Dr Małgorzata Stanek
Assistant Professor
Research interests
- Plant-soil interactions.
- Impact of invasive plants on soil physicochemical and microbiological properties.
- Plant secondary metabolites.
- Impact of soil and air pollution (heavy metals, organic compounds) on plants.
- Chemical analytics (HPLC, GC-MS, GC-FID, AAS).
Higher education and employment history
- MSc degree at the Jagiellonian University (2009).
- Technical assistant (biologist) at the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, PAS (2011–2019).
- Research assistant at the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, PAS (since 2019).
- PhD degree at the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, PAS (2021).
Membership and awards
- The IB PAS Director's scholarship for the best PhD student (2017–2020).
Research projects
- Soil physicochemical properties as well as diversity and composition of plant communities as factors determining the functioning of microorganisms in soils developed on old heaps (warpie) near Trzebinia, Jaworzno and Olkusz (2011–2014); grant no. N N305 018040; Ministry of Science and Higher Education – contractor.
- Interactions of invasive plants with soil microorganisms (2012–2016); grant no. 2011/03/B/NZ8/00008; National Science Centre (NCN) – contractor.
- Ecosystem changes driven by Reynoutria japonica invasion: linking quantity and chemical quality of plant biomass to soil properties (2017–2021); grant no. 2016/23/B/NZ8/00564; National Science Centre (NCN) – contractor.
- The impact of alien tree species – red oak (Quercus rubra L.) – on soil physicochemical properties, soil microbial communities and forest vegetation (2017–2020); grant no. 2016/23/N/NZ8/02778; National Science Centre (NCN) – project leader.
- Changes in diversity and species composition of plant communities in coastal grey dunes due to Rosa rugosa Thunb. invasion: linking soil properties with functional structure of vegetation (2018); grant no. 2017/01/X/NZ8/01805; National Science Centre (NCN) – contractor.
- A comprehensive analysis of interactions between herbaceous plants and soil microbiological and physicochemical properties in temperate deciduous forests as the basis for effective biodiversity protection of these ecosystems (2018–2021); grant no. 2017/27/B/NZ9/01297; National Science Centre (NCN) – contractor.
Recent publications (selected)
Chowaniec K., Zubek S., Zalewska-Gałosz J., Stanek M., Skubała K. 2024. Mosaic of biological soil crusts and vascular plants contributes to the spatial heterogeneity of key soil properties at different successional stages of restored inland sand dunes. Plant and Soil in press. DOI
Móll M., Skubała K., Baran K., Wróbel M., Rożek K., Stanek M., Orzechowska A., Zubek S. 2024. Relationships between microbiological and physicochemical properties of substrata, fungal root colonisation, and plant performance of commercially available ornamental plant species grown in pots. Applied Soil Ecology 201: 105492. DOI
Osyczka P., Kościelniak R., Stanek M. 2024. Old-growth forest versus generalist lichens: Sensitivity to prolonged desiccation stress and photosynthesis reactivation rate upon rehydration. Mycologia 116: 31–43. DOI
Stanek M., Kapusta P., Stefanowicz A.M. 2024. Effect of simulated litterfall and sapling growth of invasive Quercus rubra and native Q. robur on soil in a pot experiment. Forest Ecology and Management 551: 121505. DOI
Zubek S., Rożek K., Chomolowska D., Odriozola I., Větrovský T., Skubała K., Dobler P. T., Stefanowicz A.M., Stanek M., Orzechowska A., Kohout P., Baldrian P. 2024. Dominant herbaceous plants contribute to the spatial heterogeneity of beech and riparian forest soils by influencing fungal and bacterial diversity. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 193: 109405. DOI
Stanek M., Kushwaha P., Murawska-Wlodarczyk K., Stefanowicz A.M., Babst-Kostecka A. 2023. Quercus rubra invasion of temperate deciduous forest stands alters the structure and functions of the soil microbiome. Geoderma 430: 116328. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Kapusta P., Stanek M., Rożek K., Rola K., Zubek S. 2023. Herbaceous plant species and their combinations positively affect soil microorganisms and processes and modify soil physicochemical properties in a mesocosm experiment. Forest Ecology and Management 532: 120826. DOI
Woch M.W., Kapusta P., Stanek M., Możdżeń K., Grześ I.M., Rożej-Pabijan E., Stefanowicz A.M. 2023. Effects of invasive Rosa rugosa on Baltic coastal dune communities depend on dune age. Neobiota 82: 163–187. DOI
Rola K., Rożek K., Chowaniec K., Błaszkowski J., Gielas I., Stanek M., Wietrzyk-Pełka P., Węgrzyn M., Fałowska P., Dziurowicz P., Nicia P, Bejger R., Zadrożny P., Pliszko A., Zalewska-Gałosz J., Zubek S. 2022. Vascular plant and cryptogam abundance as well as soil chemical properties shape microbial communities in the successional gradient of glacier foreland soils. Science of The Total Environment 860: 160550. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Frąc M., Oszust K., Stanek M. 2022. Contrasting effects of extracts from invasive Reynoutria japonica on soil microbial biomass, activity, and community structure. Biological Invasions 24: 3233–3247. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Kapusta P., Stanek M., Rola K., Zubek S. 2022. Herbaceous plant species support soil microbial performance in deciduous temperate forests. Science of the Total Environment 810: 151313. DOI
Zubek S., Kapusta P., Stanek M., Woch M.W., Błaszkowski J. Stefanowicz A.M. 2022. Reynoutria japonica invasion negatively affects arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities regardless of the season and soil conditions. Applied Soil Ecology 169: 104152. DOI
