Home / The University / Faculties / Faculty of Biology / Structures / Departments / Ecology and Environmental Protection / Lecturers / Prof. Daniela Simeonovska-Nikolova, PhD

   

Phone: (+359 2) 8167 216
E-mail: mammals@abv.bg

P8312233

 

Office Address: Sofia University, Faculty of Biology, Dept. of Ecology and protection of nature, 8 Dragan Tsankov blvd., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria

Phone: (+359) 2 8167 216

E-mail: mammals@abv.bg

 

Education and degrees:

1983 – MSc, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

1994 - PhD, Faculty of Biology; Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", specialty "Ecology and Ecosystem protection"

 

 

Employment:

1984-1989 – Expert biologist, Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, Ministry of Interior, Sofia, Bulgaria

1989-1994 – PhD Student, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of Biology

1995-1996 – Expert in Coordination of the International (Bilateral) scientific collaboration, Ministry of Education and Science, Sofia, Bulgaria

1997-1998 – Assistant Professor at the Institute of Zoology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

1998-2009 – Head Assistant Professor, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of Biology

2009-2017 – Associate Professor, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of Biology

2017- present – Professor, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of Biology

Lectures and courses:

1. Ethology

2. Ecology and environmental protection

3. Ecological monitoring (vertebrates)

4. Methods of ecological research (vertebrates)

5. Bioresources and their protection (animal resources)

6. Population and behavioral ecology

Research interests: ethology, population and behavioural ecology, conservation biology

Model taxa: vertebrates, mainly mammals - species composition, abundance and demography, socio-spatial structure and organization of populations, social relationships, behavioral strategies, communications, learning and memory

Selected publications:

  1. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2000. Strategies in open field behaviour of Mus spicilegus and Mus musculus musculus. Belgian Journal of Zoology, 130 (Supplement): 119-124.
  2. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2003. Social relationships and social structure of mound-building mouse (Mus spicilegus) in intraspecific cage groups. Acta Ethologica, 6 (1): 39-45.
  3. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2004. Seasonal changes in social behaviour and spatial structure of Crocidura leucodon in north-western Bulgaria. Acta Theriologica 49 (2): 167-179.
  4. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2006. Social Interactions in the Striped-field Mouse Apodemus agrarius (Mammalia: Rodentia, Muridae) Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 58 (1): 93-100.
  5. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2007. Interspecific social interactions and behavioral responses of Apodemus agrarius and Apodemus flavicollis to conspecific and heterospecific odors. Journal of Ethology, 25 (1): 41-48.
  6. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2007. Spatial organization of mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus in the region of northern Bulgaria – Acta Zoologica Sinica 53 (1):22-28.
  7. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2008. A comparison of social behavior in two rodents species: implications for the mating system of the mound-building mice Mus spicilegus. Journal of Natural History. 42 (5–8): 279–287.
  8. Simeonovska-Nikolova D., Mehmed Sh. 2009. Behavior of mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus during autumn-winter period in captivity. Biotechnol. & Biotechnol. Eq. 23:180-183.
  9. Simeonovska-Nikolova D, V Stefanov and H Gagov 2010. Behavioural responses of mound-building mice Mus spicilegus to odours of their immediate and more distant conspecific neighbours: Communication between males In proceeding of 12th International Conference on Rodent Biology Rodens et Spatium, July, 19-23, 2010, Zonguldak, Türkiye, 90-98
  10. Simeonovska-Nikolova D, M Lomlieva 2012. Sociosexual Behavior of female mound-building mice, Mus spicilegus, in a forced-pairing experiment. Natural & Mathematical Science Volume II, Number 3, 1-5.
  11. Simeonovska-Nikolova D. 2012. Neighbuor Relationships and Spacing Behaviour of Mound-building Mouse, Mus spicilegus (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Summer.Acta Zool. Bulg., 64 (2), 2012: 135-143.
  12. Simeonovska-Nikolova D, O Dekov 2013. Some Aspects of the Behavior and Defensive Vocalization of the Romanian Hamster, Mesocricetus newtoni, Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 65 (4), 2013: 461-468
  13. Lukanov S., N. Tzankov & D. Simeonovska-Nikolova 2013. A comparative study of the mating call of Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) and P. kurtmuelleri (Gayda, 1940) from syntopic and allotopic populations. Journal of Natural History DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2013.791942
  14. Uzunova E, S Studenkov and D Simeonovska-Nikolova 2014. A field study on using artificial substrate for nesting of introduced pumpkinseed sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758), Animal Biology 64 (2014) 115–124.
  15. Simeonovska-Nikolova D, M Beltcheva, A Larion, V Nistreanu, R Metcheva 2014.. Variations in the mound size of mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus between Bulgaria and Moldova. Bulg J Agric Sci,, 20 (Supplement 1) 2014, 125–128
  16. Simeonovska-Nikolova D, V Golemansky 2015. Behavioural Response of Mound-building Mouse, Mus spicilegus (Petenyi, 1882) to Coccidian Parasites (Eucoccidia: Eimeriidae) Comptes rendus de l’Acade'mie bulgare des Sciences, Vol 68, No11, pp.1387-1392.
  17. Simeonovska-Nikolova D. 2016. Vocalization of stone marten, Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777) (Mammalia, Carnivora) during mating period.Comptes rendus de l’Acad´emie bulgare des Sciences, 69, 1: 51-56.
  18. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D., A. Savov, S. Lukanov 2016. Spatial distribution and relationships between Apodemus sylvaticus and Apodemus flavicollis in a syntopic habitat in Southwest Bulgaria during breeding season. Silva Balkanica, 17 (1): 41-50.
  19. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2016. Attraction–avoidance response of mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus in agroecosystems to conspecific and heterospecific odours. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 22 (5):740-744.
  20. Emilova, R., D.Z. Dimitrova, M. Mladenov, N. Hadzi-Petrushev, T. Daneva, P. Padeshki, R. Schubert, M. Chichova, L. Lubomirov, D. Simeonovska-Nikolova, H. Gagov 2016. Diabetes converts arterial regulation by perivascular adipose tissue from relaxation into H2O2-mediated contraction. Physiological research, 65 (5):799-807.
  21. Telenchev, I., D. Simeonovska-Nikolova, R. Tzonev 2017. Habitat use and activity of adult European glass lizard, Pseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775) in South-Eastern Bulgaria. Turkish Journal of Zoology. 41: 286-293.

