PhD Opportunity: Pollinator ecology, Pollination Services, and Urban Agriculture
University of Illinois at Chicago Advisors: Emily Minor, primary (http://www.uic.edu/labs/minor/) and Kevin Matteson We are looking for a motivated PhD student to help investigate pollinator ecology, pollination services, and social-ecological variables that might affect urban agriculture as part of NSF funded research (see details in abstract below) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For the first two years, the student will be supported partially on a research assistantship and partially on a teaching assistantship. The successful candidate will have the ability to influence the future direction of this research and help develop proposals for additional funding. Applicants should be available to start in June of 2012 and have the following qualifications: - A B.S. degree completed by spring 2012. A master's degree is preferred but not necessary. Previous course work in ecology and some undergraduate (or graduate) research experience is mandatory. - A strong interest in urban ecology, urban agriculture, and urban sustainability - Comfort working in heavily populated neighborhoods and interacting with neighborhood residents of diverse backgrounds - A valid U.S. drivers license - Previous experience is preferred, but not required, in the following areas - working with bees and other insects - work with pollination biology - plant identification - digital photography (ideally of insects or plants) - use of GIS and statistical analysis - greenhouse work - driving around a large city Interested students should apply to the UIC Department of Biological Sciences, Ecology and Evolution group (http://www.uic.edu/depts/bios/grad/grad_ee.shtml) for fall 2012 admission. Prior to submitting an application, please email a letter of intent and your CV to Emily Minor at [email protected]. In your letter, please highlight how you meet the qualifications listed above. PROJECT ABSTRACT: Urban agriculture is increasing in the United States, with vegetables and fruits often grown in private and community gardens as well as larger tracts of vacant land. These small-scale agricultural efforts may contribute to urban sustainability and can provide food security for those living in low-income inner city neighborhoods with limited access to fresh produce. Despite the potential social, nutritional, and ecological benefits of urban agriculture, little is known about the pollination services that support such efforts. Many crops grown in urban gardens benefit from or are dependent on pollination by insects, especially bees. However, while studies have found some bees to be prevalent in florally-diverse urban habitats, bee diversity or abundance also has been shown to decrease with increasing urbanization. Therefore, pollinator communities may vary across the urban landscape due to local management of floral resources (e.g., flower plantings along city blocks) as well as development intensity at larger spatial scales; these factors may then influence pollination services across the urban landscape. To determine how pollination services are distributed across the urban landscape, this research will (a) evaluate changes in pollinators and their response to floral resources across a gradient of urban development, and (b) determine how these biotic changes affect the consistency and magnitude of pollination services. The research will take place in Chicago, IL, the third largest city in the United States. In addition to sampling pollinator communities, this study will use an experimental mobile garden on the back of a pick-up truck to directly quantify pollination services across the city. An assessment of pollination services in cities will increase understanding of the potential sustainability of urban ecosystems. This knowledge can be applied to increasing yield in urban agriculture, potentially contributing to food security in densely populated neighborhoods. This project will train undergraduate and graduate students through participation in research and educate Chicago residents about the importance of pollinators. Finally, the research will inform urban planners about the ecological attributesat both neighborhood-block and landscape scalesthat affect the ecosystem service of pollination.
