“Taxonomy is not just about naming plants. It is a fundamental discipline of biology, without which we cannot protect biodiversity or understand how ecosystems function.”
Prof. RNDr. Karol Marhold, DrSc., is one of Europe’s leading botanists. His scientific career is primarily associated with plant systematics and taxonomy - a field that explores how plants are related, how they evolved, and how to correctly classify them within the evolutionary system. He specializes in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) and the genus Cardamine, within which he has contributed significant insights into their evolution and diversity, though he has also worked with other plant groups.
Although species identification may seem like a thing of the past, Marhold explains that taxonomy is more important today than ever. “Taxonomy is not just about naming plants. It is a fundamental discipline of biology, without which we cannot protect biodiversity or understand how ecosystems function,” he emphasizes.
His research also focuses on the phenomenon of polyploidy, where plants possess more than two sets of chromosomes. Polyploidy is one of the main drivers of plant evolution, enabling the emergence of new species with distinct traits. Together with colleagues, he uses modern molecular and bioinformatics methods to uncover how this process has shaped the diversity of numerous plant groups and contributed to their adaptation to various conditions.
Karol Marhold has long been involved in building European and global infrastructures for biodiversity research. He has represented Slovakia in numerous European projects that connect major botanical institutions and has contributed to the development of databases and tools that allow efficient processing of vast amounts of plant data. “In the digital age, having high-quality data is just as important as having physical specimens in herbaria,” he says.
He serves as a senior researcher at the Institute of Botany within the Plant Biology and Biodiversity Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), where he has mentored many PhD students who have gone on to work at prestigious institutions both in Slovakia and abroad. His scientific impact extends beyond Slovakia. As a professor of botany at Charles University in Prague, he has educated generations of students who continue his work. For twelve years, he served as the Secretary-General of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy and for nearly twenty years contributed to the development of international rules for naming plant species. Through a combination of research, teaching, and international collaboration, he has become a respected authority in his field. He has also held several leadership roles within the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
An important part of his mission is the popularization of botany. Marhold believes that understanding plants is essential not only for scientists but for society as a whole. Plants are the foundation of our existence - they provide food, oxygen, medicine, and materials. “If we lose plant diversity, we also lose the stability of ecosystems that nourish and protect us,” he reminds us.
In his free time, he enjoys returning to nature, which is not only the subject of his research but also a source of peace and inspiration. With the same passion he applies to studying evolutionary mechanisms in plants, he speaks about the beauty of common species growing around us. His goal is to ensure that botany is not seen as an “old science,” but as a modern discipline playing a key role in addressing the challenges of the 21st century.
