Diversity and biotic interactions of bees and wasps along a forest elevational gradient in the Peruvian Andes

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 460916549

Elevational climatic gradients are powerful ecological model systems to understand drivers of biodiversity and possible impacts of climate change. However, rigorously designed studies taking into account the diversity, traits and phylogeny of multiple insect taxa, biotic interactions and environmental factors are lacking for most biogeographical regions. ANDIV3 will use a unique natural forest gradient from 250-3350 m elevation in southern Peru, a global biodiversity hotspot, to study diversity patterns and biotic interactions of bees and wasps. Field observation and experiments on species richness, abundance, morphological and physiological traits, and mutualistic and antagonistic biotic interactions of bees and wasps will be combined with intense (meta)barcoding of functional groups, stored pollen and arthropod prey. Bee and wasp diversity, plant-pollinator and host-antagonist interactions will be studied with transect observations, traps nests and pan traps during the dry and wet season on 30 study sites. In cooperation with ANDIV4 the hidden interactions of bees and wasps with microbial communities will be assessed. The results will allow to test general hypotheses on the role of bottom up resource limitation, top-down control and interactive effects of temperature and precipitation as drivers of biodiversity patterns. Together with the other three ANDIV projects on moth, dung insects and microbial communities this project will allow integrative data analyses to improve the understanding of drivers of holometabolous insect diversity, community assembly, traits and interaction networks. ANDIV3 will foster knowledge transfer and scientific training through close collaboration with Peruvian counterpartners.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Canada, Peru, USA
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Jeremy DeWaard, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Gerardo Lamas; Professor Dr. Laurence Packer; Dr. Lily O. Rodríguez; Professor Miles R. Silman, Ph.D.