Global changes, including climate warming and habitat change, are posing unprecedented and accelerating threats to biodiversity and functioning of high-altitude and -latitude ecosystems. Nonetheless, little is known about influence of global changes affect biotic interactions in these regions. In this project, we investigate the effects of climate warming on pollination along an altitudinal gradient using a space-for-time substitution design. We focus on two charismatic keystone plants species, bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and lingonberry (V. vitis-idea), which are used for berry picking and require buzz pollination for maximising their reproductive outputs. Bumblebees, abundant at high-altitude and –latitude can perform buzz pollination and are the main pollinators of these plants. Fieldwork is done on Mount Nuolja, a mountain from Abisko National Park, Sweden. Alongside monitoring of the bumblebee community pollinating these two plants, part of the work focuses on the variation of the the plants’ reproductive success.
Your role: For the spring/summer 2026, I you will investigate through fieldwork and field experiments:
- the changes in pollinator communities with habitat/altitude. This will be assessed through transect walks in different habitats (birch forest and open low-altitude for bilberry; low-altitude and high-altitude open habitat for lingonberry).
- the variation in insect-pollination dependency, pollen limitation and reproductive success with climate. This will be assessed by a pollination experiment at different altitude including: (i) open pollination – flowers are available to the pollinators, (ii) bagged – flowers can only be wind- or self-pollinated, (iii) pollen supplementation by hand-pollination. This experiment will allow calculating the pollen limitation. The berries of treatment (i) will be used to assess the effects of climate. We will use berries from treatments (ii) and (iii) to assess the effects of insect pollination (within site comparison) and the combination of insect pollination and climate (between altitude comparison). This will be achieved by harvesting and drying berries for measuring their dry weight. We will count seed set (i.e., number of seeds per fruit) for a subset of collected berries.
Required knowledge:
- Experience of fieldwork, preferentially in boreal/Arctic conditions
- Familiar with community modelling
- Motivation/interest to spend 3 months in Abisko.
Appreciated knowledge:
- Knowledge of pollination ecology
- Naturalist knowledge of pollinators/insects
- Knowledge/interest of the effects of global changes – particularly of climate change – on the Arctic and/or pollinators/pollination
N.B: Fieldwork in the Arctic is physically demanding. Living in Abisko field station involves sharing accommodation (including bedroom) with other fieldworkers.
Length of project: project of 45 to 60 credits preferred – given the 3 months of fieldwork.
Starting date: April/May 2026
Contact: Océane Bartholomée at oceane.bartholomee@mgeo.lu.se.
https://www.cec.lu.se/oceane-bartholomee
Please include a brief statement (a few sentences) about your background, interests, and motivation behind why you would like to be part of the project.
Thank you!