The uptake of pollinator-friendly farming practices has been promoted as a tool to fight the decline of wild pollinators in agricultural areas. However, for these pollinator conservation methods to be successful, robust assessments of on-farm pollinator biodiversity and its contributions to crop pollination services, are required.
In this project, the student will conduct a field study during the summer of 2024 of wild pollinator diversity on agricultural strawberry farms in Skåne. In this study, the student will survey strawberry pollinators in crop fields and measure their pollination effectiveness (i.e., the amount of pollen transfer resulting from a single visit to a flower). These data will then be used to assess the importance of wild pollinators for crop production as well as in the development of outreach material showcasing how pollinator-friendly farming practices can synergistically improve pollinator conservation and crop production.
This project is open to two students, depending on scope and the students interests.
Contact: Liam Kendall, liam.kendall@cec.lu.se