Project properties
Title Flying insect biomass and community assembly across a land-use gradient in the Dutch Flower Bulb Region
Group Entomology, Laboratory of
Project type internship
Credits 24-36
Supervisor(s) Hugo Langezaal
Examiner(s) Prof. dr. M. Dicke
Contact info H.Langezaal@nioo.knaw.nl
Begin date 2023/03/20
End date 2023/12/31
Description Where biodiversity loss has on average been halted in nature reserves, biodiversity of rural areas keeps declining. The larger aim of this project (Living Lab B7 https://www.Livinglabb7.nl) is to enhance biodiversity in the rural part of The Flower Bulb Region.

The Flower Bulb Region in the Netherlands is a region where agricultural land is expected to currently sustain a low biodiversity when compared to surrounding land use. Pesticide use, excess nutrient runoff and a lack of small-scale landscape elements appear unfavourable for biodiversity in this landscape. However, concerning biodiversity, only the presence of breeding birds is studied to some extent in the region. Knowledge on the occurrence of insect species within the agricultural landscape is absent. Recent studies have reported a 75% decline in flying insect biomass in Germany and The Netherlands over the past decades. Do we observe a similar low biomass in The Flower Bulb Region and does this differ along a gradient of land-use intensity (ranging from agriculture to nature)? If so, which groups are absent where in the landscape and how do we restore biodiversity? On these questions you will be working.

We are looking for someone to help with fieldwork, analyse insect communities caught with malaise traps and emergence traps and analyse the collected data. Monitoring will continue for 3 consecutive years after this student project.

If you are interested in this project, please contact Hugo Langezaal, PhD-candidate at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology.

Type of work: Field work, taxonomy and data analysis
Level: MSc & University of applied sciences
Location(s): Wageningen and field work in the Flower Bulb Region (west of The Netherlands)
Duration: 4-6 months, starting in spring (Roughly from March – December). Suitable for a thesis and/or internship.
Having a Dutch driver’s license (B) is preferred.

See for more info: https://nioo.knaw.nl/en/vacancies/flying-insect-biomass-and-community-assembly-across-a-land-use-gradient-in-the-dutch
Used skills
Requirements For doing a BSc-thesis at Entomology, there are no requirements for specific courses.
For doing a MSc-thesis or Research Practice internship at Entomology, the following requirements apply: ENT-30806 + a second ENT-course (preferably ENT-30306 or ENT-50806 or ENT-53806). As an alternative for the second ENT-course, PHP-30806 or BHE-30306 can be selected. In exceptional cases, other prerequisite courses can be acknowledged if approved by Prof. Dicke.
For doing a MSc-internship at Entomology, the following requirements apply: ENT-30806.
Note 1: these courses need to be done in your MSc, not the BSc!
Note 2: these requirements do not apply for MBI students; MBI students should check the requirements for doing an ENT MSc-thesis, Research Practice or Internship in the study programme of their specialisation.