Functional Agrobiodiversity &
Agroecology

Master thesis opportunity on " FLORAL resources and POLLINATOR visits in faba bean INTERCROPS"

How do floral resources and pollinator visits differ between faba bean intercrops and faba bean sole stands? – a landscape experiment
Intercropping, the cultivation of two or more crops on the same land, has proven to be a promising diversification practice, that can increase crop productivity while reducing inputs and promote biodiversity. However, knowledge is scarce on how attractive flowering legumes are for pollinating insects when cultivated as intercrop compared to sole crops. Also, how the cropping practice and the visiting pollinator community combined affect legume crop yields is not studied yet. ...more

Vacancy for one student assistant in KOOPERATIV

We are looking for one motivated student assistant (f/m/d) to support us in these activities:
- visual surveys of insect pests in wheat fields
- exposing and collecting aphid cards for biocontrol quantifications
The fieldwork (6-8 hours per day) will take place in the district of Northeim, up to 1-hour drive from
Göttingen. We will use company cars. ...more

Masterthesis opportunity on "Establishment success of plant species within sown wildflower fields"

The establishment of sown wildflower strips or fields is a widely adopted agri-environmental measure to promote the diversity of flower-visiting insects and other arthropods in agricultural landscapes. However, the attractiveness of sown flower fields largely depends on the establishment of the sown plant species and changes in species composition over time ...more

Masterthesis opportunity on "Interacting effects of flower strips and landscape diversity on spiders and carabids at the landscape scale"

Semi-natural habitats in agricultural landscapes, such as hedges and flower margins, can promote biodiversity. This includes beneficial organisms that can provide biological pest control in crop fields. However, the effectiveness of semi-natural habitats to support pest predators can depend also on the landscape context. ...more

Masterthesis opportunity on "Effects of landscape diversity and flower fields on bird communities in agricultural landscapes"

Diversified landscapes include more semi-natural habitats and may support larger animal populations than simplified landscapes. Flower fields can be particularly for those species that use these habitats for nesting or for obtaining food resources. The aim of this thesis is to explore how flower fields and the landscape ontext influence bird communities in the county of Northeim. In spring 2025, we will collect acoustic recordings using AudioMoth in 37 landscapes. ...more

Bachelor thesis opportunity on "Do floral traits differ between cherry cultivars? (Can these differences be used to strategically attract pollinators?)"

Project significance: Alternatives to conventional agriculture are urgently needed to sustain ecosystem functions and services. Ecological intensification is a promising concept, aiming to improve agricultural system performance and efficiency through actively managing functional biodiversity to sustainably enhance delivery of production-supporting ecosystem services. ...more

Bachelor or Master thesis opportunity on "Nesting opportunities of ground-nesting wild bees in perennial flower fields"

Wildflower fields are increasingly implemented as an agri-environmental measure. The establishment in agricultural landscapes can be beneficial for wild bees because they can offer a continuous supply of floral resources. However, wild bees are not only in need of foraging sites but also of suitable nesting sites. The aim of the thesis is therefore to analyze the nesting opportunities of ground-nesting wild bees in perennial flower fields ...more