Biology Education

Over the past 70 years, agricultural landscapes and cropping systems have simplified in the EU, leading to environmental externalities and expansion of input-based agriculture [1]. In order to decrease the contribution of the agricultural sector to the climate and biodiversity crises, as well as improving the sustainability of farms and the whole food system, increasing the diversity of crop types could be a way towards a sustainable agricultural sector [2].

Increasing the diversity of crop types in crop rotations can for example increase natural soil fertility, weed and pest control [3, 4]. Additionally, increased spatial diversity of crop types can favor natural enemies (NE) of crop pests and weeds, by favoring a diversity of landscape-scale ecological processes [5]. While crop diversity is mostly measured at the landscape scale in ecological studies, little is known about what farmers can expect from introducing new crops in their farm. As landscapes are made of a several farms, each farm’s cropping pattern likely influence landscape-wide crop diversity [6]. The surrounding crop diversity of a farm should therefore affect how its individual diversification trajectory can support ecosystem processes.

Aims
The objectives of this project are to:

• Explore the relative contribution of farm- and landscape-scale crop diversity on multiple indicators of biodiversity conservation (arable flora and carabid beetles) and ecosystem service provision (weed control, abundance of seed and pest eating carabid beetles, soil organic carbon and crop yield).
• Design farm-relevant options for crop diversification depending on the production context

Methodology
The candidate will make use of an already existing dataset (weed pressure, soil organic matter and insect & plant diversity) that was collected in summer 2025 in 24 Scanian arable farms (120 sampling sites), differing in farm and landscape-scale crop diversity. The candidate will contribute to:

• Gathering additional environmental and agronomic data about farms’ production context based on farm questionnaires and land use databases.
• Depending on the candidate’s profile, identification of carabid beetle specimens collected on the field, assisted by entomologists from the Biology department
• Using statistical models, analyze the relative contribution of farm- vs landscape-scale crop diversity on the different indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• Extract crop rotations and explore their effects compared with spatial crop diversity

This subject is designed for longer projects (45-60 credits).

Supervision
The candidate will benefit from the supervision of Romain Carrié (researcher in Agronomy and Agroecology) and the collaborative working environment of MGeo (landscape ecologists and environmental scientists).

Required profile
Studies in agroecology, agronomy, ecology or environmental sciences with a strong interest for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services in agroecosystems.

Contact
Romain Carrié, romain.carrie@mgeo.lu.se

References

1. Emmerson, M. et al. (2016). Advances in ecological research (Vol. 55, pp. 43–97).
2. Beillouin, D. et al. (2021). Global Change Biology, 27(19), 4697–4710.
3. Martin, G. et al. (2020). Agron. Sustain. Dev. 40(3).
4. Bennett, A. et al. (2011). Biological reviews 87(1).
5. Sirami, C. et al. (2019). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(33)
6. Schiller, J. et al. (2026). Agricultural Systems, vol. 234

Main goal: The main goal of the project is to understand how pore scale fungal calcium carbonate precipitation contributes to material properties.

Description:

Concrete is the world’s most widely used human-made material, yet its production is responsible for significant environmental impacts: generation of hazardous airborne dust, high energy consumption, and substantial CO₂ emissions. Given the impracticality of replacing concrete, our study proposes a sustainable alternative—concrete crack healing using fungi—to prevent reinforcement corrosion and thereby extend structural service life, ultimately reducing carbon output.

The method using fungi to repair cracks involves Microbial-Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP). MICP is a natural process in which microorganisms precipitate calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), thereby sealing cracks and reinforcing concrete surfaces

Because cement-based materials are opaque, directly observing microbial growth and mineral precipitation within cracks is challenging. To address this, we will use a high-resolution 3D X-ray microscope to visualize fungal mycelium development and calcium carbonate precipitation in porous materials. This imaging approach will help reveal how pore-scale biological processes contribute to the overall properties and durability of the material.

As part of this project, you will work with fungal bioreactor and high resolution 3D x-ray tomograph. Training in all of these techniques will be provided. The candidate must be proficient in standard microbiological methods, including sterile inoculation and nutrient medium preparation.

This project is interdisciplinary task within biology and engineering. You will primarily work with Dr. Hanbang Zou. This project is designed for a MSc student (optimal 60 cr).

Start Date: Flexible

Contact information:

Hanbang Zou: Hanbang.zou@biol.lu.se

Join Our Field Research Team This Spring on Öland! 🌿🐦

We are looking for up to two enthusiastic internship students to join us for a two-month field season exploring evolutionary ecology, sensory ecology, and climate change.

You’ll become part of our team monitoring natural populations of pied and collared flycatchers, including their hybrids, on the beautiful Swedish island of Öland, near Kalmar.

Position Details:

• 📍 Location: Öland, Sweden
• 📅 Dates: Field season runs May 1 – July 1. We prefer you to be there the whole season, with arrival on site between April 26 and May 1.
• 👥 Positions: 2 interns (internship or applied work)
• 🏛️ Institution: Uppsala University (open to students from Lund University)

This year’s activities include:

• Fieldwork & Data Collection – Monitor nest boxes, ring and measure chicks, and collect blood samples as part of our long-term population study
• Behavioral Assays – Conduct cognitive tests with individual birds near nest boxes and in aviaries using standardized research methods
• Foraging Ecology – Analyse behavioural data and explore links between individual performance and foraging preferences in caterpillar-rich trees
• Field Observations – Set up remote video cameras to document bird visitation rates to individual trees
• Chemical Sampling – Collect branch samples for later analysis of IH-BVOCs

Depending on the length and timing of your internship, there may also be opportunities for lab work.

This is a unique chance to gain serious hands-on research experience, contribute to ongoing research, and spend your spring outdoors.

