Camera surveillance of pollinators in alpine grasslands

Are alpine flowers visited more during the day, or during the night? Does the importance of nocturnal pollinators differ with elevation? How do alpine pollinators respond to warming treatments? And is it possible that some pollinators “bully” others away from flowers while foraging? These are all questions that insect surveillance cameras help to address. We have recorded millions of images of flowers introduced to mountain sites in Switzerland, Norway and South Africa. They are a gold mine of information about plant-pollinator and pollinator-pollinator interactions. Projects will involve searching for and identifying pollinators in images, answering questions about the impacts of climate change on pollination and species interactions. In the process, contributors will help to build a collaborative dataset for automated pollinator detection and are likely to be considered authors on a resulting publication. Why contribute? Beyond potential co-authorship on a publication, contributors get to work with a team of international researchers in the RangeX project, an international project about the impacts of range-expanding plants in mountains. They will receive training in image labeling and basic insect identification. We can offer supervision to committed contributors and create a project with independent analysis. We could even offer some insights into statistics with R. Potential project ideas include: Seasonal or day/night visitation patterns of pollinator communities Responses of insect pollinators to warming treatments Characteristics of pollinator communities at high and low elevations Interactions between insect pollinator guilds Tiers of contribution We invite contributions in two tiers, depending on if you want to co-design a research project. Super-contributor: Label at least 5000 flower hours (100 hours of work, following ~25 flowers through their lives). Adopt a research project, with supervision, tackling specific questions. Contributor: Label at least 500 flower hours (10 hours of work) from a cross-section of flowers and regions to co-create the dataset. You may still be invited to co-author a publication. Contact Jamie Alison (jalison@ecos.au.dk) and Nadine Arzt (nadine.arzt@uib.no) for further details!

MSc thesis: Two projects on Ecosystem Resilience

Background Ecosystems can have multiple alternative stable states. When ecosystems are shifted from their current stable state by a disturbance, they either recover back or transition into a different stable state. We aim to estimate stable states and their proprieties which can be used to predict responses of ecosystems to disturbances. To do so, we (the ECoMAP team) developed a multinomial regression model. Below are two potential topics for theses which use and validate this model:   1. How well does snapshot data predict ecosystem resilience? Snapshot data has been used for estimation of ecosystem resilience. This is a powerful approach since it enables to estimate future dynamics of a system (based on knowledge of its stable states and their proprieties) from present data. Although it is well theoretically based, the approach has not been systematically tested. This project aims to set a solid basis for this area of research by testing the potential of snapshot data for estimation of ecosystem resilience and its limitations. Snapshot data from a time-series (e.g., the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) will be taken and used to estimate stable states along climatic gradients using the multinomial model. Predicted resilience of individual ecosystems will be contrasted with observed changes within the time-series.   2. Is ecosystem resilience scale dependent? In studies of stable states and their resilience, it is often assumed that the results are not sensitive to used scale. However, on different scales, results of different processes can be visible, so this assumption is likely violated. This project will use data with different aggregation to explore the effects of scale on estimation of stable states of ecosystems. It will describe how stable states and their proprieties change with scale. Fine scale (satellite) data will be used to estimate stable states with different degree of data aggregation. Change in stable states and their proprieties will be assessed along the aggregation gradient.     Both projects are macroecological. They involve work with large spatial datasets, meaning you will gain vaulable experience experience with global data sources, data manipulation, and postprocessing of outputs of statistical modelling. The model is implemented in NIMBLE, therefore you will even gain insights into the basics of Bayesian statistics. Finally, both projects have great potential to result into scientific publication. Prerequisites Background in (macro)ecology Programming in R Basic knowledge of statistics Contact information: Does this sound interesting? Would you like to know more, or apply for this project? Contact: Adam Klimes (adam.klimes@uib.no) and Alistair Seddon (alistair.seddon@uib.no)

MSc thesis: Plant community responses to the direct and indirect effects of climate in the Vestland Climate grid

