An employment of flow cytometry to plant biosystematics

D e d i c a t e d t o m y p a r e n t s , g r a n d m o t h e r a n d m y w i f e R a d k a. .. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It would have been very difficult to complete this thesis if my friends and colleagues had not helped me in so many ways. I am very indebted to Jaroslav Doležel and his co-workers from the Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Cytometry, Olomouc (mainly Martin A. Lysák, Jan Vrána and Jan Bartoš) for the introduction to the flow cytometry arena and for their strong encouragement from the very beginning of my own work. They set high standard and I have done my best to follow their way knowing that 'all peaks should be very narrow and symmetrical'. A huge majority of measurements have been performed at the Laboratory of flow cytometry, Průhonice. I have shared that workplace with Anna Krahulcová and we spent many hours discussing both the current contribution and long-term perspectives of cytometric techniques in plant biosystematics. The manuscripts were reviewed by my supervisor Jan Kirschner who offered numerous comments, amendments and remarks, and also provided conversion from Czenglish to English. My thanks should be extended to many other colleagues from both of my employers (Charles University in Prague and Institute of Botany, Průhonice) who contributed to the friendly atmosphere and gave several interesting ideas and suggestions about cytometric analyses. Both items are to the same degree applicable to several of my students. Special acknowledgement deserve all my friends outside the flow cytometric world, notably those grouped in the BPR. We have gone through countless pleasant and funny experiences over years and they always remembered me that not only peaks are part of the life. I would like to give a warmest thank for their understanding and support to my parents, grandmother, and particularly to my wife Radka. She was of immense patience when I was spending days and nights among lenses, cuvettes and fluorochromes, and always stood by me with her charming smile when she was urgently needed. A comprehensive list of friends and colleagues who have had direct or indirect impact on my thesis would cover several pages and it was extremely difficult to single out a few foregoing names. Finally, to all of you-either mentioned or not – …