Represented disciplines:
- Biological sciences
- Forestry sciences
Research focus:
I conduct research into systematics and chorology, molecular phylogenetics and the morphological diversity of trees and shrubs. I am particularly interested in the Robus genus (mainly in respect of chorology and systematics) and Salix genus (patterns of spatial genetic diversity and phylogeography of mountainous species with the use of molecular markers and flow cytometry). I have recently commenced work on studying two related species of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus and C. orientalis) which are a vital component of forests in Europe and West Asia. In my research, I try to assess their susceptibility to climate change, applying several innovative approaches which combine population and landscape genomics with cutting-edge modelling techniques.
Keywords:
phylogenetic analysis, plant anatomy, biometrics, biodiversity, chorology, flow cytometry, ecology, evolution, phytogeography, karyology, molecular markers, morphology, nomenclature, nature conservation, polyploids, woody plants, genetic diversity, systematics, taxonomy
Publications
Publications for the years 2025-2022
- Capblancq T., Sękiewicz K., Dering M. 2024. Forest genomics in the Caucasus through the lens of its dominant tree species - Fagus orientalis. Molecular Ecology 33: 16. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17475
- Sękiewicz K., Salva-Catarineu M., Walas Ł., Romo A., Gholizadeh H., Naqinezhad A., Farzaliyev V., Mazur M., Boratyński A. 2024. Consequence of habitat specificity: a rising risk of habitat loss for endemic and sub-endemic woody species under climate change in the Hyrcanian ecoregion. Regional Environmental Change 24(2): 68. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-024-02222-7
- Walas Ł., Tung D.Q., Sękiewicz K., Pietras M., Bravo F., Kozlowski G., Van Sâm H. 2024. Risk assessment of habitat suitability decline for the endangered riparian tree Pterocarya tonkinensis (Juglandaceae): conservation implications. European Journal of Forest Research 143(4): 1057-1068. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10342-024-01679-9
- Beridze B., Sękiewicz K., Walas Ł., Danelia I., Farzaliyev V., Kvartskhava G., Szmyt J., Dering M. 2023. Niche modelling suggests low feasibility of assisted gene flow for a Neogene relict tree, Castanea sativa Mill. Dendrobiology 90: 58-75. https://doi.org/10.12657/denbio.090.005
- Beridze B., Sękiewicz K., Walas Ł., Thomas P.A., Danelia I., Farzaliyev V., Kvartskhava G., Sós J., Dering M. 2023. Biodiversity protection against anthropogenic climate change: Conservation prioritization of Castanea sativa in the South Caucasus based on genetic and ecological metrics. Ecology and Evolution 13(5): e10068.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10068
- Beridze B., Sękiewicz K., Walas Ł., Thomas P.A., Danelia I., Kvartskhava G., Farzaliyev V., Bruch A.A., Dering M. 2023. Evolutionary history of Castanea sativa in the Caucasus driven by Middle and Late Pleistocene paleoenvironmental changes. AoB Plants 15(5): plad059. https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad059
- Lewandowska A., Marcysiak K., Gómez D., Jasińska A.K., Romo A., Didukh Y., Sękiewicz K., Boratyńska K., Boratyński A. 2023. Inference of taxonomic relationships between Rhododendron ferrugineum and R. myrtifolium (Ericaceae) from leaf and fruit morphologies. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 201(4): 483-497. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boac060
- Sękiewicz K. 2023. „Gorące punkty” bioróżnorodności. Kórniczanin 9: 14-15.
- Sękiewicz K. 2023. Genomika na ratunek. Academia – Magazyn Polskiej Akademii Nauk 3(75): 26-29.
- Sękiewicz K., Danelia I., Farzaliyev V., Gholizadeh H., Iszkuło G., Naqinezhad A., Ramezani E., Thomas P.A., Tomaszewski D., Walas Ł., Dering M. 2022. Past climatic refugia and landscape resistance explain spatial genetic structure in Oriental beech in the South Caucasus. Ecology and Evolution 12(9): e9320. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9320
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Projects for the years 2025-2022
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Hybridization as an evolutionary process which reinforces the adaptive potential of tree species in the face of climate changes.(Original title:Hybrydyzacja jako proces ewolucyjny wzmacniający potencjał adaptacyjny gatunków drzewiastych w obliczu zmian klimatycznych). Project funded by the National Science Centre (SONATA, 2020/39/D/NZ8/01522). Project duration: 2021–025. Principal Investigator: Sękiewicz K.
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Identification of genetic patterns and driving factors in common juniper (Juniperus communis) across Scandinavia. (Original title:Rozpoznanie wzorców zróżnicowania genetycznego skandynawskich populacji jałowca pospolitego (Juniperus communis L.) oraz czynników je kształtujących). Project funded by the Internal Research Fund of the Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences (FBW_3, DEC-2022/03/ZB/FBW/00013). Project duration: 2023. Principal Investigator: Sękiewicz K.