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As endemics are considered plant and animal species including birds, which are in the focus of this thesis, that are found in a restricted geographic region and nowhere else in the world. Such endemics typically occur on the islands that are often recognized as important global biodiversity hotspots. However, many endemic species are very vulnerable due to numerous factors (mainly genetic and demographic) closely linked to the way of life on the islands. Huge effort is dedicated to their conservation, and it thus reasonable to ask whether such an effort made a significant contribution to prevent their loss. Here, I evaluate the overall success of island bird endemics conservation compared to continental conditions because such a global analysis has been lacking up to now. In addition, this thesis examines how three major threatening factors (namely habitat destruction, invasive species, and overexploitation) driven by anthropogenic activities affect population trends of continental and island bird species. Finally, I mapped and explained, using examples, which conservation tools are effective for supporting the populations of island endemic species. The results of statistical analyses, based on a global dataset containing almost 8000 avian species, showed that island endemic species are more...

This bachelor thesis deals with the demographic development of the Czech Republic in 2005 - 2015. Demography is a science that analyzes human population, its development, structure and quantity. The work is focused on the analysis of this demographic process not only from the point of view of time, but also from the point of view of place. The paper analyses the most important demographic processes and indicators including age structure, population and migration. Furthermore, the work focuses on economic aspects connected with population development. The work also evaluates the indicators at the regional and district level using methods of spatial data analysis. Data collected by the Czech Statistical Office are used in this work. The results of the research are presented using the cartographic outputs.

The thesis presents data from butterfly transects monitoring, carried out for 7 years on 36 transects established both within nature reserves and unprotected landscapes throughout the Czech Republic and walked three times a month between April and September. Only seven transects were monitored for the whole monitoring period. There were 192 771 individual butterfly records on 127 species of butterflies and burnet moths, i.e. 76.5% of the Czech fauna of the targeted groups). Data on their abundances are for the first time available for the Czech Republic. The distribution of individual species abundances approximated a lognormal model. The abundant species were generalists of non-wooded habitats, which prosper in the intensively managed landscapes of the Czech Republic. Trends of abundance, determined by the TRIM program, were estimable for 92 species. Over the monitored period, the relative abundance of nine species significantly decreased, while those of of seven species significantly increases. The remaining 76 did not display unequivocal trends, but still, 17 are likely increasing and 29 likely decreasing. Comparing the trends with the life history and bioclimatic traits of the butterflies showed that species whose abundance did not change possess traits typical for generalist butterflies (mobile species, overwintering in later life stages, longer flight period etc.), while decreases were more common among thermophilic species. Splitting the analyses for data originating from reserve vs. unprotected areas suggested that mesophilic species and species of more advanced successional stages prosper outside of reserves, whereas thermophilic species tend to decline there, and that an opposite pattern applies to reserves. I discuss recommendations for future of the monitoring Czech butterfly monitoring scheme.

This diploma thesis is focused on overpopulation problem, which is a very debatable term in this time. The thesis analyzes recent development in fertility, mortality and migration in each continent with aim to evaluate threats of the overpopulation. Although this term is more like global problem, the thesis aims to specify and identify continents, which might be truly affected by overpopulation. Part of the diploma thesis is focused on calculation of possible future development of population size based on mathematical models which are birth - immigration - death process and logistic (Verhulst) growth. The projections are established on UN data and their horizon is period 2095 - 2100.

Babblers together with the close related Timallidae are not very common inmates of the zoological gardens. In the Czech Republic they are only bred in the zoological gardens in Ohrada, Pilsen and Prague. The breeding in the zoological gardens is not generally very successful. The zoo in Prague with its number of species owns the largest collection of these birds in Europe. In the past the breeders in Prague were the first ones in Europe who managed to raise for example Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush, Sunda Laughingthrush, Barred Laughingthrush or Sumatran Laughingthrush (Black-and-white Laughingthrush). As the first ones in the Czech Republic they were able to reproduce the critically endagered Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Courtois's Laughingthrush). The Blue-crowned Laughingthrush is so rare that for several years it was not clear at all if they still live in nature. In the year 2000 they were rediscovered in the number of 240 pieces. The quantity of them in the zoological gardens all over the world does not exceed 100 pieces. The zoo in Chester does a European breeding book of these pieces. Some birds in Prague reproduce repetitively and they prove that the right method of the breeding was found. Hopefully this method would lead to the birth of the securing population in the care of humans. This securing population is very important for the protection of these birds. The attempt of this work is to assess the links between the results of the breeding and their conditions, the comparison of the nesting activities of the two chosen species of babblers, then the summarizing of the expansion and the results of the breeding of the individual species and also the processing of the expansion, the development of the quantity and the problems of the protection of the babblers in nature. The following facts were found out: the breeding of the birds in the exposition or in its environment does not have an essential influence on their nesting activity. However, for the nesting activity it is more important if they are a newly formed couple or a couple paired for a longer time and at the forest babbler it is the female that has an important role in incubation period. However, at the Sumatran Laughingthrush there is a frequent changing in different time intervals. The work also shows that only 5 species out of 12, that showed the nesting activity, are able to build a nest without the help of the keepers. That can be attributed to their closer relational breeding and also to putting the higher number of artificially reared individuals into the breeding.

The bachelor thesis deals with the demographic changes in the Czech Republic and identifies economic problems, which these changes bring. The first part of the bachelor thesis is focused on the demographic development and trends in Czech Republic after the year of 1989. The second part of the thesis describes potential social and economic problems associated with demografic developement, and prognosis of future effects. The conclusion is devoted to propose solutions to mitigate the negative impacts of these trends.