Zubek S., Rola K., Rożek K., Błaszkowski J., Stanek M., Chmolowska D., Chowaniec K., Zalewska-Gałosz J., Stefanowicz A.M. 2022. Experimental assessment of forest floor geophyte and hemicryptophyte impact on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities. Plant and Soil 480: 651–673. DOI
Skórka P., Banach A., Banasiak M., Bokalska-Rajba J., Bonk M., Czachura P., García-Rodríguez A., Gaspar G., Hordyńska N., Kaczmarczyk A., Kapłoniak K., Kociński M., Łopata B., Mazur E., Mirzaei M., Misiewicz A., Parres A., Przystałkowska A., Pustkowiak S., Raczyński M., Sadura I., Splitt A., Stanek M., Sternalski J., Wierzbicka A., Wiorek M., Zduńczyk P. 2021. Congruence between the prioritisation of conservation problems at the local and national scale: an evaluation by environmental scientists in Poland. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28: 35317–35326. DOI
Stanek M., Zubek S., Stefanowicz A.M. 2021. Differences in phenolics produced by invasive Quercus rubra and native plant communities induced changes in soil microbial properties and enzymatic activity. Forest Ecology and Management 482: 118901. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Kapusta P., Stanek M., Frąc M., Oszust K., Woch M.W., Zubek S. 2021. Invasive plant Reynoutria japonica produces large amounts of phenolic compounds and reduces the biomass but not activity of soil microbial communities. Science of the Total Environment 767: 145439. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Rożek K., Stanek M., Rola K., Zubek S. 2021. Moderate effects of tree species identity on soil microbial communities and soil chemical properties in a common garden experiment. Forest Ecology and Management 482: 118799. DOI
Woch M.W., Kapusta P., Stanek M., Zubek S., Stefanowicz A.M. 2021. Functional traits predict resident plant response to Reynoutria japonica invasion in riparian and fallow communities in southern Poland. AoB PLANTS 13: plab035. DOI
Zubek S., Rożek K., Stefanowicz A.M., Błaszkowski J., Stanek M., Gielas I., Rola K. 2021. The impact of beech and riparian forest herbaceous plant species with contrasting traits on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi abundance and diversity. Forest Ecology and Management 492: 119245. DOI
Stanek M., Piechnik Ł., Stefanowicz A.M. 2020. Invasive red oak (Quercus rubra L.) modifies soil physicochemical properties and forest understory vegetation. Forest Ecology and Management 472: 118253. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Banaś A., Stanek M., Woch M.W., Zubek S. 2020. Large differences in biomass quantity and quality between invasive Reynoutria japonica and resident vegetation are not reflected in topsoil physicochemical properties. Geoderma 368: 114307. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Kapusta P., Zubek S., Stanek M., Woch M.W. 2020. Soil organic matter prevails over heavy metal pollution and vegetation as a factor shaping soil microbial communities at historical Zn-Pb mining sites. Chemosphere 240: 124922. DOI
Kapusta P., Stanek M., Szarek-Łukaszewska G., Godzik B. 2019. Long-term moss monitoring of atmospheric deposition near a large steelworks reveals the growing importance of local non-industrial sources of pollution. Chemosphere 230: 29–39. DOI
Stanek M., Stefanowicz A.M. 2019. Invasive Quercus rubra negatively affected soil microbial communities relative to native Quercus robur in a semi-natural forest. Science of the Total Environment 696: 133977. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Stanek M., Majewska M.L., Nobis M., Zubek S. 2019. Invasive plant species identity affects soil microbial communities in a mesocosm experiment. Applied Soil Ecology 136: 168–177. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Zubek S., Stanek M., Grześ I.M., Rożej-Pabijan E., Błaszkowski J., Woch M.W. 2019. Invasion of Rosa rugosa induced changes in soil nutrients and microbial communities of coastal sand dunes. Science of the Total Environment 677: 340–349. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Majewska M.L., Stanek M., Nobis M., Zubek S. 2018. Differential influence of four invasive plant species on soil physicochemical properties in a pot experiment. Journal of Soils and Sediments 18: 1409–1423. DOI
Woch M.W., Radwańska M., Stanek M., Łopata B., Stefanowicz A.M. 2018. Relationships between waste physicochemical properties, microbial activity and vegetation at coal ash and sludge disposal sites. Science of the Total Environment 642: 264–275. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Stanek M., Nobis M., Zubek S. 2017. Few effects of invasive plants Reynoutria japonica, Rudbeckia laciniata and Solidago gigantea on soil physical and chemical properties. Science of the Total Environment 574: 938–946. DOI
Woch M.W., Stefanowicz A.M., Stanek M. 2017. Waste heaps left by historical Zn-Pb ore mining are hotspots of species diversity of beech forest understory vegetation. Science of the Total Environment 599–600: 32–41. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Stanek M., Nobis M., Zubek S. 2016. Species-specific effects of plant invasions on activity, biomass, and composition of soil microbial communities. Biology and Fertility of Soils 52: 841–852. DOI
Stefanowicz A.M., Stanek M., Woch M.W. 2016. High concentrations of heavy metals in beech forest understory plants growing on waste heaps left by Zn-Pb ore mining. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 169: 157–162. DOI