Mgr. Ondřej Mikula Ph.D.

Position full-time researcher
Direction phylogeny and morphology of rodents

+420 560 590 612
+420 774232079

Research interests

  • geometric morphometrics and species delimitation,
  • evolution and taxonomy of small mammals,
  • hybridization and speciation in house mice.

Finished projects

Phylogeny, adaptation and evolution of sociality in African mole-rats, a model group in evolutionary and biomedical research (2020–2022)

Education

  • 1999–2004: undergraduate study – Masaryk University Brno, Faculty of Science, Systematic Zoology a Ecology. Diploma thesis: Morphometric analysis of the hybrid zone between Mus musculus and Mus domesticus in the western Bohemia.
  • 2004–2009: Ph.D. study – Masaryk University Brno, Faculty of Science, Zoology. Ph.D. thesis: Changes of developmental stability in house mice as a consequence of hybridization.

Employment

  • 2009-present: Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics – postdoctoral fellow,
  • 2010-present: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Department of Population Biology Studenec – postdoctoral fellow.

International experience

  • 2005, 2006: Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii, Warsawa – short stay within the programme EU Synthesys,
  • 2012: Museum national d’historie naturelle, Paris – short stay within the programme EU Synthesys,
  • Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale, Tervuren Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Paris Natural History Museum, London American Museum of Natural History, New York – short visits at Natural History Museums.

Projects

Publications

2024

Bryja J, Peterhans JCK, Lavrenchenko LA, Nicolas V, Denys C, Bryjová A, Šumbera R, Mikula O (2024). Integrative taxonomic revision of the African thicket rats (Murinae: Grammomys): how genomics decreases the number of currently recognized species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, :.
Lövy M, Šumbera R, Konopová B, Svačinová L, Bryja J, Meheretu Y, Mikula O (2024). Ecomorphological characteristics of Afroalpine rodent communities. Journal of Vertebrate Biology, 73: 24027.
Macholán M, Daniszová K, Hamplová P, Janotová K, Kašný M, Mikula O, Vošlajerová Bímová B, Hiadlovská Z (2024). Rank-dependency of major urinary protein excretion in two house mouse subspecies. Journal of Vertebrate Biology, 73: 23046.
Meheretu Y, Mikula O, Frynta D, Frýdlová P, Mulualem G, Lavrenchenko LA, Kostin DS, Elmi HSA, Šumbera R, Bryja J (2024). Phylogeny, biogeography, and integrative taxonomic revision of the Afro-Arabian rodent genus Ochromyscus (Muridae: Murinae: Praomyini). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 202: zlad158.
Mulualem G, Lavrenchenko LA, Peterhans JCK, Mikula O, Bryjová A, Meheretu Y, Bryja J (2024). Taxonomic revision and evolutionary history of the climbing mice in eastern Africa (Dendromus mystacalis clade): the role of elevation and geographical barriers in the speciation process. Organisms Diversity & Evolution, :.
Šumbera R, Uhrová M, Montoya-Sanhueza G, Bryjová A, Bennett NC, Mikula O (2024). Genetic diversity of the largest African mole-rat genus, Bathyergus. one, two or four species?. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 199: 108157.

2023

Hánová A, Bryja J, Goüy de Bellocq J, Baird SJE, Cuypers L, Konečný A, Mikula O (2023). Historical demography and climatic niches of the Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) in the Zambezian region. Mammalian Biology, 103: 239-251.
Mizerovská D, Martynov AA, Mikula O, Bryjová A, Meheretu Y, Lavrenchenko LA, Bryja J (2023). Genomic diversity, evolutionary history, and species limits of the endemic Ethiopian laminate-toothed rats (genus Otomys, Rodentia: Muridae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 199: 1059-1077.
Mizerovská D, Špoutil F, Claude J, Lavrenchenko LA, Procházka J, Bryja J, Mikula O (2023). Parallel evolution of skull form in three rodent genera inhabiting steep elevational gradients of Ethiopian highlands. Evolutionary Biology, 50: 332-349.
Šumbera R, Uhrová M, Begall S, Caspar KR, Jerkovičová D, Van Daele P, Chitaukali WN, Faulkes CG, Bennett NC, Johannes C, Burda H, Mikula O (2023). The biology of an isolated Mashona mole-rat population from southern Malawi, with implications for the diversity and biogeography of the genus Fukomys. Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 23: 603-620.

