Patricia Singh

@muni.cz

postdoc, Department of Botany and Zoology/Faculty of Science
Masaryk University

Patricia Singh


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https://researchid.co/patriciasingh

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Ecological Modeling, Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
11

Scopus Publications

232

Scholar Citations

9

Scholar h-index

8

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Identification of initial vegetation and habitat changes in small temperate fens using remote sensing
    Lubomír Tichý, Patricia Singh, Petra Hájková, Anna Müllerová, Tomáš Peterka, et al.
    Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 2026
    Small temperate fens rank among the most endangered habitats in temperate Europe. In agricultural landscapes, they are highly vulnerable to eutrophication and desiccation, which accelerate biodiversity loss and shifts in the carbon balance due to peat mineralization. The initial signs of habitat change are commonly manifested by shifts in vegetation structure and dominance, accompanied by increasing productivity, which precede major qualitative changes in species composition. The in‐time monitoring of vegetation productivity and site wetness at large areas is essential for guiding conservation management strategies for fens to slow down or reverse undesired changes. Here, we evaluated the ability of satellite (Sentinel‐2) and high‐resolution aerial imagery to detect early, structure‐ and productivity‐related signals of fen deterioration. We compared multispectral and optical imagery with ground‐based data, including both direct measurements and indicators derived from the species composition of the vegetation plots. At the landscape scale where both the acidic poor fens and the base‐rich fens occurred, MSAVI and NGRDI indices performed best, indicating primarily the vascular plant cover, species richness and representation of nutrient‐demanding species. At the within‐site scale, where the differences among plots were largely driven by habitat deterioration, NDVI, NDWI and RENDVI well captured differences in vascular plant productivity estimates and moss biomass measurements. Our results indicate that remote sensing is applicable for the identification of individual fen habitats and their nutrient status at the landscape scale and is even effective in detecting incipient habitat deterioration associated with increasing productivity. We demonstrate that remote sensing also performs well for small, island‐like fen patches. Its wider integration into the mire research would improve monitoring and enhance the amount of available ecological data.
  • The future of carbon storage in calcareous fens depends on the balance between groundwater discharge and air temperature
    Patrícia Singh, Martin Jiroušek, Petra Hájková, Michal Horsák, Michal Hájek
    Catena, 2023
  • Can Sphagnum removal reverse the undesired succession of rich fens under different alkalinity and fertility levels?
    Patrícia Singh, Petra Hájková, Martin Jiroušek, Zuzana Lizoňová, Tomáš Peterka, et al.
    Ecological Applications, 2022
    An undesired succession of rich fens leads to the formation of dense Sphagnum carpets that outcompete brown mosses and some vascular plants, resulting in biodiversity loss in fen habitats of high conservation importance. Small‐scale Sphagnum removal is a rarely implemented conservational measure, whose success may depend on soil alkalinity and fertility (i.e., nutrient availability). Therefore, characterizing the effects of pH and fertility levels would potentially allow for the development of better Sphagnum removal strategies. Two experiments were conducted across 24 rich fens of different alkalinity and fertility located in an area of ~32,000 km2 spanning from the Bohemian Massif to the Western Carpathians (Europe). We hypothesized that high alkalinity and low fertility support the restoration of rich fen vegetation after Sphagnum removal. Our study focused on four different Sphagnum groups. In Experiment 1, the treatment plots remained unfenced. In Experiment 2, the treatment plots were fenced off and target brown mosses were transplanted from the surroundings to overcome dispersal limitations. A repeated‐measures design was used, with vegetation composition recorded over a 5‐year period. High alkalinity rather than fertility facilitated species richness