Wojciech Niedbała, Professor

Contact

Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6; 61-614 Poznań Poland
room 0.18 phone: +48 61 829 56 58
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More information

Major interests

Animal systematics, Acarology, soil zoology, ecology of ecosystems, zoogeography

Research and managing activities

Most important achievements

Taxonomy of selected groups of mites (Acari)
Methodology of investigation of the soil zoology
Population of microhabitats
Autecology and faunistic of arboreal mites
Urban area mites
Ecology of soil mites, ecological succession of moss mites (Oribatida)
Monograph of the fauna of the Brachychthoniidae occurring in Poland, evolutionary tendencies in the family Brachychthoniidae
Cladistic classification of the family Phthiracaridae
Monographs of the ptyctimous mites fauna (Acari, Oribatida) of the following zoogeographic regions: Nearctic, Neotropical, Ethiopian, South africain, Oriental, Palaearctic, Australian, Pacific Islands.

An important map

New described taxa

Higher Taxa

Families

Apoplophoridae Niedbała, 1983

Steganacaridae Niedbała, 1986

Subfamilies

Steganacarinae Niedbała, 1986

Atropacarinae Niedbała, 1986

Genera

Mixochthonius Niedbała, 1972

Plonaphacarus Niedbała, 1986

Arphthicarus Niedbała, 1994

Phrathicarus Niedbała, 1994

Subgenera

Parplophora Niedbała, 1985

Rhacaplacarus Niedbała, 1986

Parapocsia Niedbała, 2014

New described species

Participation in conferences, symposia and meetings

1968 - International Symposium of the Oribatologists in Vilnius, lecture on "Fauna drevesnykh pantsirnykh kleshchey okresnostey Poznania"
1972 - International Symposium on Entomology in Białowieża, report on "Wydajność aparatu Macfadyena w wypłaszaniu roztoczy glebowych" [the yield of the Macfayden apparatus in extracting of soil mites]
1978 - International Conference on "Conditions of tree development and arboreal fauna, in Warsaw, report on "The status and structure of soil fauna groups in the city ecosystem", with co-authors K. Kasprzak and M. Sterzyńska,
1979 - International Symposium on "Animals in urbanised habitats" in Warsaw, report on "L'acarofaune des milieux urbains sur l'exemple de l'agglomeration varsovienne"
1982 - VIII International Symposium on the Soil Fauna, in Louvain-la-Neuve, report on "Acarofaune des milieux urbains a l'exemple de l'agglomeration varsovienne" (C. Błaszak, J. Błoszyk, M. Kaliszewski, A. Kaźmierski co-authors)
1985 - Symposium of SALF (Society of French Acarologists), Siena
1985 - IX International Symposium of the Soil Fauna, Moscow, report on "Systeme de Mesoplophoroidea (Acari, Oribatida)"
1986 - Symposium SALF in Montpelier
1986 - VII Congress of Acarologists in Bangalore, report on "Systematics of Phthiracaroidea (Acari, Oribatida)" and "Systematics of Mesoplophoroidea (Acari, Oribatida)"
1988 - I Symposium of EURAC (European Society of Acarologists), Graz, report on "The morphology of the immature stages of Phthiracaroidea (Oribatida)"
1990 - VIII Congress of Acarologists, Ceske Budejovice, report on "Preliminary hypothesis on the biogeography of the Phthiracaroidea (Acari, Oribatida)"
1991 - lecture in the Zoological Museum in Turku on "Oribatid mites as decomposers of organic matter"
1992 - II European Symposium of EURAC, Krynica, report on "Supplement to the classification of Phthiracaroidea"
1994 - IX Congress of Acarologists, Columbus, Ohio, report on "The origin of Euptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) in Hawaii"
1996 - XVI European Arachnological Colloquium, Siedlce, report on "Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of the Pacific Islands"
1998 - X Congress of Acarologists, Canberra, report on "Study of the diversity of Ptyctima (Acari, Oribatida) and quest for centres of their origin: the fauna of Oriental and Australians regions" and "Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) fauna of the Philippines" (L.A. Corpuz-Raros co-author)
2000 - IV European Symposium of EURAC, Siena, report on "Ptyctimous mites of Ethiopian Region"
2000 - XVII (New) International Congress of Zoology, the Athens, report on "Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of Madagascar and other eastern Africa islands"
2001 - The African Congress of Acarologists, Nairobi, report on "Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) Africa islands"
2002 - XI Congress of Acarologists, Merida, Mexico, report on "Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of Costa Rica" and "Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of the Nearctic Region"
2004 - V European Symposium of EURAC, Berlin, report on "Ptyctimous mites of Neotropical Region"
2004 - XIX International Congress of Zoology, Beijing, report on "Protoplophoridae (Acari, Oribatida) of the world"
2006 - XII Congress of Acarologists, Amsterdam, report on "Protoplophoridae (Acari, Oribatida) of the world"
2007 - 4th Africain Acarology Symposium, Hammamet, Tunisia, report on "Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of South Africa"
2008 - 6th Congress of European Association of Acarologists, ref. "Distribution of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) in the mountain rain forest La Selva, Costa Rica. Integrative Acarology. Proceedings of the European Congress. M. Bertrand, S, Kreiter, K.M. McCoy, A. Migeon, M. Navajas, M.-S. Tixier, L. Viol (Eds.), Montpelier, 222-228" (co-author P. Skubała)
2008 - XXth International Congress of Zoology, Paris ref. "Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of Southern Hemisphere"
Participation in the national symposia on acarology, held every two years, recent ones in 2001 in Zwierzyniec (2 reports), in 2003 in Łagow (1 report), in 2005 in Laski (1 report), in 2007 in Orzechowo (1 report), in 2015 in Zielonka (1 report), in 2019 in Tryszczyn (1 report).
In 2022 in Gdańsk-Sobieszewo (co-author in 1 report and in 1 poster).

