Viktor TÓTH, PhD

Viktor Tóth has worked in the field of plant ecological physiology for 30 years, specialising in the ecophysiology and ecology of aquatic plants. His main area of interest is the importance of trait variability (phenotypic plasticity) in macrophytes and plants in general, and its ecological and evolutionary significance. He conducts research into the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on the growth, production and distribution of macrophytes. He studies the influence of macrophytes on littoral zones of shallow freshwater lakes, including increased sedimentation and nutrient accumulation at the shoreline, changes to the light environment in close proximity to emergent and submerged macrophytes, and the impact of macrophyte decomposition on carbon and nutrient cycling in littoral zones. He has also researched the interclonal/intraspecific competition of macrophytes and studied the phenology of these plants. He is interested in the differences in the morphological, physiological and phenological variability of native and invasive macrophytes.

Most studied species

Phragmites australis, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Myriophyllum spicatum, Trapa natans, Nuphar lutea, Ludwigia grandiflora, Nelumbo nucifera

Publications

• Li, H., Somogyi, B., Chen, X., Luo, Z., Blix, K., Wu, S., ... & Tóth, V. R. (2025). Leveraging Landsat and Google Earth Engine for long-term chlorophyll-a monitoring: A case study of Lake Balaton's water quality. Ecological Informatics, 103245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103245
• Tóth, V. R. (2025). The impact of epiphytic algae on the foliar traits of Potamogeton perfoliatus. Frontiers in Plant Science, 16, 1561709. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1561709
• Castro Márquez, S. O., Tóth, V. R., Kolchanova, S., Wolfsberger, W. W., & Oleksyk, T. K. (2025). A long-read sequencing approach to high-resolution profiling of bacterioplankton diversity in a shallow freshwater lake. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 12224. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96558-7
• Tóth, V. R. (2025). Synchrony of algal blooms in neighbouring lakes: connectivity or territoriality. Hydrobiologia, 852(6), 1499-1516. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-024-05751-8
• Tóth, V. R. (2025). Photosynthetic traits of Phragmites australis along an ecological gradient and developmental stages. Frontiers in Plant Science, 15, 1476142. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1476142
• Triest, L., Bossaer, L., Hailu, A. B., Mäemets, H., Terer, T., Tóth, V. R., & Sierens, T. (2025). A Pleistocene legacy of gene pools, ecodemes and admixtures of Stuckenia pectinata (L.) Börner as evidenced from microsatellites, complete chloroplast genomes and ribosomal RNA cistron (Europe, Africa). Aquatic Botany, 196, 103825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2024.103825
• Li, H., Sun, J., Zhou, Q., Sojka, M., Ptak, M., Luo, Y., ... & Tóth, V. R. (2024). 150-year daily data (1870–2021) in lakes and rivers reveals intensifying surface water warming and heatwaves in the Pannonian Ecoregion (Hungary). Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 56, 101985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101985
• Li, H., Somogyi, B., & Tóth, V.R. (2024). Exploring spatiotemporal features of surface water temperature for Lake Balaton in the 21st century based on Google Earth Engine. Journal of Hydrology, 640, 131672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131672
• Boukheloua, R., Mukherjee, I., Park, H., Šimek, K., Kasalický, V., Ngochera, M., Tóth, V.R. ... & Ghai, R. (2024). Global freshwater distribution of Telonemia protists. The ISME journal, 18(1), wrae177. https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wrae177
• Tóth, V. R. (2024). Making temporal dynamics relevant: the role of macrophytes in the phenological complexity of a shallow freshwater lake. Ecohydrology, 17(6), e2663. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2663
• Tóth, V. R. (2024). Vertical optical complexity shaped by submerged macrophytes. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 5100. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55824-w
• Tóth, V. R. (2023). Exploring the functional connectivity between the Kis-Balaton Water Protection System and Lake Balaton using satellite data. Aquatic Sciences, 85(4), 106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-023-01005-2
• Villa, P., Bolpagni, R., Pinardi, M., & Tóth, V. R. (2021). Leaf reflectance can surrogate foliar economics better than physiological traits across macrophyte species. Plant Methods, 17, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-021-00816-4
• Bernát, G., Zavřel, T., Kotabová, E., Kovács, L., Steinbach, G., Vörös, L., ... & Tóth, V. R. (2021). Photomorphogenesis in the picocyanobacterium cyanobium gracile includes increased phycobilisome abundance under blue light, phycobilisome decoupling under near far-red light, and wavelength-specific photoprotective strategies. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 612302. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.612302
