PHD OPPORTUNITY ON ECOSYSTEM QUALITY AND HERBIVORE DYNAMICS
We are seeking PhD candidates to work on the Australian Research Council supported project, "Ecosystem quality and herbivore dynamics in tropical rainforests fragmented by deforestation", which is nested within the broader SAFE project (www.safeproject.net).
The research team running the project is led by Professor Roger Kitching of Griffith University, Brisbane, with co-investigators Professor Nigel Stork, Dr Tom Fayle and Dr Kalsum Mohd Yusah and Sarah Maunsell. Successful PhD candidates will be based within the Griffith School of Environment at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, but the position will involve extensive periods of remote fieldwork in Sabah, Borneo.
The wider project will examine the post-treatment dynamics of herbivorous insect assemblages in relation to an experimentally created gradient of habitat modification in rain forest in south-east Asia following large scale conversion of forest to oil palm. Our aim is understand the consequences of such conversion on the insect herbivore community focusing on the two major, almost exclusively herbivorous, Orders of insects, the Lepidoptera and Orthoptera. We will test a series of hypotheses that probe community-level responses to fragmentation and conversion, and examine top-down and bottom-up interactions of the herbivore assemblages. With respect to the herbivores and herbivory, we will assess the bottom-up impacts of changes in the underlying vegetation resource itself (as reflected by the set of functional groups of plants available), and top down effects of natural enemies (with a focus on ants, parasitoids and spiders). Impacts and changes in the two years following deforestation and conversion will be investigated.
Two to three doctoral students are sought to participate in the project. Exact thesis problem sets are open for some negotiation but it is currently envisaged that one will focus on the insect/plant interaction and the second on the herbivore/natural enemy (for example, spiders or parasitoids) interface.
Required
- Candidates must have a first class honours degree (or equivalent) or a completed research Masters degree in order to be competitive for a Griffith support scholarship
- Experience or an interest in working on insect herbivores or predators in the context of forest dynamics and community ecology
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Experience in the use of ecological statistical analyses
- Enthusiasm for conducting field work in remote locations for extended periods of time
Desirable
- Experience with methods relevant to herbivory rates, food web analysis and/or molecular techniques for species identification
All research and field expenses of the students will be met from within the ARC grant. Successful candidates will need to obtain support scholarships from Griffith University where they will enrol for the degree of PhD (see http://www.griffith.edu.au/higher-degrees-research/research-scholarships). Candidates will begin either in mid-2014. Griffith doctoral scholarships provide a stipend of about AU$25300 which is tax-free. Separate scholarships for the payment of fees are also likely to be available for successful candidates. Applications to Griffith University for the mid-2014 round scholarships are due on the 28th of April 2014.
To apply please send a CV including contact details for two referees, and cover letter to Sarah Maunsell (S.Maunsell@griffith.edu.au). We will begin reviewing applications for the mid-2014 entry round on the 4th of April, 2014.
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