Analysis of plant-pollinator interactions in the Alpine enviroment: from knowledge to conservation
This project focuses on the entire network of pollinators for trophic network analysis, comparing different methods: traditional observations alongside transects, more automated methods using cameras traps that allow high numbers of high-quality data to be collected in shorter periods of time and genetic methods extracting pollen DNA collected on target pollinators that allow to get more information about the visited plant species.
The main aims of the project are:
To analyse how pollinator cenosis and trophic networks vary along the altitudinal gradient
Cenosis variation along altitudinal gradient (focusing on butterflies, bumblebees and hoverflies)
Plant-pollinator network along the altitudinal gradient
Evaluate the complementarity of the genetic approach in quantifying the pollinator network (pollen DNA)
To develop automated monitoring systems, possibly applicable over the long term and on a large scale, using camera traps