and the appearance of target brown mosses. High alkalinity generally hindered Sphagnum recovery, whereas high fertility supported the recurrence of S. teres and S. recurvum agg. Under high pH conditions, enhanced fertility further correlated with the spread of nonsphagnaceous generalist bryophytes of low conservation value. Despite sustaining a significant overall reduction, all Sphagnum taxa began to recover throughout the experiment, albeit less obviously in fens with S. warnstorfii. Sphagnum removal may reverse biodiversity loss and allow for the restoration of brown mosses in rich fens where Sphagnum cover had increased due to slight eutrophication, acidification, or a decrease in the water table. In alkaline and nutrient‐poor conditions (e.g., S. warnstorfii fens), the effect is evident and long lasting and the intervention may not be extensive. In fens dominated by S. teres or S. recurvum agg., repeated or large‐scale removal may be needed if high nutrient availability (potassium, phosphorus) or low alkalinity supports Sphagnum recolonization. Treatment plots with S. subgenus Sphagnum exhibited the least promising brown‐moss restoration prospects.
  • Ecology of testate amoebae along an environmental gradient from bogs to calcareous fens in East-Central Europe: development of transfer functions for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions
    Anna Šímová, Martin Jiroušek, Patrícia Singh, Petra Hájková, Michal Hájek
    Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 2022
  • The long history of rich fens supports persistence of plant and snail habitat specialists
    Tomáš Peterka, Lubomír Tichý, Veronika Horsáková, Petra Hájková, Radovan Coufal, et al.
    Biodiversity and Conservation, 2022
  • A European map of groundwater pH and calcium
    Michal Hájek, Borja Jiménez-Alfaro, Ondřej Hájek, Lisa Brancaleoni, Marco Cantonati, et al.
    Earth System Science Data, 2021
    Water resources and associated ecosystems are becoming highly endangered due to ongoing global environmental changes. Spatial ecological modelling is a promising toolbox for understanding the past, present and future distribution and diversity patterns in groundwater-dependent ecosystems, such as fens, springs, streams, reed beds or wet grasslands. Still, the lack of detailed water chemistry maps prevents the use of reasonable models to be applied on continental and global scales. Being major determinants of biological composition and diversity of groundwater-dependent ecosystems, groundwater pH and calcium are of utmost importance. Here we developed an up-to-date European map of groundwater pH and Ca, based on 7577 measurements of near-surface groundwater pH and calcium distributed across Europe. In comparison to the existing European groundwater maps, we included several times more sites, especially in the regions rich in spring and fen habitats, and filled the apparent gaps in eastern and southeastern Europe. We used random forest models and regression kriging to create continuous maps of water pH and calcium at the continental scale, which is freely available also as a raster map (Hájek et al., 2020b; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4139912). Lithology had a higher importance than climate for both pH and calcium. The previously recognised latitudinal and altitudinal gradients were rediscovered with much refined regional patterns, as associated with bedrock variation. For ecological models of distribution and diversity of many terrestrial ecosystems, our new map based on field groundwater measurements is more suitable than maps of soil pH, which mirror not only bedrock chemistry but also vegetation-dependent soil processes.
  • Restoration of rare bryophytes in degraded rich fens: The effect of sod-and-moss removal
    Patrícia Singh, Ester Ekrtová, Eva Holá, Táňa Štechová, Stanislav Grill, et al.
    Journal for Nature Conservation, 2021
  • Is variable plot size a serious constraint in broad-scale vegetation studies? A case study on fens
    Tomáš Peterka, Vít Syrovátka, Daniel Dítě, Petra Hájková, Monika Hrubanová, et al.
    Journal of Vegetation Science, 2020
