Environmental conditions in cities differ in many regards from nearby natural areas, providing many challenges for the animals living there. As a result, urban animals differ in many characteristics from those living in more natural habitats, including physiological traits like nutritional conditions and hormone levels, and behavioral traits like problem-solving abilities. In the below projects, we investigate potential relationships between these traits in great tits (Parus major) breeding in Malmö (urban habitat) and Skrylle nature reserve (rural habitat). We are looking for students interested in field work with birds, behavioral experiments, and/or laboratory work!
Master project 1: Comparing IGF-1 level between urban and rural great tits
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a hormone that plays an important regulatory role in body condition, growth, and brain development. The level of this hormone is sensitive to environmental factors and thus likely to be affected by urbanization. The aim of this project is to compare the IGF-1 levels of adult great tits and/or their nestlings between urban and rural habitats.
Your responsibilities:
- monitoring the breeding of great tits as part of a field team
- ringing, measuring, and collecting blood samples from breeding adults and nestlings
- measurement of IGF-1 from blood plasma using ELISA
- statistical analysis of the data
Master project 2: Effects of IGF-1 level on problem-solving success
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a hormone that, among other effects, affects brain development and cognitive function. In this project, we will test whether the IGF-1 level of great tits affects their innovativeness and learning ability in an obstacle removal problem.
Your responsibilities:
- monitoring the breeding of great tits as part of a field team
- performing behavioral experiments on breeding adults
- ringing, measuring, and collecting blood samples
- measurement of IGF-1 from blood plasma using ELISA
- statistical analysis of the data
Master project 3: Effects of nutritional condition on problem-solving success
Nutritional condition can affect cognitive abilities in different ways: on the one hand, poor nutritional condition can hinder cognitive function, on the other hand, hungry animals may be more motivated. In this project, we will test whether nutritional condition, quantified by fatty acid composition and protein levels affects the performance of great tits in an obstacle removal problem.
Your responsibilities:
- monitoring the breeding of great tits as part of a field team
- performing behavioral experiments on breeding adults
- ringing, measuring, and collecting blood samples
- measuring fatty acid composition and/or protein concentration from blood plasma
- statistical analysis of the data
Short project or Bachelor project: Differences in problem-solving success between urban and rural great tits
Due to the novelty and complexity of cities, urban animals often benefit from having good cognitive abilities. In this study we will compare the innovativeness and learning ability of great tits in an obstacle removal problem between an urban and a rural population.
Your responsibilities:
- monitoring the breeding of great tits as part of a field team
- performing behavioral experiments on breeding adults
- statistical analysis of the data
Required knowledge: Master students who participate in blood sampling must take the Animal Testing Ethics course before the start of the project. Previous experience with handling birds, blood sampling, laboratory techniques, and statistical analysis are advantages, but all of these skills can be learned during the project.
Start date: April 2026 (for all projects)
Contact info: Ernő Vincze, erno.vincze@biol.lu.se
LU research profile: https://portal.research.lu.se/en/persons/ern%C3%B6-vincze/