Dr. Agnieszka Majer (Kiedrowicz)

Current Projects

1. Dispersal strategies of eriophyoid mites (PhD project)
2. Dispersal strategies of eriophyoid mites (Polish National Science Centre grant no 2018/28/T/NZ8/00060, PI)
3. A bidirectional selection experiment to test the evolution of specialization and dispersal in the invasive wheat curl mite, Aceria tosichella (Polish National Science Centre grant no. 2016/21/B/NZ8/00786, 2017-2020, Investigator)
4. Genetics of host specificity of the wheat curl mite complex (USDI-BLM and USDA-ARS agreement no 60-2060-7-001, Investigator)
5. Competition-dispersal trade-off in phytophagous mites (National Science Centre grant no. 2019/35/N/NZ8/02639, PI)
6. ID-UB grant for two-weeks internship at the University of Lisbon (no. 003/13/UAM/0018, PI)
   (participation in the project “Can adaptation to cadmium and to a competitor influence competitive ability and dispersal ability?”).

Completed Projects

1. Host specificity of Aceria tulipae (MSc project)
2. Spatial distribution of Aceria tosichella biotypes differing in their host specificity and invasive potential (National Science Centre grant no. 2011/03/B/NZ8/00129, Investigator)
3. Dispersal strategies of eriophyoid mites (Grant of Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań no GDWB-05/2016)

Career History

• currently- PhD student (ecology), Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University
• 2014- MSc in Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University
• 2012- BSc in Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University

Internships

• 2020- two-weeks internship at the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C), Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon
• 2019- three-months internship at the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C), Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon
• 2016- short-term internship in Department of Applied Entomology, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW
• 2011- Short training in Institute of Plant Protection – National Research Institute

Honors & awards

• 2018 – Ministry of Science and Higher Education Scholarship
• 2018 – Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University scholarship for the scientific record in 2017
• 2018 – scholarship funded by Polish National Science Centre 2018/28/T/NZ8/00060
• 2017 – dr. Jan Kulczyk scholarship for PhD students for scientific record
• 2017 – Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University scholarship for the scientific record in 2016
• Rector of AMU Scholarship – awarded to the best PhD students in 2016/2017
• Rector of AMU Scholarship – awarded to the best PhD students in 2015/2016
• 2014 – Dean of Faculty of Biology UAM award for outstanding academic achievement and activity at Student Scientific Society of Naturalists
• 2013/2014- Ministry of Science and Higher Education Scholarship

Classes

1. Ecology

2023

Laska A., Rector B., Przychodzka A., Majer A., Zalewska K., Kuczyński L., Skoracka A., Do mites eat and run? A systematic review of feeding and dispersal strategies, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2023; zlac094, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac094

2021

Majer, A., Laska, A., Hein, G., Kuczyński L., Skoracka A. 2021. Hitchhiking or hang gliding? Dispersal strategies of two cereal-feeding eriophyoid mite species. Experimental and Applied Acarology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-021-00661-z

Majer A., Laska A., Hein G., Kuczyński L. and Skoracka A. 2021. Propagule pressure rather than population growth determines colonisation ability: a case study using two phytophagous mite species differing in their invasive potential. Ecological Entomology, https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13058

2020

Kuczyński, L., Radwańska, A., Karpicka-Ignatowska, K., Laska, A., Lewandowski, M., Rector, B.G., Majer, A., Raubic, J., Skoracka, A. 2020. A comprehensive and cost-effective approach for investigating passive dispersal in minute invertebrates with case studies of phytophagous eriophyid mites. Experimental and Applied Acarology.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00532-z

2019

Karpicka-Ignatowska K., Radwańska A., Stefańska M., Majer A., Laska A. 2019. Pollen and what else? Brief introduction to aerial dispersal of eriophyoid mites. International Aerobiology Newsletter 84, 6.

2018

Laska, A., Majer, A., Szydło, W., Karpicka-Ignatowska, K., Hornyák, M., Labrzycka, A., Skoracka, A. 2018. Cryptic diversity within grass-associated Abacarus species complex (Acariformes: Eriophyidae), with the description of a new species, Abacarus plumiger n. sp., Experimental and Applied Acarology 76(1): 1-28, DOI: 10.1007/s10493-018-0291-6

Skoracka A., Lopes L. F., Alves M. J., Miller A., Lewandowski M., Szydło W., Majer A., Różańska E. i Kuczyński L. 2018. Genetics of lineage diversification and the evolution of host usage in the economically important wheat curl mite, Aceria tosichella Keifer, 1969. BMC Evolutionary Biology 18: 122, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-018-1234-x

2017

Kiedrowicz A., Rector B. G., Lommen S., Kuczyński L., Szydło W., Skoracka A. 2017. Population growth rate of dry bulb mite, Aceria tulipae (Acariformes: Eriophyidae), on agriculturally important plants and implications for its taxonomic status. Experimental and Applied Acarology, DOI: 10.1007/s10493-017-0173-3

Kiedrowicz A., Kuczyński L., Lewandowski M., Proctor H., Skoracka A. 2017. Behavioural responses to potential dispersal cues in two economically important species of cereal-feeding eriophyid mites. Scientific Reports, 7, Article number: 3890, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04372-7

2016

Kiedrowicz A., Lewandowski M., Skoracka A. 2016. Diversity and significance of eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) associated with coniferous trees in Poland: a review. Biological Letters, 53(1): 19–30, DOI: 10.1515/biolet-2017-0003

Kiedrowicz A., Rector B. G., Zawierucha K., Szydło W., Skoracka A. 2016. Phytophagous mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) recorded from Svalbard, including the description of a new species. Polar Biology, 39(8): 1359-1368, DOI: 10.1007/s00300-015-1858-x

Kiedrowicz A., Denizhan E., Bromberek K., Szydło W., Skoracka A. 2016. Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) from Turkey: description of five new species. Zootaxa, 4066(3): 255–270, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4066.3.3

Kuczyński L., Rector B. G., Kiedrowicz A., Lewandowski M., Szydło W., Skoracka A. 2016. Thermal niches of two invasive genotypes of the wheat curl mite Aceria tosichella: congruence between physiological and geographical distribution data. PLoS One, 11(4): e0154600. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154600

2014

Kiedrowicz A., Rector B., Denizhan E., Szydło W., Skoracka, A. 2014. Infestation of grasses by eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) in Turkey. International Journal of Acarology, 40(6): 421–427. DOI: 10.1080/01647954.2014.941004

2013

Gołębiewska M., Kiedrowicz A., Skoracka A. 2013. Host specialization in eriophyoid mites: Aceria tosichella, Abacarus hystrix and Aculodes mckenziei: are these plant parasites generalists or specialists? Annals of Parasitology, 59, ISSN 2299-0631

External Activities

• The Polish Acarological Society member