    QuestionFiltering vegetation plot records according to sampling size is an essential methodological step in vegetation studies. In fens, the variation of traditionally used plot sizes seems to limit continental‐scale syntheses following the Braun‐Blanquet approach. Which plot sizes harbour the analogous number of habitat specialists (i.e., diagnostic/indicator species) and capture the main compositional gradients identically?LocationScandinavia, central Europe.MethodsThe data set of fen vegetation plot records was compiled using large databases and categorised into four distinct habitats. For each habitat, semi‐log species–area curves of specialists and other species were fitted using generalised additive models (GAM). In addition, we surveyed 72 sites in a series of plot sizes (0.07, 0.25, 1, 4, 16 m2) where we applied, separately for each plot size, Non‐Metric Multi‐Dimensional Scaling (NMDS) and compared the resulting patterns with Procrustes analysis.ResultsConsistently across different fen habitats, the species–area curves of specialists increased steeply up to the plot size of 1 m2, while increasing negligibly in the plot size range of 1–25 m2. In contrast, the species–area curves of other species displayed mostly linear to linear‐exponential trends. NMDS ordinations of medium (1 and 4 m2) and large plots (16 m2) were the most congruent, while the patterns captured in the ordination of the smallest plots (0.07 m2) differed most from the others.ConclusionsIn fens, plot sizes of at least 1 m2 describe sufficiently the broad‐scale pattern in specialists’ diversity as well as the main environmental gradients. The range of plot sizes of 1–25 m2 may be safely merged in broad‐scale analyses of fen vegetation without introducing substantial bias, at least when compared with other possible uncertainty sources.
  • Spruce representation in zonal woodlands may be overestimated when using pollen spectra from peatlands
    Petra Hájková, Eva Jamrichová, Maroš Wiezik, Tomáš Peterka, Libor Petr, et al.
    Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 2019
  • The ratio between bryophyte functional groups impacts vascular plants in rich fens
    Patrícia Singh, Jakub Těšitel, Zuzana Plesková, Tomáš Peterka, Petra Hájková, et al.
    Applied Vegetation Science, 2019
    QuestionFens have a well‐developed bryophyte layer covering most of the ground. Non‐sphagnaceous bryophytes, especially the group of so‐called brown mosses, prevail over sphagna under alkaline conditions. In sub‐alkaline conditions, rich fens allow the co‐occurrence of both these functional groups, but sphagna are competitively superior over non‐sphagnaceous bryophytes and seedlings of vascular plants, and they are currently expanding in some regions. We test whether the ratio between the two major bryophyte functional groups (bryo‐ratio) accounts for the species composition of vascular plants in fens.LocationCentral and Eastern Europe.MethodsAnalysis of two existing regional‐ and continental‐scale data sets of the vegetation‐ plot records and measured local factors by Canonical Correspondence Analysis with variation partitioning (community‐level analysis) and Structural Equation Modelling (species‐level analysis).ResultsAt the community level, the bryo‐ratio accounted significantly for species composition of fen‐specialized vascular plants, more obviously in the regional‐scale data set. At the species level, more fen species (50–67% according to the data set) were significantly directly affected (adjusted p < 0.05) by the bryo‐ratio than by water pH (14–17%) and by measured water table depth (WTD) in the regional data set (12.5%). In the continental data set, the comparable proportions of species were directly affected by the bryo‐ratio and WTD inferred by soil moisture indicator values (50% vs 58%). Most of the species affected significantly by the bryo‐ratio preferred the fens rich in non‐sphagnaceous bryophytes. They were largely those with a low capability of vegetative reproduction.ConclusionsThe group of species preferring brown moss patches includes mostly rare and endangered species with a great need for generative reproduction (e.g., Primula farinosa, Triglochin palustris, Pedicularis palustris, Saxifraga hirculus). Our findings demonstrate the important role of the bryophyte layer in the structuring of vascular plant communities in fens and highlight urgent conservation needs for brown moss patches.
  • Using a new database of plant macrofossils of the Czech and Slovak Republics to compare past and present distributions of hypothetically relict fen mosses
    Petra Hájková, Táňa Štechová, Rudolf Šoltés, Eva Šmerdová, Zuzana Plesková, et al.
    Preslia, 2018

