Lenka Kuglerová

I am a senior lecturer in forest management with the focus on riparian and aquatic ecosystems. I study the interaction of terrestrial and aquatic processes and how they drive ecosystem services, forest production, species diversity, distribution of organisms, and biogeochemical cycling. In the applied aspect of my research I focus on how are these interactions threatened by land development, including forestry, across multiple spatial scales. My long-term goal is to is to contribute to the best-management-practices around streams and rivers in order to sustain healthy waters. 

In my research I address numerous topics:

1. RIPARIAN FOREST MANAGEMENT

The standard mitigation measure to protect freshwater ecosystems during forest harvest is the retention of riparian buffers. Buffers are known to be somewhat effective in water protection and thus they are required in forestry. However, current guidelines for buffer designs are vague and based on simple classifications (e.g. streams naturalness). Mine and others research has shown that riparian corridors are heterogeneous in both biotic and abiotic aspects across small spatial scales and thus, fixed-width uniform buffers can fail to protect riparian and freshwater ecosystem integrity.  Variable-width buffers should be thus accepted as standard practice and their design should be based on hydrology within the riparian zone as well as other ecological aspectis (such as species composition), for example retaining wider buffers at discharge and narrower buffers at non-discharge areas. Together with this, buffer management can emulate natural disturbances such as wind throws and insect outbreaks, to resemble the most naturally looking and functioning riparian forests. Finally, in the managed forests of Sweden, riparian buffers are often composed of mature spruces that easily blow down, which poses further disturbances to the streams. My applied reserach aims to find out the best solution for riparian buffer configuration in boreal managed frorests. Further, small streams are often compromised when it comes to allocation of riparian buffers and they experience various disturbances due to e.g., complete riparian canopy removal, blowdowns of remaining trees, or machine driving, which triggers number of negative impacts on water quality, quantity and ecological communities. It is starting to be increasingly evident that compromising buffers along the smallest streams also poses threats to downstream environments. Thus, allocation of protective measures downstream might be misplaced, if water from upstream headwaters arrives already impaired. 

Current project: BlueLeadsGreen (lead by E.M. Hasselquist)

2. RIPARIAN AND AQUATIC ECOLOGY

Every stream and river has its riparian zone - the narrow fringe of forest directly adjacent to water. In my research I am looking at the factors which drive species diversity, soil biogeochemistry and hydrology in riparian ecosystems. I am interested in how connectivity of rivers interact with species traits for dispersal and changes in downstream abiotic processes, to determine riparian plant metacommunity structure. I study riparian ecosystems in forested watersheds to understand the basic ecological links between physical habitat and its communities but I am also expanding my questions to watersheds modified by various land use such as forestry, agriculture and urbanization. 

Recently, I have also turned my attention to aquatic systems. Small streams have long been overlooked in biodiversity assessments and conservation efforts, despite offering unique habitats for a wide range of organisms. These systems are highly heterogeneous, both at small and large spatial scales.In Sweden, many small waterways have been artificially created as ditches, and numerous natural streams have been straightened and deepened. We know very little about the biodiversity and ecological functions of these modified or artificial streams. Unlike natural streams, they are often excluded from environmental monitoring and lack formal protection. My group explores the biodiversity of various types of small waterways, focusing on different organism groups, including diatoms, bacteria, and macroinvertebrates.

Current project: AquaBioEx

3. MULTIPE STRESSORS

My research also explores how multiple, interacting stressors—like forestry and climate-driven droughts or floods—impact aquatic and riparian ecosystems in boreal landscapes. I combine ecology, hydrology, and applied environmental science to understand how pressures such as sedimentation, nutrient loading, and extreme weather affect biodiversity and ecosystem health. Using experiments (like stream mesocosms and field manipulations), long-term observations, and national monitoring data, my group study these effects across both space and time. Our findings show that current riparian management often falls short when stressors combine—and that ecosystems don’t always recover, even when pressures are removed. By working closely with forestry stakeholders, I also help co-develop adaptive management strategies and improve policy tools like riparian buffer guidelines. This work supports more climate-resilient, science-based management of forests and water.

Current project: AquaBioEx and VR stressors

Course coordinator (SLU): 

Sustainable Management of Boreal Forests

Analysis of Environmental Data 1

Pedagogic price for exemplary teaching at SLU (to individual teacher) 2022. 