Interested? Get in touch!

Michaëla Berdougo (PhD student) – michaela.berdougo@ebc.uu.se

Read more about the Qvarnström lab

We are seeking a Master’s student for a 30, 45, or 60 credit thesis opportunity starting Summer 2026 to explore habitat-sharing among wild pollinators in a flower-rich Swedish landscape and what this means for landscape management.

Background:

Plant-pollinator networks are typically limited to within-habitat interactions and rarely consider habitat-sharing among pollinators, or how networks are affected by plant-pollinator relationships in the surrounding landscape. The likelihood of a pollinator foraging in different habitats can be influenced by the available forage, species-specific traits, competition, or environmental conditions. By understanding how habitat use is mediated we can shape landscape conservation efforts around the ability of pollinators to move about their surroundings.

Project description:

As part of VALOR, a Horizon EU project, we will undertake transects of plants and pollinators in a Swedish landscape comprised of at least three habitats: semi-natural grassland, pollinator-dependent crops, and field margins.

The student will contribute by conducting transects and sampling at least two focal pollinator species and swabbing them for body pollen. They will then analyze the body pollen using machine learning techniques available at Lund University, comparing body pollen composition with plant surveys conducted in the field, and determining how this comparison changes with pollinator traits and environmental variables.

Work on this project will help develop field sampling and laboratory skills as well as equipping any student with experience in shaping research questions, data analysis, and scientific writing in conservation and ecology.

Are you interested? To enquire about this position, please contact Arrian Karbassioon (arrian.karbassioon@mgeo.lu.se) and Richard Walters (richard.walters@mgeo.lu.se) for more information.

We are seeking a Master’s student for a 30, 45, or 60 credit thesis opportunity starting Spring / Summer 2026 to explore the relationship between pollinator visitation, seed set, and seed viability. Work schedule is flexible and will involve seed counting and the possibility to conduct germination tests

Background:

While there is good understanding of the negative consequences of pollinator declines for crops, we know very little about the effects on wild plant communities. Wild plant communities are thought to be more resilient to changes in pollinator assemblages than crops because they contain different traits and variation in their responses to fluctuation. Such variation arises from the differential dependence of plant species to rely on pollinators for reproduction. However, it is predicted yet barely known whether these differences on pollinator dependence can maintain overall plant diversity but significantly shift plant composition.

Project description:

To address this gap, we have already manipulated pollinator visitation to three wild plant species of varying pollinator dependence (low, medium and obligate insect pollinated). A subset of these pollinators has been sampled for pollen which has been identified using machine learning techniques. In addition, we have sampled seeds from all three wild plant species to determine if pollination success is related to visitation and / or body pollen.

The student will contribute to the project by counting and measuring seeds utilizing automated software, and possibly conducting germination tests on a subset of seeds for additional credits.

Using these data, the student will determine how pollen limitation, or variation expected in climate or land use scenarios, determines pollination services. Working on this project will help develop laboratory and data collection skills, as well as experience with analytical tools and scientific writing.

Are you interested?

If you would like to know more about this position and working with insect pollinators, please contact Arrian Karbassioon (arrian.karbassioon@mgeo.lu.se) and Richard Walters (richard.walters@mgeo.lu.se) for more information.

Much like us, when a bird is sick, it reduces activity, stops eating and loses weight. This is a core part of the immune response, helping to conserve energy and fight the infection. It also reduces the change of transmitting infection to other birds. However, if birds are exposed to repeated infections, it may no longer be beneficial to have repeated bouts of fasting and inactivity.

Bird feeders could be a source of infection, and birds that visit feeders could be exposed to repeated infections at feeders. In turn, these birds are expected to be better able to cope with sickness and continue to be active while sick, which could increase the chances of transmitting infection to other birds and becoming ‘superspreaders’.

Activity loggers (accelerometers), placed on the back of the bird, allow the remote study of activity and behaviour, by measuring acceleration. To be able to distinguish different behaviours from the acceleration data, we can film birds while carrying loggers so we can link specific behaviours to unique acceleration profiles. The student will, firstly, annotate videos of birds to pair behaviours – such as flying, resting, eating, or preening – with the corresponding acceleration data. A behavioural classification model (using supervised machine learning methods) built on this data will then be applied to acceleration data from birds who have been exposed to a simulated infection.

In this project, the student will gain core skills in data handling and analysis in R and learn about movement ecology, immune function and avian ecology.

Contact Hannah Watson for more details: hannah.watson@biol.lu.se

https://portal.research.lu.se/en/persons/hannah-watson/

If you want to know more…

Yu et al. 2024. Flight activity ad effort of breeding pied flycatchers in the wild, revealed with accelerometers and machine learning. Journal of Experimental Biology, 227:jeb247606. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.247606

Yu et al. 2023. Accelerometer sampling requirements for animal behaviour classification and estimation for energy expenditure. Animal Biotelemetry, 11:28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-023-00339-w

I am searching for a master student that would like to do their master thesis project with me, possibly Ola Olsson, and Anne-Maarit Hekkala (SLU Umeå). The project will be on how long-horned beetles are affected by Swedish Ecoparks, e.g. multifunctional forest landscapes (landscapes that include a multitude of management practices), forest structures, and rewilding practices. The focus areas of the project are in Kalmar and close to Umeå. Some fieldwork to measure forest structures will be included in the project.

For this project we are searching for a master student that:

• Wants to do a 45-60 hp thesis project.
• Can start this year.
• Would like to do some fieldwork (mostly independently).
• Has preferably some experience in R (or is willing to learn more about R).
• Is eager to understand how we can protect long-horned beetles in forest ecosystems.

Does this sound like something for you?

Email me for more information: lydwin_freija.wagenaar@biol.lu.se