Publication: With Tamás as first author, we published a paper in Basic and Applied Ecology entitled “Sealed surfaces limit bird diversity, whereas tall structures may support the abundance of some species, while both filter traits in urban landscapes.” It shows that surface sealing reduces bird diversity while tall structures benefit larger-bodied species and species that forage and nest at higher elevations. March 2026. 

Publication: Edina, Riho, Robi, and Péter co-authored a paper in Conservation Letters titled “Global biodiversity framework targets can drive action on insect declines, but lack robust indicators to prove their effectiveness.” We found that although the GBF’s targets can drive action for insect recovery, nearly none of the indicators effectively measure progress for insects. March 2026. 

Publication: “A standardised protocol for sampling cavity-nesting Hymenoptera using trap nests”, led by Edina, published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, promoting the wider use of trap nests and the standardisation of data collection on cavity-nesting Hymenoptera to support research and conservation.  March 2026.

BSc defense: Congratulations to Teodor Purger for successfully defending his thesis at the University of Pécs! His research, titled "Effects of horizontal and vertical urban structure on bird species distribution, functional traits, and abundance in the city of Pécs," was supervised by Tamás. Well done! February 2026. 

PhD defense: Kitti has successfully defended her PhD at the Hungarian Agricultural University. Her dissertation, titled "Effect of Leaving Uncut Refuge Strips and Grazing Exclusions as Nature Conservation Measures on Arthropods," was completed under the supervision of Robi. Congratulations on this impressive achievement! February 2026. 

Publication: Riho published a paper in Ardea: "Night-time movements and roosting habitat selection of Grey Partridges." They found that 45% of partridges changed roosting sites at night, likely due to disturbance. February 2026. 

Publication: Our paper with Teja, Péter, and Stefan, "The hidden multitrophic diversity of specialized grass-shoot insects – neglected by grassland management," is published in Basic and Applied Ecology. It emphasizes the need for unmown refuges to support persistent insect populations. January 2026. 

New group member: We are pleased to welcome Silva Vilumets as a postdoc researcher, joining our group with her own Estonian fellowship to work on conservation biological pest control. Happy sciencing! January 2026. 

New group member: We are pleased to welcome Sarolta Meinhardt as an assistant researcher, joining our group to work on the social science aspects of urbanisation in the UrbanBEE project. Happy sciencing! January 2026.