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What drives differences in apple pollinator communities in different regions of the UK?

Working on bee specimens collected in Spring 2021 and 2022, from both pan-traps and netting, this project looks to create species lists for four different varieties of apple in orchards across two counties in the UK.

Department: Sustainable Land Management

Supervised by: Deepa Senapathi

The Placement Project

Apples are highly dependent on insect pollination to produce economically viable yields, both in terms of quality and quantity. Within the UK, apple production is a major component of the horticultural sector, occupying 82% of orchard fruit area with a net value of £63m nationally. Identification of insect species that pollinate apple crops is therfore important to allow for targeted management to encourage optimum pollination. In 2021, bee specimens were collected from four different apple varieties across orchards in two counties - Kent and Suffolk - using both pan-traps and netting. Further specimens are likely to be collected in Spring 2022. This project aims to identify and categorize species found in each orchard into either "definite" (i.e. caught whilst visiting apple flowers) and "possible" (i.e. caught passively in pan-traps). The identified specimens will be compared with historic records of the same species in the two counties to determine if there are any changes in flight timings or occurrence of species from 1970s to the present day.

Tasks

Lab work mainly with light microscope to identify bee specimens and exploratory data analysis of species occurrence and flight times

Skills, knowledge and experience required

The student should have a background in agriculture, ecology, biology or another relevant discipline. Experience using light microscopes and an interest in agricultural ecosystems would be useful, but training will be given in these areas. Ability to follow identification keys and lab protocols is essential. The student should be able to systematically collect data, keep meticulous records and work independently after training.

Skills which will be developed during the placement

The student will gain bee identification (& general taxonomic identification) skills; they will also gain skills in systematic data entry, data manipulation and experience of basic statistical analyses in R or another relevant statistical software.

Place of Work

School of Agriculture, Policy & Development - University of Reading

Hours of Work

9-5 Mon-Fri but flexible depending on student needs

Approximate Start and End Dates (not fixed)

Monday 11 July 2022 - Sunday 21 August 2022

How to Apply

The post will be advertised centrally on the UROP website between 21st February and 4th April 2022. Students should submit their CV and Cover Letter directly to the Project Supervisor (click on supervisor name at the top of the page for email). Successful candidates will be invited for an interview.


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