Textbooks and manuels:

Ivanov, R., D. Simeonovska-Nikolova, V. Delov, 2007. Foundations of Ethology and Physiology of Behaviour. Sofia,“ St. Kliment Ohridski” University Publishing House, 394 pp. (In Bulgarian)

Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2016. Methodological Aspects in Behavioral Studies, Sofia, Gea-Libris Publishing Housе, 64 pp. (In Bulgarian)

Participation in conferences:

  1. Simeonovska, D. 1998. Intraspecific and interspecific behavioural interactions in Mus spicilegus Petenyi and Mus musculus musculus Linnaeus. 6 th International Conference “Rodents & Spatium”, Acre, Israel, 3– 8. May 1998.
  2. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 1999. Adaptation and strategies in open field behaviour of Mus spicilegus and Mus musculus musculus. 8th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions, Kavala 17-21 May1999, Hellenic Zoological Society, 129-130 pp.
  3. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2006. A comparison of social behavior of two rodents’ species: implications for the mating system of the mound-building mouse Mus spicilegus. 10th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions, 26-30 June 2006, Patras, Greece, p. 82.
  4. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D., V. Bogoev 2006. Vocal communication in the striped-field mouse Apodemus agrarius. 10th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions, 26-30 June 2006, Patras, Greece, p. 204.
  5. Lopes, F.A., M.S. Magnusson, A. Racca, D. Simeonovska-Nikolova, C. Baudoin 2007. Facial movement production in a Bulgarian population. Fifth Meeting of the European Research Group Methodology For The Analysis Of Social Interaction. September 7.-9. 2007, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary.
  6. Lopes, F.A., M.S. Magnusson, A. Racca, D. Simeonovska-Nikolova, C. Baudoin 2009. Gender differences in facial movement production: a case study. Symposium 24, Causality/Mechanisms, 31st International Ethological Conference, 19-24 August, Rennes, France.
  7. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D. 2009. Effect of familiarity on social relationships and spacing behavior of mound-building mouse Mus spicilegus in summer. 11th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions, 21-25 September 2009, Herakleion, Crete, Greece, p.184.
  8. Simeonovska-Nikolova D, V. Stefanov and H. Gagov 2010. Behavioural responses of mound-building mice Mus spicilegus to odours of their immediate and more distant conspecific neighbours: Communication between males. 12th International Conference Rodens et Spatium on Rodent Biology, July, 19-23, 2010, Zonguldak, Türkiye, p. 83
  9. Lukanov, S., N. Tzankov, D. Simeonovska-Nikolova 2012. A comparative study of the mating call of Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) and P. kurtmuelleri (Gayda, 1940) from syntopic and allotopic populations. 12th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions, Athens, Greece, 18-22 June, 2012.
  10. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D., Orlin Dekov 2012. Aspects of the behavior and acoustic vocalization of the Romanian hamster, Mesocricetus newtoni. The Fourth Annual Zoological Congress of "Grigore Antipa" Museum (CZGA), 21-23 November 2012, Bucharest, Rumania, p. 218.
  11. Lukanov S., N. Tzankov, D. Simeonovska-Nikolova 2012. A comparative study of the mating call of the marsh frog Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas 1771) in Bulgaria. The Fourth Annual Zoological Congress of "Grigore Antipa" Museum (CZGA), 21-23 November 2012, Bucharest, Rumania, p. 181.
  12. Simeonovska-Nikolova, D., M. Beltcheva, A. Larion, V. Nistreanu, R. Metcheva. 2013. Variations in the mound size of mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus between Bulgaria and Moldova. International Conference “Kliment`s Days” – 2013. 20-22 November, Sofia, Book of abstracts, p. 144.

Current Projects:

2008: “Spatial organization, behavior and communications of dominant rodent species, Muridae family”, funded by NSF – SU.

2009: “On the behavioral mechanisms related with spatial and ethological structure of populations of dominant rodent species”, funded by NSF – SU.

2010: „Behavioral strategies and ecology of vulnerable, threatened as well as invasive species - mammals and fishes: conservation approaches and control of invasions“, funded by NSF – SU.

2012: „Effects of interspecific relationships and anthropogenic noise on the behavior and ecology of amphibians from Ranidae family“, funded by NSF – SU.

2013: „Behavioral response of amphibians to different audio stimuli“, funded by NSF – SU.

2015: „Habitat choice and preferences of species from Anguidae family in Bulgaria“, funded by NSF – SU.

2011 – 2013: “Mapping and identification of the conservation status of habitats and species, Phase 1”, funded by Operational Program "Environment 2007-2013", Priority Axis 3 "BG161PO005/09/31/01/08 - Development of Natura 2000 network", Lot 4 – mammals.

2015-2016: „Ecosystem services mapping and assessment of heathland and shrubs ecosystems in Bulgaria – outside NATURA 2000″ (SHE-BG), funded under the program BG03 "Biodiversity and ecosystems in Bulgaria" under the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism.

Other professional activities:

Referee of Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Journal of Mammalogy, North-Western Journal of Zoology, Acta Zoologica Bulgarica