Scientific experience gained in the Poland and abroad

1974, Dziekanów Leśny, Institute of Ecology, Polish Academy of Sciences (ecological training) ( 1 month)
1978, Moskwa, Department of Zoology of Lomonosov University, A.N. Severtzov Institute of Evolutionary Animal Morphology and Ecology, training (Drs A.B. Lange, A.D. Petrowa, E.M. Bulanova-Zachvatkina, D.A. Krivolucki, preservation of material from the former USSR for later investigation (1 month)
Leningrad, Zoological Institute of Academy of Sciences (consultation at Dr. L.G. Sitnikowa) (1 week) 1
1979, Paris, Zoological Museum (Dr. M.H. Naudo) (1 week)
1982, 1990, 1991, Budapest, Zoological Department of the Hungarian Natural History Museum and Department of Zoosystematics and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University (Prof. J. Balogh, Prof. S. Mahunka) (1 week each year)
1983, Madrid, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, identification of the types of species described from Spain (Drs. C. Perez-Inigo, L.S. Subias) (1 week)
1984-1989 Alger, Institute National Agronomique, Tiaret, Centre Universitaire, teaching and collection of material from the Atlas Mountains 1989, Innsbruck, Institut für Zoologie, Leopold-Franzens-Universität (Dr. H. Schatz) (1 week)
1990, 1991, Florence, Istituto Sperimentale per la Zoologia Agraria, Cascine del Riccio, Work on the Berlese collection (Dr. R. Nannelli) (1 week each year)
1991, 1992, Turku, Zoological Museum, University of Turku, preservation of material collected over the whole world from the collection of Dr. P. Lehtinnen for further studies (1 week each year)
1992, Berlin, Instutut für Biologie-Bodenzoologie und Ökologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Working on the collection of J. Jacot (Prof. G. Weigmann) (5 days)
1991, 1992 Tervuren, Musee Royal de lAfrique Centrale, Preservation of the material collected in Central Africa for further studies (Dr. F. Puylaert) (1 week each year)
1992, 1993, 1994, Londyn, Department of Entomology, British Museum (Nat. Hist.) preservation of material collected all over the world from the Museum collection for further studies (Dr. A.S. Baker) (1 week each year)
1992, 1993, Glasgow, Zoological Institute, University of Glasgow, working on taxonomical classification of Ptyctima from Australia (Dr. Colloff) (1 week each year)
1993, Copenhagen, Zoologisk Museum, Kobenhavns Universitet, preservation of the M. Hammer collection for further studies (Dr H. Enghoff) (5 days)
1996, Graz, Instutut für Zoologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität, preservation of the material from Palearctic for further studies (Prof. R. Schuster) (1 week)
1997, Ottawa, Canadian National Collection of Insects, Biosystematic Research Institute, preservation of material collected mainly in Nearctic for further studies (Dr. V. Behan-Pelletier)
1998, Canberra, Division of Entomology CSIRO, Preservation of material from Australia for further studies (Drs M. Colloff, B. Halliday) (1 week)
1999, Gainesville, Florida State Collection of Arthropoda, preservation of material from Florida for further studies (Drs W.C. Welbourn, H.A. Denmark (1 week)
1999, Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History, preservation of material collected all over the world for further studies (Drs P.P. Parillo, D. Summers) (2 weeks)
2000, La Selva, Costa Rica, Collection and preservation of material from the typical habitats of rain forests for further studies within the international project ALAS (2 weeks)
2004, Havana, Departamento de Zoologia, Facultad de la Habana, Universidad de la Habana, preservation of material collected in Cuba for further studies (Dr. D. Prieto) (1 week)
2005, Bloemfontain, Department of Acarology, National Museum, Preservation of the Engelbrecht collection from the Republic of South Africa, (Dr. L. Coetzee) (2 weeks)

