Area of research

My main research areas are animal ecology, physiology and behaviour. Recently, I focus my research to physiology, especially to the study of metabolism in ectotherms, with a specific focus on lizards. My recent work includes using climate chambers to test trait responses of membranes and metabolic capacity to variable conditions in ectothermic organisms and using model organisms with a widespread distribution from environmental gradients that function as natural experimental laboratories. In collaboration with the Functional Biodiversity research group at CIBIO-InBIO institute in Portugal, I was involved in a successful application of a research project in 2018 on climate change responses in Gallotia lizards in Tenerife, where we will try to disentangle the background evolutionary processes involved in physiological constraints to climate change in lizards. In 2020, I have won a national research project from the Slovenian research agency that elaborates the ongoing project in Portugal, extending the area to water loss in ectotherms. We will look into the structural properties of skin in lizards and their involvement in water retention abilities. Moreover, water retention abilities will be investigated to understand their adaptation vs. plasticity potential.

Apart from my scientific research, I also have interests to contribute to the international scientific community, and regularly participate in scientific committees or organize international workshops or conferences in the topic of my research. Since 2016, I am a member of the Editorial board of the journal Herpetology Notes. Since the beginning of my career, I also actively participate in different nature conservation projects. In 2019, I also became the national representative (from Slovenia) in the COST action on pesticide risk assessments of amphibians and reptiles. Moreover, I have been involved in several LIFE conservation projects where I gained valuable experience in applied nature conservation.

Education and Academic Career

• 2002 - 2008: Undergraduate study-University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Biology department
• 2008: Graduation (M.Sc.) thesis: “Importance of open areas in forest landscape for reptiles (Reptilia).”
• 2008 - 2016: Postgraduate study-University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Biology department
• 2016: PhD thesis: “Interspecific competition between the Common wall lizard and the Horvath's rock lizard.”

Current Position

• Researcher position - Research Associate at National institute of Biology (NIB), Ljubljana (Sep 2017-ongoing)
• External Research collaborator position at CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, University of Porto (Jan 2017-ongoing)

Previous Employment

• Visiting Researcher position at Zoology Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald (Jul-Aug 2017)
• Researcher position at University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department for Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources (Feb-Jul 2017)
• Ph.D. Research position at CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, University of Porto (2012-2016)
• Researcher position at University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology (2010-2011)

Project Leadership and Participation

• Project leader (PI) of the Slovenian Research Agency research project “WETADAPT – adaptive and plasticity potential of ectotherm physiology to respond to climate change” (num. J1-2466, period 2020-2023) at National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana
• ITC CG Coordinator, MC Member from Slovenia and COST Expert of the COST Action “PERIAMAR - PEsticide RIsk AssessMent for Amphibians and Reptiles” (num. CA18221, period 2019-2023) at National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana
• Expert position (Reptile expert) for the LIFE-IP project “Natura.si - Life integrated project for enhanced management of Natura 2000 in Slovenia” (num. LIFE 17 IPE SI 011, period: 2018-2026) at National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana
• Project manager of the LIFE project “Naturaviva – Biodiversity Art of Life” (num. LIFE16 GIE/SI/000711, period: 2017-2022) at National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana
• Research collaborator from external institution of the project “GCRESPONSE A reptile model and 3600 m of altitudinal gradient to infer the ectotherm responses to global change in Portugal” (num. 28014 02/SAICT/2017, period: 2018-2021) at CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, University of Porto
• Research collaborator from external institution of the project “Influence of climatic variables on the incidence of parasitic diseases” (num. CGL2015-67789-C2-1-P, period: 2016-2018) at National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
• Visiting researcher (small independent research grant) at the project “RESPONSE-Experimental study of climate change impacts on physiology (metabolic potential and oxidative stress) under simulated conditions in climate chambers on a model species of butterflies, Pieris napi” (num. 17/Wi02, period: Jul-Aug 2017) at University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
• Leader of the small research project “Does Visiting metabolism play a role in altitudinal segregation patterns of terrestrial ectotherms? A multiple-species test with invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles” (num. JEBTF-141206, period: Apr-Jun 2015) at National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Leader of the doctoral project “Interspecific competition between sympatric lizards of genera Podarcis and Iberolacerta: experimental tests and conservation implications” (num. SFRH/BD/81324/2011, period 2012-2016) at CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, University of Porto
• Project manager of the LIFE project “SloWolf - Conservation and surveillance of conservation status of wolf (Canis lupus) population in Slovenia (num. LIFE08 NAT/SLO/000244”, period: 2010-2013)

Scientific Appointments

• Scientific Committee member of the World Herpetology Congress (2020)
• Collaborator of the Functional Biodiversity Research group at CIBIO/InBio, Portugal (since 2017)
• Scientific Committee member of the International Symposium on the Lacertids of the Mediterranean Basin (since 2016)
• Member of the Editorial board and Managing Editor of Herpetology Notes (since 2016)
• Member of the Organizing Committee and Lecturer at the Ph.D/postdoc course “Theory of thermal adaptation and practical aspects of studies in vertebrate ectotherm species«, CIBIO/InBIO, University of Porto (2016)
• Leader of the Organizing Committee of the 8th Symposium on the Lacertids of the Mediterranean Basin, Koper, Slovenia (2013)
• Member of the Editorial board of Trdoživ-Newsletter of Slovenian field biologists (since 2012)
• Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) Network (since 2018)
• Namibian Environment & Wildlife Society (since 2013)
• Societas europaea herpetological (since 2009)
• Slovenian Herpetological society - Societas herpetologica slovenica (since 2003), positions: president (2015-2018), vice-president (2010-2015), treasurer (2008-2009)

Selected publications

• MEGÍA-PALMA, R., L. ARREGUI, I. POZO, A. ŽAGAR, N. SERÉN, M. A. CARRETERO, S. MERINO. (2020): Geographic patterns of stress in insular lizards reveal anthropogenic and climatic signatures. Science of The Total Environment 749 (2020): 141655. (IF=6.6)
• GARCIA-PORTA, J., IRISARRI, I., KIRCHNER, M., RODRÍGUEZ, A., KIRCHHOF, S., BROWN, J. L., MACLEOD, A., TURNER, A. P., AHMADZADEH, F., ALBALADEJO, G., ŽAGAR, A., et al. (2019): Environmental temperatures shape thermal physiology as well as diversification and genome-wide substitution rates in lizards. Nature communications. 2019, 10, 1-12. (IF=11.9)
• ŽAGAR, A., CARRETERO, M.A., MARGUČ, D., SIMČIČ, T., VREZEC A. (2018): A metabolic syndrome in terrestrial ectotherms with different elevational and distribution patterns. Ecography, 41, 10, 1728-1739. (IF=4.5)
• ŽAGAR, A., HOLMSTRUP, M., SIMČIČ, T., DEBELJAK, B., SLOTSBO, S. (2018): Comparing Enchytraeus albidus populations from contrasting climatic environments suggest a link between cold tolerance and metabolic activity. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A, 224, 35-41. (IF=2.0)
• ŽAGAR, A., CARRETERO, M.A., VREZEC, A., DRAŠLER, K. & KALIONTZOPOULOU, A. (2017): Towards a functional understanding of species coexistence: ecomorphological variation in relation to whole-organism performance in two sympatric lizards. Functional Ecology, 31, 9, 1780-1791. (IF=5.0)

Links

Profiles on scholarly portals: SICRIS (SLO), Google Scholar, ResearchGate, ORCID.

Personal bibliography (COBISS)