2021 - Docentship in Skoghushållning (forest management)

2018-2021 - Associate Senior Lecturer at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Umeå, Sweden

2015-2017 - Postdoctoral fellow at University of British Columbia, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Vancouver, Canada

2015-2016 - Postdoctoral associate at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Umeå, Sweden

2015 - Doctoral Degree in Ecology, Umeå University, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå, Sweden

2010 - Master of Science in Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Umeå, Sweden

2008 - Bachelor of Landscape Studies, Faculty of Environmental science, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

Current PhD students: 

• Ruben Baah Hofman (main supervisor)
• Cedric Bagheri Åkermark (main supervisor)
• Ernie Haglund (co-supervisor)
• Matous Jimel (Umeå Univeristy, co-supervisor)
• Kai Sven Onken (Umeå Univeristy, co-supervisor)

Finished PhD students: 

• Dr. Stefan Ploum (co-supervisor)
• Dr. Johanes Larsson (co-supervisor)
• Dr. Artis Besc (co-supervisor)

Current postdocs: 

• Bridget White (main supervisor, starting in September 2025)
• Marija Cosovic (co-supervisor)

Finished postdocs: 

• Dr. Maria Myrstener (main supervisor)
• Dr. Darshanaa Chellaiah (main supervisor)

Kuglerová, L., Baan Hofman, R., Lundqvist, E., 2025. Differences in structure, diversity and ecological functions of riparian forests in production stands and nature reserves in Sweden. Scand. J. For. Res. 7581, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2025.2519143

Myrstener, M., Greiser, C., Kuglerová, L., 2025. Downstream temperature effects of boreal forest clearcutting vary with riparian buffer width. Water Resour. Res. 61, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037705

Kuglerová, L., Richardson, J.S., Muotka, T., Chellaiah, D., Jyväsjärvi, J., 2024. Protecting our streams by defining clear targets for riparian management. J. Appl. Ecol. 61, 206–2014. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14549

Haase, P., ...Kuglerová, L., et al. 2023. The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt. Nature 620, 582–588. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06400-1

Kuglerová, L., Nilsson, G. & Hasselquist, E. M. 2023. Too much, too soon ? Two Swedish case studies of short-term deadwood recruitment in riparian buffers. Ambio 52. 

Chellaiah, D., and L. Kuglerová. 2021. Are riparian buffers surrounding forestry-impacted streams sufficient to meet key ecological objectives? A Swedish case study. Forest Ecology and Management 499.

Hasselquist, E., L. Kuglerová, J. Sjögren, J. Hjältén, E. Ring, R. A. Sponseller, E. Andersson, J. Lundström, et al. 2021. Moving towards multi-layered, mixed-species forests in riparian buffers will enhance their long-term function in boreal landscapes. Forest Ecology and Management 493.

Kuglerová, L., Hasselquist, E.M., Sponseller, R.A., Muotka, T., Hallsby, G., Laudon, H., 2021. Multiple stressors in small streams in the forestry context of Fennoscandia: The effects in time and space. Sci. Total Environ 756.

Kuglerová, L., Jyväsjärvi, J., Ruffing, C., Muotka, T., Jonsson, A., Andersson, E., Richardson, J.S. 2020. Cutting Edge: A comparison of contemporary practices of riparian buffer retention around small streams in Canada, Finland, and Sweden. Water Resource Research 56.

Kuglerová, L., García, L., Pardo, I., Mottiar, Y., Richardson, J. S. 2017. Does leaf litter from invasive plants contribute the same support of a stream ecosystem function as native vegetation? Ecosphere 8(4):e01779. 10.1002/ecs2.1779

Kuglerová, L., Jansson, R., Sponseller, R. A., Laudon, H., Malm-Renöfält, B. 2015. Local and regional processes determine plant species richness in a river-network metacommunity. Ecology 96: 381-391.

Kuglerová, L., Ågren, A., Jansson, R., Laudon, H. 2014. Towards optimizing riparian buffer zones: Ecological and biogeochemical implications for forest management. Forest Ecology and Management 334: 74-84.

Kuglerová, L., Jansson, R., Ågren, A., Laudon, H., Malm-Renöfält, B. 2014. Groundwater discharge creates hotspots of riparian plant species richness in a boreal forest stream network. Ecology 95: 715-725.