PhD Studentship: Nature-based Solutions for Warming Impacts on River Ecosystems

Supervisory team Dr Eoin O’Gorman and Dr Martin Wilkes, University of Essex, School of Life Sciences Dr Alexia Gonzalez-Ferreras, IHCantabria Scientific background Climate warming exerts immense pressure on ecosystems across multiple levels of biological organisation. Iconic species like Atlantic salmon are disappearing from the southern limit of their distribution; simplified communities with fewer species and trophic connections are less resilient to extreme events; and amplified energy fluxes through food webs may increase carbon emissions to the atmosphere, intensifying the rate of climate change. Freshwaters are particularly vulnerable due to greater oxygen limitation and reduced rates of dispersal compared to terrestrial and marine environments. Human activities have also compounded these effects through land-use change, particularly deforestation for agriculture or urbanisation. The physical shading, hydrological stability, and allochthonous energy sources provided by riparian vegetation could offer a vital nature-based solution to Warming Impacts on freshwaters, but studies are needed to quantify the benefits of forest cover for individual physiology, food web structure, and ecosystem processes. Research methodology  This project will examine changes at the individual (physiological), community (food web structure), and ecosystem levels (carbon cycling) in rivers across a forest-cover gradient in the Cantabrian Mountains, Spain. Extensive datasets are available from sampling of >50 rivers across the region over the past decade, including biomasses of fish, invertebrates, and diatoms and estimates of ecosystem metabolism from dissolved oxygen probes. Analyses of these long-term datasets will be supplemented with processing of archival samples for food web quantification through gut content analysis. Original fieldwork will be conducted to fill gaps in the forest cover gradient and to quantify metabolic rates of fish and invertebrates using in situ respirometry.  Training  The candidate will join the Ecology and Environmental Microbiology Group at the University of Essex and will also work with researchers at IHCantabria in Spain. The supervisory team will offer training in a broad skillset related to ecophysiology, fish biology, food web ecology, freshwater taxonomy, ecological modelling, and science communication. The candidate will also develop extensive field skills in electrofishing, respirometry, and freshwater ecology. Person specification  We are looking for a candidate who is enthusiastic about global change biology, freshwater ecology, fish biology, and ecosystem ecology, with a degree in ecology, biology, or environmental science. Email a cover letter and CV via the above ‘Apply’ button. Funding Details Funding Minimum Based on UKRI rates 2023/24 £18,622 p.a.  Additional Funding Information  This project has been shortlisted for funding by the ARIES NERC DTP. Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a NERC studentship, which covers fees, stipend (£18,622 p.a. for 2023/24) and research funding. International applicants are eligible for fully-funded ARIES studentships including fees. Please note however that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK.  Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses. ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage enquiries and applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and transgender status. Academic qualifications are considered alongside significant relevant non-academic experience. For further information, please visit www.aries-dtp.ac.uk Closing Date: 23:59 on 10 January 2024