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Project properties |
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| Title | MSc Thesis: Assessing the impact of nature-inclusive farming on seasonal insect abundance |
| Group | Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 36 |
| Supervisor(s) | Rik Waenink |
| Examiner(s) | Thijs Fijen |
| Contact info | rik.waenink@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2024/03/01 |
| End date | 2025/08/31 |
| Description | In this MSc thesis, you will study insects in diverse strip cropping fields (https://weblog.wur.eu/spotlight/more-nature-in-fields-through-strip-cropping/). These diverse fields contain early, late, and perennial crops, leading to the hypothesis that these different crops may have their insect peak at different moments. Therefore, your research will address the question: does higher crop diversity in a strip cropping field result in a greater temporal stability of insect abundance throughout the cropping season? Increased temporal stability is beneficial for various insect groups themselves and provides a more reliable food supply for birds and small mammals. Your research provides a proof of principle that has not been examined before. In addition, your own research questions of interests can be incorporated.
You will conduct intensive sampling in diverse organic strip cropping fields located in Flevoland and Zuid-Holland, employing various insect sampling methods. The project involves a lot of field work, insect identification, and collaboration with other students, strip cropping researchers and pioneering farmers. Extensive knowledge of insect identification is not required; you will learn while doing. Since this is an ecological thesis, having a strong ecological background is advantageous. Given that the field season is busy (but enjoyable), good organizational skills are useful. |
| Used skills | Field work
Insect identification (Spatial) data analysis Project management |
| Requirements | driver’s license |