We seek for a mechanistic understanding of the responses of populations and communities to environmental change and anthropogenic stressors such as warming, salinisation, habitat fragmentation, or invasive species. We combine different approaches in our research, including field studies, microcosm and mesocosm experiments, and numerical modelling.
Example studies
Rani V, Horváth Z, Pálffy K, Borza P, Kratina P, Vad CF, 2026. Temperature-driven diet shift in an invasive omnivorous crustacean feeding on plankton. Limnology and Oceanography Letters 11: e70153 pdf
Huỳnh T-H, Horváth Z, Pálffy K, Kardos V, Szabó B, Dobosy P, Vad CF, 2024. Heatwave-induced functional shifts in zooplankton communities result in weaker top-down control on phytoplankton. Ecology and Evolution 14: e70096. pdf
Patonai K, Endrédi A, Horváth Z, Borza P, Pálffy K, Dobosy P, Vad CF, 2024. Trophic impact of an invasive mysid shrimp depends on zooplankton community composition: a mesocosm experiment. Freshwater Biology DOI: 10.1111/FWB.14233 pdf
Brans KI*, Vad CF*✉, Horváth Z*, Santy L, Cuypers K, Ptacnik R, De Meester L, 2024. Regional and fine-scale local adaptation in salinity tolerance in Daphnia inhabiting contrasting clusters of inland saline waters. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 291: 20231917 pdf *shared authorship, ✉corresponding author
Vad CF, Hanny-Endrédi A, Kratina P, Abonyi A, Mironova E, Murray DS, Samchyshyna L, Tsakalakis I, Smeti E, Spatharis S, Tan H, Preiler C, Petrusek A, Bengtsson MM, Ptacnik R, 2023. Spatial insurance against a heatwave differs between trophic levels in experimental aquatic communities. Global Change Biology 29: 3054–3071. pdf
Vad Lab 