Promoted doctors

dr Marek Kaliszewski (1981), dr Ziemowit Olszanowski (1993), dr Wojciech Magowski (1997), dr Paweł Szymkowiak (2000), dr Anna Skoracka (2002), dr Łukasz Kaczmarek (2008), dr Anetta Szywilewska, dr Krzysztof Zawierucha (2017), dr Mateusz Jarmusz (2018)

Career development, professional degrees and titles

Master of Science at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Science at AMU, Poznan, in zoology, 1965
1965-1966 intern, 1966-1967 assistant, 1967-1969 senior assistant, The Faculty of Biology and Earth Science, AMU
Doctor of Science at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Science, AMU, Poznan, in zoology, 1969
1969-1974 adjunct, the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, AMU
Doctor habilitatus at the Faculty of Biology AMU, Poznan, in zoology, 1974
1975-1983 professor at the Faculty of Biology AMU
associate professor - 1983
1984-1986 professor, l'Institut National Agronomique, Alger, Algieria
1987-1989 professor, Centre Universitaire, Tiaret, Algieria
1989 till the present - associate profesor and full professor, Faculty of Biology, UAM
The title of full professor since 1993

Positions and functions, elected memberships

Representative of young research workers of the Faculty of Biology and Earth Science at the University Senate in the years 1973-1975
Head of the Department of Animal Morphology, AMU 1979-1984
Professor at the Institut National Agronomique in Algiers and at the Centre Universitaire, Tiaret - 1984-1989
Head of the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology AMU, since 1990
Vice Dean elect of the Faculty of Biology, May 20-24 1996
Head of the Institute of Biology of the Environment, AMU, 1999-2008
Member of the AMU Senate, 1996-1999
Member of the Scientific Council of the Zoology Institute at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, 1981-1993
Member of the Zoology Committee at the Polish Academy of Sciences, 1996-2014

Current projects

Individual projects

Research project granted by KBN no. 6 6003 9203 "Genesis and age of the Euptyctima fauna (Acari, Oribatida) of the Pacific Islands", realised in 1992-1994, the only investigator. The outcome - a monograph: Niedbała, W. 1998. Ptyctimous mites of the Pacific Islands. Recent knowledge, origin, descriptions, redescriptions, diagnoses and zoogeography (Acari, Oribatida). Genus, 9(4): 431-558.
Research project granted by KBN no. 6/P04C/080/10 "Investigation of the Euptyctima fauna (Acari: Oribatida) and an attempt at determination of the centres of the fauna origin - Oriental and Australian", realised in 1996-1998, the only investigator. The outcome - a monograph: Niedbała, W. 2000. The ptyctimous mites fauna of the Oriental and Australian regions and their centres of origin (Acari: Oribatida). Genus, supplement, 1-493.
Research project granted by KBN no. 6 PO4C 062 17, "Investigation of the fauna of the Mesoplophoroidea and Pthiracaroidea (Acari: Oribatida) and an attempt at determination of the centres of their origin: fauna of the Ethiopian region", realised in 1999-2001, the only investigator. The outcome - a monograph: Niedbała, W. 2001. Study on the diversity of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) and quest for centres of their origin: the fauna of the Ethiopian region. Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum, Bytom, 3: 1-245.
Research project granted by KBN no 6PO4C 034 21 "Diversity of the Ptyctima fauna (Acari, Oribatida) and an attempt at determination of the centres of its origin: fauna of the Neotropical region", realised in 2001-2003, the only investigator. The outcome - a monograph: Niedbała, W. 2004. Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of the Neotropical Region. Annales Zoologici, 54 (1): 1-288.
Research project granted by the Ministry of Education and Informatics Implementation, no. 2PO4C 068 27 "Diversity of the Ptyctima fauna (Acari, Oribatida) and an attempt at determination of the centres of the origin of species: fauna of the South Africa region", realised in 2004-2007, the only investigator. The outcome - a monograph: Niedbała, W. 2006. Ptyctimous mites (Acari: Oribatida) of South Africa. Annales Zoologici, Warszawa, 56 (Supplement 1): 1-97.
Research project granted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, no. N N303 201935 "Investigation of diversity of the Ptyctima fauna (Acari, Oribatida) and an attempt at determination of the centres of the origin of species: fauna of the Palearctic Region", realised in 2008-2011, the only investigator.