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Identification of initial vegetation and habitat changes in small temperate fens using remote sensing
    L Tichý, P Singh, P Hájková, A Müllerová, T Peterka, Z Plesková, K Prach, ...
    Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation , 2026
    2026.0
  • Modelling the future distribution and biodiversity of European fen habitats under global change
    P Singh, B Jiménez-Alfaro, L Aunina, P Hájková, T Ivchenko, F Jansen, ...
    European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2024 (EGU24), 4032 , 2024
    2024.0
  • The future of carbon storage in calcareous fens depends on the balance between groundwater discharge and air temperature
    P Singh, M Jiroušek, P Hájková, M Horsák, M Hájek
    Catena 231, 107350 , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 9
  • Can Sphagnum removal reverse the undesired succession of rich fens under different alkalinity and fertility levels?
    P Singh, P Hájková, M Jiroušek, Z Lizoňová, T Peterka, Z Plesková, ...
    Ecological Applications 32 (8), e2691 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 6
  • Ecology of testate amoebae along an environmental gradient from bogs to calcareous fens in East-Central Europe: development of transfer functions for palaeoenvironmental …
    A Šímová, M Jiroušek, P Singh, P Hájková, M Hájek
    Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 601, 111145 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 15
  • New testate amoeba-based transfer functions for palaeoecological reconstructions in East-Central Europe
    A Šímová, M Jiroušek, P Singh, P Hájková, M Hájek
    2022.0
  • The long history of rich fens supports persistence of plant and snail habitat specialists
    T Peterka, L Tichý, V Horsáková, P Hájková, R Coufal, L Petr, D Dítě, ...
    Biodiversity and Conservation 31 (1), 39-57 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 15
  • Restoration of rare bryophytes in degraded rich fens: The effect of sod-and-moss removal
    P Singh, E Ekrtová, E Holá, T Štechová, S Grill, M Hájek
    Journal for Nature Conservation 59, 125928 , 2021
    2021.0
    Citations: 24
  • Mechorosty zaznamenané v průběhu 32. podzimního setkání Bryologicko-lichenologické sekce ČBS v Brdech
    E Holá, A Tenčík, J Jandová, A Manukjanová, P Singh, J Tkáčiková, ...
    2021.0
  • A European map of groundwater pH and calcium
    M Hájek, B Jiménez-Alfaro, O Hájek, L Brancaleoni, M Cantonati, ...
    Earth System Science Data Discussions 2020, 1-41 , 2020
    2020.0
    Citations: 67
  • Is variable plot size a serious constraint in broad‐scale vegetation studies? A case study on fens
    T Peterka, V Syrovátka, D Dítě, P Hájková, M Hrubanová, M Jiroušek, ...
    Journal of Vegetation Science 31 (4), 594-605 , 2020
    2020.0
    Citations: 23
  • MACHORASTY ZAZNAMENANÉ POČAS 31. JESENNÉHO STRETNUTIA BRYOLOGICKO--LICHENOLOGICKEJ SEKCIE ČBS NA POĽANE
    P Širka, J Bradáčová, K Godovičová, A Manukjanová, E Mikulášková, ...
    2020.0
    Citations: 5
  • Data from: European map of groundwater pH and calcium.
    M Hájek, B Jiménez-Alfaro, L Brancaleoni, M Cantonati, M Carbognani, ...
    Data from: European map of groundwater pH and calcium. , 2020
    2020.0
    Citations: 1
  • Spruce representation in zonal woodlands may be overestimated when using pollen spectra from peatlands
    P Hájková, E Jamrichová, M Wiezik, T Peterka, L Petr, P Singh, F Máliš, ...
    Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 271, 104104 , 2019
    2019.0
    Citations: 11
  • The ratio between bryophyte functional groups impacts vascular plants in rich fens
    P Singh, J Těšitel, Z Plesková, T Peterka, P Hájková, D Dítě, ...
    Applied Vegetation Science 22 (4), 494-507 , 2019
    2019.0
    Citations: 30
  • Using a new database of plant macrofossils of the Czech and Slovak Republics to compare past and present distribution of hypothetically relict fen mosses.
    P Hajkova, T Štechová, R Šoltés, E Šmerdová, Z Pleskova, D Dítě, ...
    2018.0
    Citations: 26
  • Pozoruhodné nálezy Sphagnum affine a ďalších rašelinníkov v severnej časti západných Karpát na Slovensku
    P Singh, M Jiroušek, T Peterka
    2017.0
  • Monitoring of Incipient Habitat Deterioration in Small Temperate Mires Using Aerial and Satellite Imagery: Verification Using Ground-Based Vegetation Data
    L Tichý, P Singh, P Hájková, A Müllerová, T Peterka, Z Plesková, K Prach, ...
    Available at SSRN 5169877 , 0
  • Does grassland vegetation drive soil microbial diversity?
    PMBK Singh

