Weed seed removal by carabid beetles in agricultural land

Background

We are currently conducting meta-analyses to identify key factors affecting carabid abundance and elucidate the relationship between carabid abundance and weed seed removal. In experimental studies, carabid abundance is measured with pitfalls which measure not exactly abundance but a metric called “activity density” because the number of beetles trapped depends both on the density of the beetles and their movement activity.

Seed removal is usualy quantified using sand papers cards with seeds glued on them, which are then placed in the field for a period of time to allow beetles to remove seeds. In the meta-analysis, we want to related the seed removal from seed cards to the activity density measured in pitfall traps. However, we do not understand very well what relationships we should expect, especially in relation to the number and size of the pitfall traps and seed cards, and the time of exposure of both in the field.

To better understand the relationship between the activity density of carabid beetles as measured with pitfalls and the seed removal measured with seed cards, we want to model the movement process and model seed removal in relation to the density of carabids, their activity (movement rate and frequency distribution of turning angles), and other factors such as the size of seed cards, the behaviour of carabids on and near the seed cards and at edges.

Types of work

We are looking for a student who is interested in individual-based modelling of this process. The model could be developed in netlogo, R, MatLab or other language of preference. The study aims to show how length and time parameters of the carabid trapping and seed removal measurement affect the relationship between both. This provides important basic insight to support the meta-analysis of the relationship between carabid activity density and weed seed removal.

Used skills

Open for anybody with quantitative skills.