Submitted by Claire Kremen on
Theobroma cacao, an understory tree native to the Upper Amazon Basin, has an intriguing fly-based pollination system that is understudied even though cultivated varieties experience very low pollination rates.
This project examines how agroecological methods can be applied to increasing pollination in cultivated cacao in Ecuador. This study aims to determine how different management strategies and landscape contexts affect natural pollination levels in this globally important crop. We estimated pollination service to fields by comparing open and hand pollination treatments. In addition, we collected floral visitors to cacao in order to correlate pollination service to pollinator community composition.
Under the supervision of a senior biologist, the undergraduate student will help with all aspects of lab processing of collected specimens. This is interesting but mostly repetitive laboratory tasks that include sorting and labeling specimen samples, collecting and counting pollen grains from insect bodies, identifying insects to order and family, using GIS software to quantify land cover data and entering data. If there is interest, the undergraduate could be involved in identifying some groups of insects to family or genus/species (most likely tropical ants). The student will be given time at the beginning of their tenure to read summaries, questions and review preliminary results in order to understand the project in a larger context.
This an excellent opportunity for students interested in gaining experience in applied science and entomology/ecology research in agricultural systems.
Interest in entomology, agroecology and conservation. Working familiarity with insect orders and taxonomic keys preferred but not required. Initiative, patience, attention to detail and self-motivation are essential.