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • A European map of groundwater pH and calcium
    M Hájek, B Jiménez-Alfaro, O Hájek, L Brancaleoni, M Cantonati, ...
    Earth System Science Data Discussions 2020, 1-41 , 2020
    2020.0
    Citations: 67
  • The ratio between bryophyte functional groups impacts vascular plants in rich fens
    P Singh, J Těšitel, Z Plesková, T Peterka, P Hájková, D Dítě, ...
    Applied Vegetation Science 22 (4), 494-507 , 2019
    2019.0
    Citations: 30
  • Using a new database of plant macrofossils of the Czech and Slovak Republics to compare past and present distribution of hypothetically relict fen mosses.
    P Hajkova, T Štechová, R Šoltés, E Šmerdová, Z Pleskova, D Dítě, ...
    2018.0
    Citations: 26
  • Restoration of rare bryophytes in degraded rich fens: The effect of sod-and-moss removal
    P Singh, E Ekrtová, E Holá, T Štechová, S Grill, M Hájek
    Journal for Nature Conservation 59, 125928 , 2021
    2021.0
    Citations: 24
  • Is variable plot size a serious constraint in broad‐scale vegetation studies? A case study on fens
    T Peterka, V Syrovátka, D Dítě, P Hájková, M Hrubanová, M Jiroušek, ...
    Journal of Vegetation Science 31 (4), 594-605 , 2020
    2020.0
    Citations: 23
  • Ecology of testate amoebae along an environmental gradient from bogs to calcareous fens in East-Central Europe: development of transfer functions for palaeoenvironmental …
    A Šímová, M Jiroušek, P Singh, P Hájková, M Hájek
    Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 601, 111145 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 15
  • The long history of rich fens supports persistence of plant and snail habitat specialists
    T Peterka, L Tichý, V Horsáková, P Hájková, R Coufal, L Petr, D Dítě, ...
    Biodiversity and Conservation 31 (1), 39-57 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 15
  • Spruce representation in zonal woodlands may be overestimated when using pollen spectra from peatlands
    P Hájková, E Jamrichová, M Wiezik, T Peterka, L Petr, P Singh, F Máliš, ...
    Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 271, 104104 , 2019
    2019.0
    Citations: 11
  • The future of carbon storage in calcareous fens depends on the balance between groundwater discharge and air temperature
    P Singh, M Jiroušek, P Hájková, M Horsák, M Hájek
    Catena 231, 107350 , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 9
  • Can Sphagnum removal reverse the undesired succession of rich fens under different alkalinity and fertility levels?
    P Singh, P Hájková, M Jiroušek, Z Lizoňová, T Peterka, Z Plesková, ...
    Ecological Applications 32 (8), e2691 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 6
  • MACHORASTY ZAZNAMENANÉ POČAS 31. JESENNÉHO STRETNUTIA BRYOLOGICKO--LICHENOLOGICKEJ SEKCIE ČBS NA POĽANE
    P Širka, J Bradáčová, K Godovičová, A Manukjanová, E Mikulášková, ...
    2020.0
    Citations: 5
  • Data from: European map of groundwater pH and calcium.
    M Hájek, B Jiménez-Alfaro, L Brancaleoni, M Cantonati, M Carbognani, ...
    Data from: European map of groundwater pH and calcium. , 2020
    2020.0
    Citations: 1
  • Identification of initial vegetation and habitat changes in small temperate fens using remote sensing
    L Tichý, P Singh, P Hájková, A Müllerová, T Peterka, Z Plesková, K Prach, ...
    Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation , 2026
    2026.0
  • Modelling the future distribution and biodiversity of European fen habitats under global change
    P Singh, B Jiménez-Alfaro, L Aunina, P Hájková, T Ivchenko, F Jansen, ...
    European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2024 (EGU24), 4032 , 2024
    2024.0
  • New testate amoeba-based transfer functions for palaeoecological reconstructions in East-Central Europe
    A Šímová, M Jiroušek, P Singh, P Hájková, M Hájek
    2022.0
  • Mechorosty zaznamenané v průběhu 32. podzimního setkání Bryologicko-lichenologické sekce ČBS v Brdech
    E Holá, A Tenčík, J Jandová, A Manukjanová, P Singh, J Tkáčiková, ...
    2021.0
  • Pozoruhodné nálezy Sphagnum affine a ďalších rašelinníkov v severnej časti západných Karpát na Slovensku
    P Singh, M Jiroušek, T Peterka
    2017.0
  • Monitoring of Incipient Habitat Deterioration in Small Temperate Mires Using Aerial and Satellite Imagery: Verification Using Ground-Based Vegetation Data
    L Tichý, P Singh, P Hájková, A Müllerová, T Peterka, Z Plesková, K Prach, ...
    Available at SSRN 5169877 , 0
  • Does grassland vegetation drive soil microbial diversity?
    PMBK Singh