Title: The impact of increased foraging temperature on bumblebee-colonies – A lab experiment.

Description: Increased temperature peaks as a result of climate change raise the question of the impacts on important pollinators such as bumblebees. These social bees are adapted to temperate regions and could therefore be negatively affected by increased foraging temperatures. To study this, I conduct lab experiments to investigate effects of increased temperatures on behavior, metabolism, morphology and colony-growth of bumblebees.

Contact: Matthias Jöbkes

Title: Evaluating the Conservation potential of mining sites for wild bee populations - Morphological and metabarcoding approaches.

Description: My research examines how succession, habitat area and substrate type influence wild bee communities within german mining sites and compares traditional taxonomic identification with metabarcoding data. The aim is to assess the role of these sites as ecological niches to contribute to biodiversity management strategies.
Further, I aim for a qualitative comparison of methodologies in the recording of species diversity.

Contact: Alexander Floß

Title: Ground-nesting wild bees at a nesting mound in the Melbgarten.

Description: To what extent do soil properties influence the species composition of wild bee communities? Directly, because different wild bee species prefer different soil types for nesting? Or indirectly, because soil properties influence the composition of plant communities, which in turn determine the availability of food plants and affect wild bee presence? To address this question, I use a nationwide dataset from Germany and combine it with an investigation of a nesting mound with various soil properties.

Contact: Julius Miller

Title: Bumblebee Colour Preferences Using Foxglove as a Model

Description: My master’s thesis investigates the colour preferences of bumblebees using the pink and white flower variants of foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). The aim is to find out whether bumblebees, especially Bombus terrestris, prefer one colour over the other. To explore this, I am conducting behavioural experiments in the laboratory using both real and 3Dprinted flowers. I am also comparing the two colour variants in terms of floral traits such as colour, surface structure (via scanning electron microscopy), pollen content, nectar composition and floral scent.

This project is carried out in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Boas Pucker and his research group, who recently studied the genetic basis of flower colour variation in Digitalis purpurea. Their work identified the mutation responsible for the loss of pink pigmentation in the white variant. These findings provide the molecular foundation for the behavioural studies in my thesis.

Contact: Marlon Martin