Beetle thunders for help
The master’s thesis of our graduate student from the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Monika Pawlik, was recognized as one of the best in this year’s edition of the “Wrocławska Magnolia” competition.
“Wrocławska Magnolia” is a competition for graduates of Wrocław universities. A prerequisite for participation is that you take up a topic in your master’s thesis that deals with, among other things, environmental protection and the development of green spaces in the city.
Monika Pawlik described in her her thesis master’s thesis „Śmiertelność chrząszczy biegaczowatych w śmieciach wrocławskich lasów” (“Mortality of runner beetles in litter of Wroclaw forests”). – The choice of this topic was determined primarily by the fact that the disappearance of animals in garbage abandoned in the environment is a fairly common phenomenon, but still inaccurately studied, says Monika Pawlik.
– Although my work deals exclusively with runner beetles, this does not mean that they are the only group predisposed to perish in abandoned garbage. With almost all types of natural environments being affected by littering at the moment, most groups of animals – from small invertebrates to large vertebrates – are vulnerable to extinction inside the waste, says our graduate. – I believe that constantly raising public awareness of the negative effects of littering, combined with active education on responsible waste management, is key to combating the problem of litter pollution in the environment, and countering it.
What surprised our young researcher the most? – The most shocking thing for me was the amount of waste in the surveyed forests. Some of the bottles were very old, and these were the ones that contained the most animals. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle, because the longer a container is in the environment, the more animals can potentially be trapped inside it. Later, as dead specimens accumulate and rotting processes occur, an increasingly intense odor is emitted that attracts more animals. Therefore, regular forest cleaning plays a really key role in combating this phenomenon – says Monika Pawlik.
During her studies, our graduate became known as an active researcher. She was the recipient of a scholarship from the minister, the rector of our university, and with the topic of animals dying in garbage, she participated in several conferences. At one of them she won the top prize, at another she won an honorable mention. She is a co-author of a scientific publication in Nature.
Our graduate’s master’s thesis was among the top awarded works in this year’s “Wrocławska Magnolia” competition. https://www.wroclaw.pl/akademicki-wroclaw/wroclawska-magnolia-magnolia-wroclawskie-centrum-akademicki
The award ceremony is expected to take place in September.
Congratulations!
Ed. Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz.
Photos from garbage collection and waste dressing by Monika Pawlik