Background Alpine grasslands are vulnerable to climate change, and are currently changing rapidly in both plant functional group dominance (1) and species distributions (2). These biotic shifts contribute to indirect effect of climate change through influencing biotic interactions (3,4). Indeed, research is still needed on the effect of climate on long-term vegetation dynamics (5). Our research group uses a macro-ecological experimental approach to quantify the impacts of climate and biotic interactions on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of alpine grasslands across factorial broad-scale temperature and precipitation gradients in Norway (the Vestland climate Grid). For example, Althuizen et al. (2018) studied the impact of long-term climate regime on decomposition in alpine grassland soils (6). The FUNDER project Climate change alters not only plants, but also soil communities, and thus interactions across the plant-soil food web. These interlinked changes pose threats to biodiversity and key ecosystem processes and functions, such as carbon and nutrient cycling, and ecosystem productivity. The FunCab project, using a long-term plant functional group removal experiment (fully factorial removals of grasses, forbs and bryophytes, maintained since 2015) in semi-natural grassland replicated across the 12 sites of the Vestland Climate Grid, studied the direct and indirect impact of climate on plant communities. The new project, FUNDER, pursues the work done on FunCab integrating data of the belowground part in order to better understand the impact of climate on the plant-soil food web. The FUNDER project thus continues and expands this research to assess and disentangle the direct effects of climate from the indirect effects, mediated through biotic interactions, on the diversity and functioning of the plant−soil food web. The objectives are to disentangle direct and indirect climate impacts of three major plant functional types in grasslands – grasses, forbs and bryophytes – on plants, soil nematodes and microarthropods, and microbes, and ecosystem processes. We aim to better understand landscape variation and whole-ecosystem consequences of indirect climate impacts as well as climate feedbacks of the plant-soil food web. Thesis proposal This MSc thesis will be conducted as part of the FUNDER project, where the MSc student will have responsibility for assessing plant community responses to the direct and indirect effects of climate.  The successful candidate will continue a time-series of plant species composition once a year from 2015 to 2019 in the removal experiments described above. This will complete a unique dataset on the plant community composition in response to climate and plant functional group manipulation over 8 years. The MSc student will identify plant species during the last fieldwork campaign on this experiment before the destructive harvesting for soil sampling planned for the FUNDER project in 2022, which in collaboration with the work carried out by the rest of the FUNDER team will allow comparisons and linkages between plant, animal, and microbial responses. The MSc thesis will explore how the biomass, biodiversity and functional composition three plant functional groups in grasslands respond to changes in climate and biotic interactions. Research questions How does the biodiversity and functioning of grasses, forbs, and bryophytes in alpine grasslands vary along broad-scale climate gradients? Are the responses of these major plant functional groups to climate influenced or modified by biotic interactions among them? Is there a temporal shift in plant species composition and biotic interactions? You will be part of a dynamic research team, gather experience in scientific approach and have amazing fieldwork experience in fjords and mountains in Western Norway. Tasks 3-5 weeks of fieldwork, identifying species and analyzing plant community composition Data management, reproducibility and Open Science practice Statistical analyses using R Share your results: write a theisis which can be published as a scientific paper, and present your work in national/international conferences Candidate requirement Global change ecology background Plant species identification skills, knowledge of Norwegian flora is an advantage Statistical and data management skills Scientific writing skill Team spirit Enjoy hiking in mountains and being outside under both sunny and rainy weather Practical information The project is funded through research grants Start: July 2022 Place of work: University of Bergen Supervisor: Vigdis Vandvik and Morgane Demeaux. To apply, send your CV and motivation letter to morgane.demeaux@uib.no before 15th of May 2022.   References (1) Engemann, K., B. Sandel, B. J. Enquist, P. M. Jørgensen, N. Kraft, A. Marcuse-Kubitza, B. McGill, et al. 2016. ‘Patterns and Drivers of Plant Functional Group Dominance across the Western Hemisphere: A Macroecological Re-Assessment Based on a Massive Botanical Dataset’. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 180 (2): 141–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12362. (2) Kelly, A. E., and M. L. Goulden. 2008. ‘Rapid Shifts in Plant Distribution with Recent Climate Change’. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105 (33): 11823–26. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0802891105. (3) Jaroszynska, F. 2019. ‘Climate and Biotic Interactions – Drivers of Plant Community Structure and Ecosystem Functioning in Alpine Grasslands’. University of Bergen. (4) Vandvik V, Klanderud K, Skarpaas O, Telford RJ, Halbritter AH & Goldberg DE. 2020. Biotic rescaling reveals importance of species interactions for variation in biodiversity responses to climate change. PNAS  17 (37): 22858-22865. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2003377117 (5) Afuye, G. A., A. M. Kalumba, and I. R. Orimoloye. 2021. ‘Characterisation of Vegetation Response to Climate Change: A Review’. Sustainability 13 (13): 7265. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137265. (6) Althuizen IHJ, Lee H, Sarneel J & Vandvik V. 2018. Long-term climate regime modulates the impact of short-term climate variability on decomposition in alpine grassland soils. Ecosystems 21: 1580-1592. doi: 10.1007/s10021-018-0241-5

