PhD Scholarship in lab: Biodiversity Resilience under Climate, Land Cover & Land Use Change

Posted by nandrew on November 17, 2010 
Filed under Scholarships/Projects

The School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England, in collaboration with the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW), is seeking a suitably qualified PhD candidate to undertake research that addresses the topic; Biodiversity Resilience under Climate, Land Cover & Land Use Change.
THE PROJECT
Invertebrates dominate biodiversity and are essential to ecosystem services. However, existing knowledge gaps prevent the prediction of how well terrestrial invertebrate biodiversity will adapt to changing climates in fragmented landscapes. Filling these knowledge gaps is essential to the design of new landscapes which confer maximum biodiversity resilience. This project seeks to fill these knowledge gaps by answering two primary questions:
1. What is the observed phenotypic plasticity of ant species sampled across an altitudinal range of 900m and across different land cover and land use states?
2. What is the potential phenotypic and physiological plasticity of these ant species when experimentally exposed to predicted climate change scenarios?
To address these questions you will first draw on an existing large-scale terrestrial invertebrate survey undertaken in northern NSW in Summer 2008-9. The survey generated more than 336,000 specimens (including more than 259,000 ants) from 124 sites located along an east-west gradient spanning 270km and altitudes of 150-1050m. Sites provide a range of land cover and land use states across the altitudinal gradient. You will sort and identify the ants to (morpho)species and analyse their distributions across land cover, land use and altitudinal gradients to address question 1. These results will guide your selection of particular sites from which you will collect live ants to address Q2. Specimens collected from the field will be exposed in the laboratory to thermal manipulation to assess a range of physiological traits (e.g. critical thermal limits, upper and lower lethal temperature, water loss rate, and survival time under desiccating conditions). Thermal manipulation will test the effects of changes in mean temperature and the effects of extreme conditions based on predicted climate change scenarios for NSW.
You will synthesise the observed species and assemblage distributional information and experimental physiological information to deliver new knowledge to high priority research question 5.2.1 in the National Climate Change Research Adaptation Plan: Terrestrial Biodiversity, which asks, “what design of landscapes confer maximum resilience to terrestrial biodiversity in the face of a changing climate?”
THE APPLICANT
Applicants must be able to demonstrate a strong background in ecology and hold a Class 1 (H1) or Class 2 Div 1 (H2.1) honours (or equivalent) degree in environmental science. Experience with the sorting and identification of ants and an interest in climate change science and conservation biology would be advantageous. The successful applicant must be an Australian citizen, or a permanent resident of Australia, hold an Australian driver’s licence and be willing to undertake field work in regional areas. The scholarship offers a full annual tax-free stipend of $30,000/yr (comprised of $22,500/yr UNE APA plus a $7,500/yr industry top-up) for 3 years and is available from February 1st 2011. The project is supported by substantial operating and in-kind support from DECCW.
Applicants should email a letter outlining their expression of interest and suitability for the position, accompanied by a brief CV (including contact details of two referees) and a copy of their academic transcripts to Dr Nigel Andrew nigel.andrew@une.edu.au (Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, School of Environment and Rural Sciences http://www.une.edu.au/staff/nandrew.php) and Dr Ian Oliver ian.oliver@environment.nsw.gov.au (Scientific Services Division, DECCW).
The successful applicant will need to apply through the UNE system for an Australian Postgraduate Award which will be awarded on a competitive basis. See http://www.une.edu.au/research-services/pgstudy/prospectivestudents/howtoapply.php. The position will remain open until we have appointed a suitable candidate.

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One Response to “PhD Scholarship in lab: Biodiversity Resilience under Climate, Land Cover & Land Use Change”

  • Bezaye on March 9th, 2012 6:39 am    

    I would love to apply for this scholarship. Will it be an appropriate time?

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