Hauptinhalt

Available theses (in the case of interest, get in touch with Anna)

Loss of seed dormancy during agricultural seed propagation in rare agricultural weeds (BSc or MSc)

Extinct plant populations might be actively re-established by seeding seeds. The seed for reintroduction is commonly propagated at agricultural fields. During this process, seed dormancy might get lost. At the same time, seed dormancy is important for survival of populations in disturbed environments. Rare arable weeds grow in arable land, an environment that is regularly disturbed, so loss of dormancy could impair long-term survival of reintroduced populations. At the same time, rare arable weeds are nearly extinct, and reintroduction efforts are common. The thesis will study whether seed dormancy is lost during the propagation process. 

Methods – germination experiments.

Differentiation of populations in rare agricultural weeds (MSc)

Plant populations are commonly re-established using local or regional seed, because local populations might be locally adapted. The local adaptation is stronger in some species than another. It is unclear whether there is local adaptation in (rare) arable weeds, because seeds of these plants have been commonly transported with crops like grains on larger distances. The thesis will study whether populations of arable weeds are phenotypically differentiated.

Methods – common garden experiment

Is seed longevity in storage heritable?

Seed storage in seed banks is an important method of ex-situ conservation. However, the seed in the seed banks slowly deteriorate and die. For effective conservation, we need to understand how long seeds stay viable. Seeds of different species differ in their longevity in storage. However, there is also substantial variability between seed batches of the very same species. It is unclear whether this variability is caused by maternal environment, or it is heritable. The thesis will test whether seed longevity in storage is heritable, that is, genetically underpinned.

Methods – germination experiment, experiment in a greenhouse.

Ecological niche of Hordeum murinum

Hordeum murinum is a ruderal plant that apparently profits from climate change. It is unclear what limits the spread of this plant. The thesis will use seeding experiment at the Campus Lahnberge to test in which environments can the species establish. The work involves doing vegetation records, so it requires basic knowledge of plants and willingness to learn them, in order to produce reliable data.

Method – experiment outside at Lahnberge.