Group projects

Grant 10.2.02, "Mites (Acari) in a city agglomeration", realised in 1975-1980, chief investigator and one of many investigators. Interdisciplinary project MR II 03 ("Structure and genesis of the Polish fauna on a background of the fauna of the other regions"), subject "Fauna of mites (Acari) in oak hornbeam forests", realised in 1980-1985, chief of investigators and one of many investigators. The outcome: Niedbała, W., Kasprzak, K., Sterzyńska, M. 1979. Stan i struktura zgrupowań fauny glebowej w ekosystemie miasta. "Warunki rozwoju drzew i ich fauny w Warszawie". Conference Proceedings, January, 28th, 1978, Ossolineum: 61-73. Niedbała, W., Błaszak, Cz., Błoszyk, J., Kaliszewski, M., Kaźmierski, A. 1981. Roztocze (Acari). Fragmenta Faunistica, 26 (9): 1-52. Niedbała, W. 1982. L'acarofaune des milieux urbains sur l'exemple de l'agglomération varsovienne. Zwierzęta w świecie zurbanizowanym, Ossolineum, 69-78. Niedbała, W., Błaszak, Cz., Błoszyk, J., Kaliszewski, M., Kaźmierski, A. 1982. Soil mites (Acari) of Warsaw and Mazovia. Memorabilia Zoologica, 36: 235-252. Niedbała, W., Błaszak, Cz., Błoszyk, J., Kaliszewski, M., Kaźmierski, A. 1983. Acarofaune des milieux urbains a l'exemple de l'agglomération varsovienne. ed. Ph. Lebrun, H.M. André, A. de Medts, C. Grégoire-Wibo and G. Wauthy; Dieu-Brichart, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve (1983): 577-581.
Polish-German Cooperation Foundation, grant no. 4722/93,. "Complex investigation of the nature reserve Słońsk (localised near the place where the Warta river joins the Odra river) including hydrology, ornithology, parasitology, and ecology of the soil fauna and flora", realised in 1993-1997, one of many investigators The outcome: Błaszak, Cz., Dziabaszewski, A., Madej, G., Niedbała, W., Olszanowski, Z., Ehrnsberger, R. 1999. Bezkręgowce wolnożyjące (Stawonogi) (Roztocze). W: Przyroda rezerwatu Słońsk. Red. Ehrnsberger R., Dabert J., Błaszak Cz., Wydawnictwo Acarus, Poznań, 113-166. Olszanowski, Z., Niedbała, W. 2000. Moss mites (Acari: Oribatida) from the Słońsk Nature Reserve: geographic elements and the types of phagism. Biological Bulletin of Poznań, 37 (2): 299-302.
International Grant "Tasmanian Rainforest Invertebrate Conservation Project", realised in 1993-1997, one of three investigators (dr Jerzy Błoszyk, dr Ziemowit Olszanowski) The outcome: Niedbała, W., Colloff, M.J. 1997. Euptyctima oribatid mites from Tasmanian rainforest (Acari: Oribatida). Journal of Natural History, 31: 489-538.
Biodiversity of tropical forests (ALAS III submitted to the U.S. National Science Foundation) USA, Canada, Costa Rica International Grant "Arthropod biodiversity in a lowland tropical rainforest (Costa Rica)" (Scientific Director: Prof. John T. Longino, Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, U.S.A), realised in 1997-2000, one of many investigators. The outcome - a monograph: Niedbała, W. 2003. Ptyctimous mites (Acari: Oribatida) of Costa Rica. Annales Zoologici, 53 (2): 259-334.
Polish-American Maria Skłodowska-Curie Foundation grant no. 311. "Investigation of the mites from the groups Euptyctima and Crotonioidea (Acari: Oribatida) of the Nearctic and an attempt at determination of the centres of their phylogenetic origin", realised in 1997-2000. chief investigator and one of two investigators (dr Ziemowit Olszanowski) The outcome - a monograph: Niedbała, W. 2002. Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of the Nearctic Region. Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum, Bytom, 4: 1-261.
AMUNATCOLL project partly funded by the European Union and Ministry of Digital Affairs from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the Digital Poland Operational Program under grant agreement number: POPC.02.03.01-00-0043/18; 1-08-2018-31-07-2021- one of many investigators.
SPUB project as a subsidy related to maintenance of research equipment no 4102000000-604-505050-BN002022-STAT/SUB/ZP, 2019-2021 - one of many investigators.

