Thesis supervisor: Ferenc Tóth
co-supervisor: Ferenc Samu
Location of studies (in Hungarian): Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Scieces, Doctoral School of Biological Sciences Abbreviation of location of studies: MATE
Description of the research topic:
Agricultural ecosystems harbour a wide ecological network of interacting organisms from arable and natural habitats that form the ecological context for food production (Oliver et al., 2015). There are crucial biotic interactions that affect agricultural production either negatively, like pests or plant diseases damaging our crop, or positively, by providing ecosystem services, such as biological control. Cereal leaf beetle (Oulema spp.) can be a serious pest of wheat and barley. We would like to examine the food web interactions of this insect. The planned study involves field monitoring and sampling of the focal pest and its potential natural enemies to reveal species composition, life history and prey-predator interactions. The methods would involve field work, laboratory sorting and identification, applying molecular methods (PCR) and experimentation on food consumption. Knowledge about these interactions gives the chance to reduce external inputs, which is vital for the creation of ecologically sound agriculture (Shennan, 2008).
Oliver, T. H., Isaac, N. J. B., August, T. A., Woodcock, B. A., Roy, D. B. & Bullock, J. M. (2015) Declining
resilience of ecosystem functions under biodiversity loss. Nature Communications 6: 10122.
Shennan, C. (2008) Biotic interactions, ecological knowledge and agriculture. Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 363: 717-739.
Required language skills: English Number of students who can be accepted: 1
Deadline for application: 2022-10-31
2024. IV. 17. ODT ülés Az ODT következő ülésére 2024. június 14-én, pénteken 10.00 órakor kerül sor a Semmelweis Egyetem Szenátusi termében (Bp. Üllői út 26. I. emelet).
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