Research interests
In situ and ex situ conservation of crop wild relatives and wild harvested plants; application of GIS methods for assessment of biodiversity; research of plant morphology using geometric morphometric methods.
Annotation of the doctoral dissertation
Research premise – assess the diversity, distribution, status, and trends of crop wild relatives (CWR) and wild harvested plants (WHP; hereinafter collectively referred to as target species/taxa) at the national level, distribution, status, and trends under climate change conditions and, taking into account actual and potential threats, to justify measures for their sustainable use and conservation in situ in Lithuania.
Research objectives:
- Compile the following checklists of plants of practical importance: a checklist of cultivated plants grown in Lithuania, a control checklist of target taxa, and a priority checklist of target taxa.
- Compile an inventory of priority target taxa, gathering information on their nomenclature, relatedness to cultivated plants based on the gene pool or taxon group concept, actual and potential use for the improvement of cultivated plants, as well as data on their biology, habitats, ecogeography, populations, direct use, threats and threat status, current conservation measures, and relevant legislation.
- Analyse the diversity of priority target taxa by performing distribution, ecogeographic, phenotypic, and genetic diversity analyses (multipurpose priority target species such as Allium ursinum L., Angelica archangelica L., Ribes nigrum L., Corylus avellana L.) in order to update conservation priorities.
- Conduct a new threat assessment for those priority target taxa for which such an assessment (e.g., assignment to IUCN categories, inclusion in red lists) has not been carried out or for which the assessment data are outdated.
- Analyse gaps in the conservation of priority target taxa in situ and ex situ.
- Assess the potential future distribution of priority target taxa in light of climate change trends in Europe.
- Establish priorities for the conservation of priority target taxa in situ and ex situ.
- Develop recommendations for the sustainable use and conservation of priority target taxa.
International scientific conferences:
- Lisajevičius M., Rimgailė-Voicik R., 2023. Comparison of leaflet shape variation in two species of Agrimonia (Rosaceae) using geometric morphometrics. – The COINS 2023: International Conference of Life Sciences, balandis 24–27, Vilnius, Lietuva: 81. https://thecoins.eu/static/resources/booksofabstracts/COINS2023.pdf
- Lisajevičius M., Labokas J., 2025. Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Harvested Plants in Lithuania: New Insights into their Diversity and Conservation. – HUMAN AND NATURE SAFETY 2025: International Scientific-Practice Conference, May 7-9, Akademija (Kaunas district) and Kaunas, Lithuania: 202-207. https://doi.org/10.7220/2538-9122.2025