PhD Studentship (NERC GW4+ DTP) - Understanding the Link between Diversity in Bee Behaviour and Pollination Services in Natural Habitats (September 2025 Entry)

About the Partnership

This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the NERC Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (GW4+ DTP).  The GW4+ DTP consists of the Great Western Four alliance of the University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter plus five Research Organisation partners: British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology,  the Natural History Museum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. The partnership aims to provide a broad training in earth and environmental sciences, designed to train tomorrow’s leaders in earth and environmental science. For further details about the programme please see http://nercgw4plus.ac.uk/

Project details

For information relating to the research project please contact the lead Supervisor via N.Hempel@exeter.ac.uk

Project Aims and Methods

The diversity of bee populations is key to sustain the richness of plant communities. Whilst we have an in-depth understanding of honeybees, so much less is known about wild bees, how they differ in their foraging and navigational behaviour, and the impact this has on the delivery of pollination services. The rural areas of Devon are well-suited to investigate these questions, with their mix of dense networks of hedges, and small open areas and woodland. Devon hedges are important microhabitats, with nesting and floral resources for bees, and as linear, vertical structures they influence the movement of bees. This project combines interdisciplinary approaches to experimentally investigate and model bee behaviour at landscape level. Spatial and floral features of study habitats will be considered on a quantitative scale, applying state-of-art remote sensing and AI image-analysis tools to capture dynamic changes across space and time. Furthermore, a newly developed tracking technique in the field which we developed and tested in our ongoing collaboration can quantify bee movements. The identified key principles in comparative ecology of bee pollinators can inform for the work of stakeholders, practitioners and farmers aiming to conserve hedges and biodiversity in heterogeneously structured habitats.  

Training

The DTP offers funding to undertake specialist training relating to the student’s specialist area of research. 

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above

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