4. Education of Natural History

Below you find the available BSc and/or MSc projects available in the category "Education of Natural History".

Project Aanwaaiers (MSc) [Dutch]

Supervisor(s): Monique de Jager
Project type: internship
Starting period: flexible
Duration: 9 months

Keywords:  Public engagement, zaadverspreiding, scholen, habitatversnippering. 

Project aanwaaiers is een public engagement activiteit waarin we scholen willen betrekken bij het onderzoek naar biodiversiteit. Het project heeft twee doelen:

  1. Basisschoolkinderen (meer) in contact brengen met de natuur om hen heen, waarbij de kinderen bewustwording creëren van hoe wij de natuur om ons heen beïnvloeden;
  2. Data verzamelen over verspreiding van plantenzaden in gebieden die meer of minder verstedelijkt zijn.

 Het is de bedoeling om ‘aanwaaiende’ planten (wat vaak gezien wordt als ‘onkruid’) te laten groeien in daarvoor bedoelde potjes met (gesteriliseerde) potgrond. De kinderen kunnen dan bijhouden wat er allemaal opkomt. Hoeveel verschillende soorten planten komen er te groeien? En in welke aantallen per soort? 

Voor het onderzoek is het belangrijk om de omgeving van de scholen in kaart te brengen. Welke omgevingsfactoren zijn van belang voor gevonden verschillen in aantallen kiemplanten en biodiversiteit?  

Vereisten:

  • Goede beheersing van de Nederlandse taal i.v.m. contact met scholen.

Geselecteerde literatuur:

  • Lopez, Urban & White (2018) Nativity and seed dispersal mode influence species’ responses to habitat connectivity and urban environments. Global Ecology and Biogeography 27, 1017-1030.
  • Castelli, Silva & Dunning (2021) Improving the biodiversity in urban green spaces: A nature based approach. Ecological Engineering 173, 106398

The values of the Utrecht National Plant collections (BSc/MSc)

A Trillium plant of the Melanthiaceae collection in the Rock Garden (Photo: Akkie Joosen)

Supervisor(s): Gijs Steur
Project type: internship
Starting period: flexible
Duration: flexible

Keywords: plant collections, taxonomy, botany

The Botanic Gardens of Utrecht University contains several plant collections of National importance but there is a current lack of understanding and outreach about their value(s). A review of their scientific, cultural and societal relevance is highly needed and it is imperative that the outcomes thereof are communicated to a broad audience.

The Dutch National Plant Collections (“SNP collections”) were founded in 1988 by Dutch botanic gardens to emphasize the relative importance of several plant collections in the Netherlands. These collections are unique in the Netherlands (and also often abroad), and can be of high scientific, cultural and/or societal relevance. 

Since 1988, many SNP collections have come and gone, the taxonomy of the plant kingdom has seen great change, and the scientific focus of Utrecht University has shifted. This has made it unclear what the values of these collections are, both internally and externally. In addition, the current website of the Botanic Gardens hardly mentions the SNP collections, obscuring their existence and values to scientists, policy makers and the broader audience. 

In this Bachelor or Master project one or several of the SNP collections are reviewed on their collection, scientific, cultural and societal values. The desired output is not only a scientific report, but also texts that are suitable for the audience of the Botanic Garden website. This may for example include statistics, fun facts, interviews with experts. Scientific questions include for example, what proportion of the total diversity is captured by this collection, to what extent are these endangered plants, etc.  

The current Utrecht SNP collections include 15 collections:

  • The Soursop family – Annonaceae – a legacy collection used for the taxonomic revision of the Annonaceae by the Utrecht Herbarium
  • Spiral gembers – Costaceae –research collection used by world expert em.Prof. Paul Maas.
  • Bromeliads – Bromeliaceae – research collection used by world expert Eric Gouda
  • Herbal barberries -  Herbal Berberidaceae
  • Neotropical orchids - Neotropical Orchidaceae
  • Penstemon and allies – Penstemon and related genera
  • Epiphytic cacti - Rhipsalis and related genera – a greatly enlarged cultural historic collection of G.D. Duursma.
  • Jack-in-the-pulpits – Arisaema – Aroids that are similar to pulpits.
  • Bunchflower family - Melanthiaceae
  • Wild buckheats - Eriogonum
  • Rock plants – one of the largest collection of alpine and other mountain plants.
  • Flora of the Guainas – research and education collection used for the Flora of the Guianas project
  • Solomon’s seals - Polygonatum
  • Mayflowers - Maianthemum
  • Sowbreads - Cyclamen

Prerequisites: 

  • Must: UU Course Taxonomy and Identification or similar
  • Nice-to-have: LU Course Plant Families of the Tropics or similar

Selected References: