Photos by Norsk institutt for naturforskning
Welcome to the PhD-course
Wild bees: pollination ecology, biology and identification (5 ECTS)
16-20th April and 8-12th October at SLU Uppsala
+ summer field work (flexible) equivalent to one week
Bees play an important role for ecosystem functioning in natural landscapes as well as for human food security as pollinators for economically important crops. With over 20,000 different species, bees make up one of the largest groups in the animal kingdom. Their wide range of sociality and interactions with flowering plants also make them one of the most interesting groups of insects to study. Unfortunately bees are threatened by a variety of factors including dramatic changes in agricultural land-use in recent decades.
The aim of this course is to understand the evolution, biology and ecology of wild bees (bumblebees and solitary bees) as well as placing strong emphasis on their importance as pollinators and the threats they face towards their abundance and biodiversity.
The course is designed to bridge ecological thinking with entomological skills and is led by international and national experts in the field. There will be lectures, field excursions, species determination, and project work that promise to intrigue even a coleopterist. For more information and a preliminary schedule please see the attached courseplan.
Register no later than March 6th by emailing Barbara Locke (Barbara.locke@slu.se)
photos by B.Locke