2022

Bendová B, Mikula O, Vošlajerová Bímová B, Čížková D, Daniszová K, Ďureje Ľ, Hiadlovská Z, Macholán M, Martin J, Piálek J, Schmiedová L, Kreisinger J (2022). Divergent gut microbiota in two closely related house mouse subspecies under common garden conditions. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 98: fiac078.
Krásová J, Mikula O, Lavrenchenko LA, Šumbera R, Meheretu Y, Bryja J (2022). A new rodent species of the genus Mus (Rodentia: Muridae) confirms the biogeographical uniqueness of the isolated forests of southern Ethiopia. Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 22: 491-509.
Kraus A, Lövy M, Mikula O, Okrouhlík J, Bennett NC, Herrel A, Šumbera R (2022). Bite force in the strictly subterranean rodent family of African mole-rats (Bathyergidae): The role of digging mode, social organization and ecology. Functional Ecology, 36: 2344-2355.
Meheretu Y, Meinig H, Mikula O, Hermes N, Wale M, Tadele A, Kaipf I, Bryja J (2022). Small- and medium-sized mammals of the Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia. African Journal of Ecology, 60: 433-446.
Mikula O, Macholán M, Ďureje Ľ, Hiadlovská Z, Daniszová K, Janotová K, Vošlajerová Bímová B (2022). House mouse subspecies do differ in their social structure. Ecology and Evolution, 12: e9683.
Mikula O, Krásová J, Šumbera R, Bryja J (2022). Taxonomic position and biogeography of Mus callewaerti, the largest species of the subgenus Nannomys (Rodentia: Muridae). Lynx, 53: 271-290.
Uhrová M, Mikula O, Bennett NC, Van Daele P, Piálek L, Bryja J, Visser JH, Jansen van Vuuren B, Šumbera R (2022). Species limits and phylogeographic structure in two genera of solitary African mole-rats Georychus and Heliophobius. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 167: 107337.

2021

Hánová A, Konečný A, Nicolas V, Denys C, Granjon L, Lavrenchenko LA, Šumbera A, Mikula O, Bryja J (2021). Multilocus phylogeny of African striped grass mice (Lemniscomys): Stripe pattern only partly reflects evolutionary relationships. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 155: 107007.
Hánová A, Konečný A, Mikula O, Bryjová A, Šumbera R, Bryja J (2021). Diversity, distribution, and evolutionary history of the most studied African rodents, multimammate mice of the genus Mastomys: An overview after a quarter of century of using DNA sequencing. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 59: 2500-2518.
Komarova VA, Kostin DS, Bryja J, Mikula O, Bryjová A, Čížková D, Šumbera R, Meheretu Y, Lavrenchenko LA (2021). Complex reticulate evolution of speckled brush‐furred rats (Lophuromys) in the Ethiopian centre of endemism. Molecular Ecology, 30: 2349-2365.
Krásová J, Mikula O, Šumbera R, Horáková S, Robovský J, Kostin DS, Martynov AA, Lavrenchenko LA, Bryja J (2021). The Rufous Sengi is not Elephantulus—Multilocus reconstruction of evolutionary history of sengis from the subfamily Macroscelidinae. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 59: 918-932.
Krásová J, Mikula O, Bryja J, Baptista NL, Antonio T, Aghová T, Šumbera R (2021). Biogeography of Angolan rodents: the first glimpse based on phylogenetic evidence. Diversity and Distributions, 27: 2571-2583.
Mikula O, Nicolas V, Šumbera R, Konečný A, Denys C, Verheyen E, Bryjová A, Lemmon AR, Lemmon EM, Bryja J (2021). Nuclear phylogenomics, but not mitogenomics, resolves the most successful Late Miocene radiation of African mammals (Rodentia: Muridae: Arvicanthini). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 157: 107069.
Nicolas V, Mikula O, Lavrenchenko LA, Šumbera R, Bartáková V, Bryjová A, Meheretu Y, Verheyen E, Missoup AD, Lemmon AR, Moriarty Lemmon E, Bryja J (2021). Phylogenomics of African radiation of Praomyini (Muridae: Murinae) rodents: First fully resolved phylogeny, evolutionary history and delimitation of extant genera. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 163: 107263.