• Szabó-Tugyi, N., & Tóth, V. R. (2020). Interaction among bacterioplankton and macrophytes in shallow lakes with high macrophyte cover. Aquatic Sciences, 82(4), 79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-020-00753-9
• Stratoulias, D., & Tóth, V. R. (2020). Photophysiology and spectroscopy of sun and shade leaves of Phragmites australis and the effect on patches of different densities. Remote Sensing, 12(1), 200. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12010200
• Tóth, V. R., Villa, P., Pinardi, M., & Bresciani, M. (2019). Aspects of invasiveness of Ludwigia and Nelumbo in shallow temperate fluvial lakes. Frontiers in plant science, 10, 647. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00647
• Bresciani, M., Giardino, C., Villa, P., Pinardi, M., Bolpagni, R., Vaičiūtė, D., ... & Tóth, V. (2019, January). Using APEX data to study phytoplankton and macrophytes in inland water ecosystems. In Geophysical Research Abstracts (Vol. 21). ISSN 1029-7006
• Stratoulias, D., Balzter, H., Zlinszky, A., & Tóth, V. R. (2018). A comparison of airborne hyperspectral-based classifications of emergent wetland vegetation at Lake Balaton, Hungary. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 39(17), 5689-5715. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2018.1466081
• Blix, K., Pálffy, K., R. Tóth, V., & Eltoft, T. (2018). Remote sensing of water quality parameters over Lake Balaton by using Sentinel-3 OLCI. Water, 10(10), 1428. https://doi.org/10.3390/w10101428
• Stratoulias, D., Balzter, H., Zlinszky, A., & Tóth, V. R. (2018). A comparison of airborne hyperspectral-based classifications of emergent wetland vegetation at Lake Balaton, Hungary. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 39(17), 5689-5715. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2018.1466081
• Pinardi, M., Bresciani, M., Villa, P., Cazzaniga, I., Laini, A., Tóth, V., ... & Giardino, C. (2018). Spatial and temporal dynamics of primary producers in shallow lakes as seen from space: Intra-annual observations from Sentinel-2A. Limnologica, 72, 32-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2018.08.002
• Tóth, V. R. (2018). Monitoring spatial variability and temporal dynamics of phragmites using unmanned aerial vehicles. Frontiers in plant science, 9, 728. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00728
• Kovács, A.W., Tóth, V.R., Pálffy, K. 2018. The effects of interspecific interactions between bloom forming cyanobacteria and Scenedesmus quadricauda (chlorophyta) on their photophysiology. Acta Biologica Hungarica 69, 210–223. https://doi.org/10.1556/018.69.2018.2.9
• Palmer, S.C.J., Zlinszky, A., Balzter, H., Nicolás-Perea, V., Tóth, V.R. 2017. Copernicus Framework for Monitoring Lake Balaton Phytoplankton, in: Earth Observation for Land and Emergency Monitoring. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 173–191. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118793787.ch10
• Pelevin, V., Zlinszky, A., Khimchenko, E., Tóth, V.R. 2017. Ground truth data on chlorophyll-a, chromophoric dissolved organic matter and suspended sediment concentrations in the upper water layer as obtained by LIF lidar at high spatial resolution. International Journal of Remote Sensing 38, 1967–1982. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2016.1274446
• Stratoulias, D., Balzter, H., Zlinszky, A., Tóth, V.R. 2018. A comparison of airborne hyperspectral-based classifications of emergent wetland vegetation at Lake Balaton, Hungary. International Journal of Remote Sensing 39, 5689–5715. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2018.1466081
• Stratoulias, D., Keramitsoglou, I., Burai, P., Csaba, L., Zlinszky, A., Tóth, V.R., Balzter, H. 2017. A Framework for Lakeshore Vegetation Assessment Using Field Spectroscopy and Airborne Hyperspectral Imagery, in: Earth Observation for Land and Emergency Monitoring. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 159–172. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118793787.ch9
• Tóth, V.R. 2018. Monitoring spatial variability and temporal dynamics of Phragmites using unmanned aerial vehicles. Frontiers in plant science 9, 728. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00728
• Tóth, V.R., Endre, G., Kovács, S., Présing, M., Horváth, H., 2017. Morphological and Genetic Variability of Myriophyllum spicatum in Different Shallow Water Bodies of Hungary. Wetlands 37, 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0875-z
• Vári, Á., Tóth, V.R. 2017. Quantifying macrophyte colonisation strategies—A field experiment in a shallow lake (Lake Balaton, Hungary). Aquatic Botany 136, 56–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2016.09.006
