cichlids: reduced specifity or hidden diversity
Bachelor in Ecology and evolutionary biology, Thesis: Diagnosis of malaria in great apes
Joined the group in June 2018
Research project: Parasites of economically important pelagic fishes in Lake Tanganyika.
As a part of my PhD project, I am mainly focused on diversity and ecology of the parasite fauna of pelagic Lake Tanganyika latids, clupeids and cichlids (Bathybatini) and their role in fisheries. We have already described several species of monogenean parasites infecting above-mentioned hosts based on museum collections and fresh samples. To test for parasite cointroduction and for the enemy release hypothesis, I examined metazoan parasite fauna of the clupeids introduced from Lake Tanganyika to Lakes Kivu and Kariba. I aim to reconstruct the phylogeographic history of the most abundant parasite and link it to stock structure of its hosts. I am also interested in potential of parasites as tags for host stock structure, demographic history and introduction pathways in non-native areas of Limnothrissa miodon. In following years, I intend to make the first estimate of the impact of parasites on fisheries (stock condition, participatory epidemiology).
My favorite quote: “There is no planet B.”