2020

Mikula O, Nicolas V, Boratyński Z, Denys C, Dobigny G, Fichet-Calvet E, Gagaré S, Hutterer R, Nimo-Paintsil SC, Olayemi A, Bryja J (2020). Commensalism outweighs phylogeographical structure in its effect on phenotype of a Sudanian savanna rodent. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 129: 931-949.
Mizerovská D, Mikula O, Meheretu Y, Bartáková V, Bryjová A, Kostin DS, Šumbera R, Lavrenchenko LA, Bryja J (2020). Integrative taxonomic revision of the Ethiopian endemic rodent genus Stenocephalemys (Muridae: Murinae: Praomyini) with the description of two new species. Journal of Vertebrate Biology, 69: 20031.

2019

Krásová J, Mikula O, Mazoch V, Bryja J, Říčan O, Šumbera R (2019). Evolution of the Grey-bellied pygmy mouse group: highly structured molecular diversity with predictable geographic ranges but morphological crypsis. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 130: 143-155.

2018

Bryja J, Konvičková H, Bryjová A, Mikula O, Makundi R, Chitaukali WN, Šumbera R (2018). Differentiation underground: range-wide multilocus genetic structure of the silvery mole-rat does not support current taxonomy based on mitochondrial sequences. Mammalian Biology, 93: 82-92.
Bryja J, Kostin D, Meheretu Y, Šumbera R, Bryjová A, Kasso M, Mikula O, Lavrenchenko LA (2018). Reticulate Pleistocene evolution of Ethiopian rodent genus along remarkable altitudinal gradient. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 118: 75-87.
Mazoch V, Mikula O, Bryja J, Konvičková H, Russo I, Verheyen E, Šumbera R (2018). Phylogeography of a widespread sub-Saharan murid rodent Aethomys chrysophilus: the role of geographic barriers and paleoclimate in the Zambezian bioregion. Mammalia, 82: 373-387.
Šumbera R, Krásová J, Lavrenchenko LA, Mengistu S, Bekele A, Mikula O, Bryja J (2018). Ethiopian highlands as a cradle of the African fossorial root-rats (genus Tachyoryctes), the genetic evidence. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 126: 105-115.

2017

Aghová T, Šumbera R, Piálek L, Mikula O, McDonough MM, Lavrenchenko LA, Meheretu Y, Mbau JS, Bryja J (2017). Multilocus phylogeny of East African gerbils (Rodentia, Gerbilliscus) illuminates the history of the Somali-Masai savanna. Journal of Biogeography, 44: 2295-2307.
Bryja J, Šumbera R, Kerbis Peterhans JC, Aghová T, Bryjová A, Mikula O, Nicolas V, Denys C, Verheyen E (2017). Evolutionary history of the thicket rats (genus Grammomys) mirrors the evolution of African forests since late Miocene. Journal of Biogeography, 44: 182-194.

2016

Mikula O, Šumbera R, Aghová T, Mbau JS, Katakweba AS, Sabuni CA, Bryja J (2016). Evolutionary history and species diversity of African pouched mice (Rodentia: Nesomyidae: Saccostomus). Zoologica Scripta, 45: 595-617.
Vošlajerová Bímová B, Mikula O, Macholán M, Janotová K, Hiadlovská Z (2016). Female house mice do not differ in their exploratory behaviour from males. Ethology, 122: 298-307.

2014

Bryja J, Mikula O, Patzenhauerová H, Oguge NO, Šumbera R, Verheyen E (2014). The role of dispersal and vicariance in the Pleistocene history of an East African mountain rodent, Praomys delectorum. Journal of Biogeography, 41: 196-208.
Bryja J, Mikula O, Šumbera R, Meheretu Y, Aghová T, Lavrenchenko LA, Mazoch V, Oguge N, Mbau JS, Welegerima K, Amundala N, Colyn M, Leirs H, Verheyen E (2014). Pan-African phylogeny of Mus (subgenus Nannomys) reveals one of the most successful mammal radiations in Africa. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 14: 256.
Hiadlovská Z, Macholán M, Mikula O, Vošlajerová Bímová B (2014). The meek inherit the earth: less aggressive wild mice are more successful in challenging situations. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 113: 310-319.

2013

Hiadlovská Z, Vošlajerová Bímová B, Mikula O, Piálek J, Macholán M (2013). Transgressive segregation in a behavioural trait? Explorative strategies in two house mouse subspecies and their hybrids. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 108: 225-235.