Research fellow in Entomology

My main research interests lie in understanding the effects of land use on plant-pollinator interactions and communities, with a particular focus on pollinator conservation. I also contribute to teaching the following courses: Wild Bees of Estonia, Insect Ecology, and Evolutionary Ecology.

• Sõber, V., Aavik, T., Kaasik, A., Mesipuu, M. & Teder, T. (2024) Insect-pollinated plants are first to disappear from overgrowing grasslands: Implications for restoring functional ecosystems. Biological Conservation, 291, 110457. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320724000181?dgcid=author
• Herbertsson, L., Ekroos, J., Albrecht, M., Bartomeus, I., Batáry, P., Bommarco, R., Caplat, P., Diekötter, T., Eikestam, J. M., Entling, M. H., Farbu, S., Farwig, N., Gonzalez-Varo, J. P., Hass, A. L., Holzschuh, A., Hopfenmüller, S., Jakobsson, A., Jauker, B., Kovács-Hostyánszki, A., Kleve, W., Kunin, W. E., Lindström, S. A. M., Mullen, S., Öckinger, E., Petanidou, T., Potts, S. G., Power, E. F., Rundlöf, M., Seibel, K., Sõber, V., Söderman, A., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Stout, J. C., Teder, T., Tscharntke, T., & Smith, H. G. (2021). Bees increase seed set of wild plants while the proportion of arable land has a variable effect on pollination in European agricultural landscapes. Plant Ecology and Evolution, 154(3), 341–350. https://doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2021.1884
• Sõber, V., Leps, M., Kaasik, A., Mand, M., Teder, T. (2020). Forest proximity supports bumblebee species richness and abundance in hemi-boreal agricultural landscape. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 298, Art. No. 106961 . DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2020.106961.
• Sõber, V., Sandre, S. L., Esperk, T., Teder, T., & Tammaru, T. (2019). Ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism revisited: Females grow for a longer time and also faster. PLOS ONE, 14(4), e0215317. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215317
• Lindman, L., Remm, J., Saksing, K., Sõber, V., Õunap, E., & Tammaru, T. (2015). Lycaena dispar on its northern distribution limit: an expansive generalist. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 8(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12087
• Sõber, V., & Ramula, S. (2013). Seed number and environmental conditions do not explain seed size variability for the invasive herb Lupinus polyphyllus. Plant Ecology, 214, 883–892. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0216-8
• Nielsen, A., Dauber, J., Kunin, W. E., Lamborn, E., Jauker, B., Moora, M., Potts, S. G., Reitan, T., Roberts, S., Sõber, V., Settele, J., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Stout, J. C., Tscheulin, T., Vaitis, M., Vivarelli, D., Biesmeijer, J. C., & Petanidou, T. (2012). Pollinator community responses to the spatial population structure of wild plants: A pan-European approach. Basic and Applied Ecology, 13(6), 489–499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2012.08.008
• Sõber, V., Moora, M., & Teder, T. (2010). Florivores decrease pollinator visitation in a self-incompatible plant. Basic and Applied Ecology, 11(8), 669–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2010.09.006
• Dauber, J., Biesmeijer, J. C., Gabriel, D., Kunin, W. E., Lamborn, E., Meyer, B., Nielsen, A., Potts, S. G., Roberts, S. P. M., Sõber, V., Settele, J., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Stout, J. C., Teder, T., Tscheulin, T., Vivarelli, D., & Petanidou, T. (2010). Effects of patch size and density on flower visitation and seed set of wild plants: a pan‐European approach. Journal of Ecology, 98(1), 188–196. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01590.x
• Sõber, V., Teder, T., & Moora, M. (2009). Contrasting effects of plant population size on florivory and pollination. Basic and Applied Ecology, 10(8), 737–744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2009.06.003
• Moora, M., Sõber, V., & Zobel, M. (2003). Responses of a rare (Viola elatior) and a common (Viola mirabilis) congeneric species to different management conditions in grassland—Is different light competition ability responsible for different abundances? Acta Oecologica, 24(3), 169–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1146-609X(03)00082-1