SC5-9-2014: Consolidating the European Research Area on biodiversity and ecosystem services Refuges - a potential source of new biologically active substances The Balkan Peninsula, where Serbia is situated, is a dendroflora diversity centre, home to forests comprised of relict, endemic, economically important (or potentially important) and endangered forest species, unique in time and space. Serbia’s gorges, canyon valleys and mountain massifs represent particularly rich reservoirs and treasure troves of the genofund. It is these refugia that have enabled the preservation and reproduction of the rich and varied flora, particularly tertiary relicts and endemorelicts, and represent veritable museums in vivo of special scientific and economic importance - many autochthonous plants are potential natural sources of new bioactive substances. Curriculum Vitae Research group members: Dr Srdjan BOJOVIĆ principal research fellow, dr Zorica POPOVIĆ senior research associate, dr Rada MATIĆ senior research associate, Milena STEFANOVIĆ research trainee, Vera VIDAKOVIĆ research trainee Research Group Leader DrSrdjanBojović, principal research fellow Nationality: Serbian Professional address: Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, Bul. Despota Stefana 142, Belgrade, Serbia Tel: +381 11 2078 365 Fax: +381 11 27 61 433 Email:
[email protected] WWW: http://www.ibiss.bg.ac.rs/ RESEARCH FOKUS AND KEY WORDS Study of plant diversity (chemovariability, genetic variability, taxonomy, sexuality, conservation and protection of aromatic, rare, endemic, endangered and economically important plants, especially forest trees) using biochemical markers (i.e. essential oils, terpenes, steroids, fatty acids, alcans, flavonoids) and molecular genetic markers (i.e. micro-satellites, PCR-RAPD, isozymes) combined with multivariate statistical analysis and geographic information system technology (GIS).