• Villa, P., Pinardi, M., Tóth, V.R., Hunter, P.D., Bolpagni, R., Bresciani, M., 2017. Remote sensing of macrophyte morphological traits: implications for the management of shallow lakes. Journal of Limnology 76, 109–126. http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2017.1629
• Tóth, V.R. (2016) Reed stands during different water level periods: physico-chemical properties of the sediment and growth of Phragmitesaustralis of Lake Balaton. Hydrobiologia 778: pp. 193-207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2684-z
• Tóth, V. R., & Palmer, S. C. J. (2016). Acclimation of Potamogeton perfoliatus L. to periphyton accumulation-induced spectral changes in irradiance. Hydrobiologia, 1–12. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2462-3
• Stratoulias, D., Balzter, H., Zlinszky, A., & Tóth, V. R. (2015). Assessment of ecophysiology of lake shore reed vegetation based on chlorophyll fluorescence, field spectroscopy and hyperspectral airborne imagery. Special Issue: Remote Sensing of Inland Waters, 157(0), 72–84. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.05.021
• Palmer, S. C. J., Hunter, P. D., Lankester, T., Hubbard, S., Spyrakos, E., N. Tyler, A., … Tóth, V. R. (2015). Validation of Envisat MERIS algorithms for chlorophyll retrieval in a large, turbid and optically-complex shallow lake. Special Issue: Remote Sensing of Inland Waters, 157(0), 158–169. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.07.024
• Palmer, S. C. J., Odermatt, D., Hunter, P. D., Brockmann, C., Présing, M., Balzter, H., & Tóth, V. R. (2015). Satellite remote sensing of phytoplankton phenology in Lake Balaton using 10 years of MERIS observations. Remote Sensing of Environment, 158(0), 441–452. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.11.021
• Stratoulias, D., Balzter, H., Sykioti, O., Zlinszky, A., & Tóth, V. R. (2015). Evaluating Sentinel-2 for Lakeshore Habitat Mapping Based on Airborne Hyperspectral Data. Sensors, 15(9), 22956–22969. http://doi.org/10.3390/s150922956
• Tóth, V. R. (2013). The effect of periphyton on the light environment and production of Potamogeton perfoliatus L. in the mesotrophic basin of Lake Balaton. Aquatic Sciences, 75, 523–534. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-013-0297-4
• Tóth, V. R., & Vári, Á. (2013). Impact of habitat environment on Potamogeton perfoliatus L. morphology and its within-plant variability in Lake Balaton. Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology, 49(2), 149–155. http://doi.org/10.1051/limn/2013043
• Palmer, S. C., Pelevin, V. V., Goncharenko, I., Kovács, A. W., Zlinszky, A., Présing, M., … Tóth, V. R. (2013). Ultraviolet Fluorescence LiDAR (UFL) as a Measurement Tool for Water Quality Parameters in Turbid Lake Conditions. Remote Sensing, 5(9), 4405–4422. http://doi.org/10.3390/rs5094405
• Tóth, V. R., & Szabó, K. (2012). Morphometric structural analysis of Phragmites australis stands in Lake Balaton. Annales de Limnologie-International Journal of Limnology, 48, 241–251. http://doi.org/10.1051/limn/2012015
• Kovács, A. W., Tóth, V. R., & Vörös, L. (2012). Light-dependent germination and subsequent proliferation of N2-fixing cyanobacteria in a large shallow lake. Annales de Limnologie-International Journal of Limnology, 48, 177–185. http://doi.org/10.1051/limn/2012010.
• Máthé, C., Mosolygó, Á., Surányi, G., Beke, A., Demeter, Z., Tóth, V. R., … M-Hamvas, M. (2012). Genotype and explant-type dependent morphogenesis and silicon response of common reed (Phragmites australis) tissue cultures. Aquatic Botany, 97(1), 57–63. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2011.11.005
• Tóth, V. R., & Herodek, S. (2011). Seasonal shift of dominance in a submerged rooted macrophyte community of Lake Balaton. Annales de Limnologie-International Journal of Limnology, 47, 141–150. http://doi.org/10.1051/limn/2011002
• Tóth, V. R., Vári, Á., & Luggosi, S. (2011). Morphological and photosynthetic acclimation of Potamogeton perfoliatus to different environments in Lake Balaton. Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies, 40(3), 43–51. http://doi.org/10.2478/s13545-011-0028-1
• Vári, Á., Tóth, V. R., & Csontos, P. (2010). Comparing the morphology of Potamogeton perfoliatus L. along environmental gradients in Lake Balaton (Hungary). Annales de Limnologie-International Journal of Limnology, 46, 111–119. http://doi.org/10.1051/limn/2010012

Projects

2020-2025: NKFI K141885 - Understanding the aspects of spatial and temporal variability of macrophytes (National Research, Development and Innovation Office)

2018-2020: NKFI KH129505 - Study of macrophyte-algal interaction (National Research, Development and Innovation Office)

2015-2019: NKFI K-116666 - Unravelling the puzzles of bacterioplankton functioning and diversity in shallow lakes with different macrophyte cover - One step closer to understanding the role of the littoral zone (National Research, Development and Innovation Office)

2014-2018: INFORM - Improved monitoring and forecasting of ecological status of European INland waters by combining Future earth ObseRvation data and Models (EU FP7)