Simone Marini

PhD Project title: Ecosystem service provisioning by agrobiodiversity: the contribution of Semi Natural Habitat topollination in sunflower.

The project aims to identify how much components of biodiversity (composition, structure, function) (Noss,1990) at species and habitat level contribute to pollination efficacy in sunflower. Concentrating on Apoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera) such as honeybee (Apis mellifera) and Osmia (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), and their interactions,we will study how semi-natural habitat composition, structure and configuration affect pollinator diversity and composition in sunflower fields, focusing mainly on identification of flower resources and potential suitable nesting sites for solitary ground and cavity nesters in the landscape throughout the season.