Promoted projects

Research project granted by KBN no. 6/P04C/020/11 "Diversity of vegetation communities and integrated interactions of the environmental factors and zoocenoses of the soil mites (Acari: Gamasina) in the Gorczański National Park", realised in 1996-1999, chief investigator Prof. dr hab. Wojciech Niedbała, investigator Paweł Szymkowiak, M.Sc. The outcome - completion of a D.Sc. thesis in 2000: "Structure of groups of soil mites Gamasina (Acari, Gamasida) in phytocenoses of selected communities of the Gorczański National Park".
Research project granted by KBN, no. 6 P04C 054 18, "Eriophyoid mites (Acari, Eriophyoidea) of selected grass species", realised in 2000-2002, chief investigator -Prof. dr hab. W. Niedbała, investigator Anna Skoracka, M.Sc. the outcome - completion of the D.Sc. thesis in 2002: "Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) of selected grass species."
Research project of the Ministry of Education and Informatics Implementation, no. 2 P04C 011 29 "Taxonomic status of the mites of the family Trhypochthoniidae (Acari: Oribatida) on the basis of analysis of morphological and molecular analyses", granted on Sept. 2nd, 2005 chief investigator -Prof. dr hab. Wojciech Niedbała, investigator Anetta Szywilewska.
Research project of the Ministry of Education and Informatics Implementation no. P04C 011 30 "Niesporczaki (Tardigrada) of the Neotropic and Nearctic", granted on Sept. 2nd, 2005 chief investigator -Prof. dr hab. Wojciech Niedbała, investigator Łukasz Kaczmarek.

Awards

Awards, distinctions and medals

Individual award of the relevant Minister for research achievements, 1977, to distinguish the habilitation thesis "Niedbała, W. 1976. The Brachychthoniidae (Acari, Oribatei) in Poland. An ecological and faunistic analysis. Monographs on Polish Fauna, 6: 1-144."
Individual award of the relevant Minister for research achievements, 1981, to distinguish the book "Niedbała, W. 1980. Moss mites - the role in land ecosystems. Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 255 pp."
Distinction of the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the Polish Academy of Sciences for a member of the group working on the fauna of urban habitats, 1983.
Individual award of the relevant Minister for research achievements, 1993, individual award of the Board of Managers of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 1994, for the monograph: "Niedbała, W. 1992. Phthiracaroidea (Acari, Oribatida). Systematic Studies. Elsevier. Amsterdam-Oxford-New York-Tokyo, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 612 pp."
Individual award of the relevant Minister for research achievements, 2001, to distinguish the monograph "Niedbała, W. 2000. The ptyctimous mites fauna of the Oriental and Australian regions and their centres of origin (Acari: Oribatida). Genus, supplement, 1-493."
Multiple awards of the Rector of the AMU for research achievements, the most recent ones in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Cavalier Cross Polonia Restituta in 1990 r.

In addition

Two Ph.D. students were awarded with a stipends for young scientists ounded by the Fundation for Polish Science: dr. Anna Skoracka (years 2003-2004) and dr. Łukasz Kaczmarek (year 2007).
Ms Małgorzata Łochyńska a Ph.D. student was awarded with a grant from the Kulczyk Family Found in 2008 and a grant for research work from the A.Mickiewicz Foundation in 2009.
M.Sc. Krzysztof Zawierucha was awarded:
2012/2013: Kulczyk Fundation scholarship for achievements in science and research at A. Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

2012/2013: Rector's scholarship (I degree) for achievements in research

2012/2013: Ministry of Science and Higher Education scholarship for the best students in Poland.

2014/2015: Adam Mickiewicz Fundation scholarship for tyhe best phd students.

2015/2016: Ministry of Science and Higher Education scholarship for the best students in Poland.

2015/2016: National Science Fundation "Etiuda" scholarship

International cooperation

"Biodiversity of tropical forests" (ALAS III submited to the U.S. National Science Foundation) USA, Kanada - Costa Rica (Scientific Director: Prof. John T. Longino, Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, U.S.A - W. Niedbała, Z. Olszanowski)