MSc thesis: Impacts of range-expanding plants on pollinator interactions

Project background As both native and exotic species shift their distributions in response to climate warming and through biological invasions, many expand their ranges across elevational gradients. This expansion results in the reassembly of ecological communities, which meditates the effects of climate warming on biodiversity and key ecosystem functions. RangeX is a multidisciplinary, replicated field and laboratory experiment being conducted in climatically and socio-ecologically contrasting regions (Switzerland, Norway, China, South Africa) that seeks to better understand these range shifts in mountain habitats. We focus on mountain ecosystems as an ideal model system to address our research questions. Mountains are themselves of crucial conservation value, as hotspots of biodiversity, refugia for biota threatened by climate warming, and as key global sources of water, food, and livelihoods, but are experiencing above-average rates of warming and increasing pressures from invasive species and development, making mountains priority areas for sustainability research. Experimental design RangeX field experiments comprise warming treatments, introduction and removal of key plant species, and intensive monitoring of soils, plants and pollinators across multiple elevations. By investigating novel biotic interactions both above and below ground, we aim to: (i) disentangle the drivers of range expansions; (ii) uncover the consequences of range-expanders on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; and (iii) predict the extent and impacts of future range expansions. Location: montane and lowland grasslands near Voss, Norway. Thesis proposal Question: Do range-expanding plant species disrupt plant-pollinator interactions? Methods: Quantify insect visitation rates of the planted focal range-expanding species and selected native plants in the background community using novel image-based methodology. Images will be collected every minute each day during the growing season using time lapse cameras mounted over flowering plants from bud burst to seed set. At each site, 24 cameras will record focal range-expanding species, and native plants with matched floral traits next to and away from the range-expanding species. Deep learning convolutional neural networks (CNNs) will be used to automatically extract the timing, location, and identity of flower visitors from the images. This will allow us to quantify the importance of visitation rates, and visitor identity and diversity, for seed set of both native and range-expanding plant species. Sweep netting, pan trapping, and direct observation will be used to confirm the identity of observed flower visitors and their status as pollinators. The machine learning models will be trained on a manually labelled subset of images at each site. The field methodology has already been tested at sites in Greenland and Denmark, the analysis pipelines have been developed, and the most appropriate CNN models have been identified. Opportunities As a MSc student working within the RangeX project, you will: • Do field work, and learn how to design and conduct ecological experiments, identify and measure plants and/or insect pollinators, manage and analyze ecological data, write it up as a thesis, and present your work in oral presentations within the team and at conferences. • Be part of the ‘Between The Fjords’ lab group activities • Be part of a large collaborative international research project, where you will participate in project meetings and workshops online and in person. • Get to know and work with a cross-disciplinary group of researchers at different career stages, and see how your work relates to work on different functional groups and trophic levels. • Be given opportunities to present your work at scientific conferences, and you will be supported in publishing your thesis as a scientific article. We have listed multiple thesis options on this website, but if you have other suggestions, don’t be afraid to contact us and ask! Contact information Nathan.Phinney@uib.no Vigdis.Vandvik@uib.no

MSc thesis: Disentangling drivers of plant population establishment after range expansion

Project background As both native and exotic species shift their distributions in response to climate warming and through biological invasions, many expand their ranges across elevational gradients. This expansion results in the reassembly of ecological communities, which meditates the effects of climate warming on biodiversity and key ecosystem functions. RangeX is a multidisciplinary, replicated field and laboratory experiment being conducted in climatically and socio-ecologically contrasting regions (Switzerland, Norway, China, South Africa) that seeks to better understand these range shifts in mountain habitats. We focus on mountain ecosystems as an ideal model system to address our research questions. Mountains are themselves of crucial conservation value, as hotspots of biodiversity, refugia for biota threatened by climate warming, and as key global sources of water, food, and livelihoods, but are experiencing above-average rates of warming and increasing pressures from invasive species and development, making mountains priority areas for sustainability research. Experimental design RangeX field experiments comprise warming treatments, introduction and removal of key plant species, and intensive monitoring of soils, plants and pollinators across multiple elevations. By investigating novel biotic interactions both above and below ground, we aim to: (i) disentangle the drivers of range expansions; (ii) uncover the consequences of range-expanders on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; and (iii) predict the extent and impacts of future range expansions. Location: montane and lowland grasslands near Voss, Norway. Thesis proposal Question: What are the key processes underlying success of range-expanding species? Methods: This is part of a replicated field experiment currently being conducted in Norway, Switzerland, South Africa and China in which plant communities are “invaded” with native range-expanding species transplanted upwards from lower elevations. We have chosen ten plant species that share similar habitat requirements and upper elevation limits, but that vary in functional traits and in the magnitude of their range shifts following recent warming. Plants are transplanted in a control “within-range” site near their current upper elevation limit, and in a higher elevation “beyond-range” experimental site with an approximately 2°C lower average mean annual temperature (i.e., corresponding to the theoretical upward range expansion given predicted warming this century). Experimental manipulations are used to test variation in novel species’ establishment at the beyond-range site, including artificial warming (using open-top chambers – OTCs). During the experiment, we will monitor key vital rates (growth, survival and reproduction of transplanted seedlings) of the focal species in each treatment. We will use mixed-effects models to determine the contribution of each factor (dispersal limitation, plant-plant interactions, soil conditions, climate limitation) to establishment success (vital rates/population growth, estimated with integral projection models). Opportunities As a MSc student working within the RangeX project, you will: • Do field work, and learn how to design and conduct ecological experiments, identify and measure plants and/or insect pollinators, manage and analyze ecological data, write it up as a thesis, and present your work in oral presentations within the team and at conferences. • Be part of the ‘Between The Fjords’ lab group activities • Be part of a large collaborative international research project, where you will participate in project meetings and workshops online and in person. • Get to know and work with a cross-disciplinary group of researchers at different career stages, and see how your work relates to work on different functional groups and trophic levels. • Be given opportunities to present your work at scientific conferences, and you will be supported in publishing your thesis as a scientific article. We have listed multiple thesis options on this website, but if you have other suggestions, don’t be afraid to contact us and ask! Contact information Nathan.Phinney@uib.no Vigdis.Vandvik@uib.no