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Project properties |
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| Title | Is pollinator habitat restoration adequate to ensure endangered wildflower pollination? |
| Group | Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 36 |
| Supervisor(s) | Remco Ploeg |
| Examiner(s) | |
| Contact info | remco1.ploeg@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2026/03/01 |
| End date | 2026/09/01 |
| Description | Do efforts to restore pollinator populations also lead to enhanced pollination of endangered wildflower species? That will be the central question during your thesis. You might think the answer to this question is an obvious yes. More pollinators equals more pollination, right? But think again when you learn that pollinator restoration measures often involve creating an abundance of highly attractive flower species. And now put yourself in the position of a rare wildflower species that suddenly needs to share it's pollinators with a lot more competitors.
In a field experiment, you will look at the effect of pollinator habitat restoration from the perspective of an endangered plant species. Using living flowering plants, you will determine the quality of pollination by conducting flower visitation observations and measuring seed set. Next, you will test how this is affected by the surrounding habitat. And all of this will be done in calcareous grasslands in Southern Limburg, a biodiversity hotspot in the Netherlands! You will conduct your field work in April and May 2026. Housing and transportation during field work will be provided. Don't worry if you don't have any previous experience with insect or plant identification, you will receive intensive guidance. Want to know more? Please contact me directly: remco1.ploeg@wur.nl |
| Used skills | Pollinator sampling, pollination tests, insect and plant identification, data analysis |
| Requirements | |