Abstract
Quantifying plant-pollinator networks is critical for understanding the effect of climate and land-use change on biodiversity, but current methods are subject to major biases. This project aims to test the possibility and accuracy of using pollinator DNA extracted from flowers to study plant-pollinator networks. First the reliability of DNA metabarcoding to track individual pollinator visitation will be determined in a controlled greenhouse setting. Second, the usefulness of DNA metabarcoding to quantify plant-pollinator networks will be assessed under field conditions. If successful, this time-efficient tool allows plant-pollinator network research to be conducted in greater detail and less bias than current methods.
Netherlands