PhD position: Developing a novel system to monitor the status of coastal ecosystems in South West England using a complementary approach: from remote sensing to marine top predators – Deadline 17 January 2023

Lead Supervisor: Luis Huckstadt (l.huckstadt@exeter.ac.uk)
2nd Supervisor: Lauren Biermann (lbi@pml.ac.uk)
Associate Partner: Cornwall Wildlife Trust (www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk)

 

Project Description

Marine top predators have long been proposed to have the potential to serve as ‘sentinel species’ yet most of our efforts to gather ecosystem-level information from marine top predators remain limited to linking variability in individual success and mortality rates to shifts in the ecosystem productivity regime. This is likely due to the limited understanding that we have of the role of marine top predators in marine biogeochemical cycles, transfer of biomass, patterns of biological productivity, and nutrient fluxes. We propose to develop an ecological monitoring system of the coastal marine ecosystem in South West England by combining approaches: bottom-up (remote sensing) and top-down (biogeochemical markers in marine top predators). By combining these two perspectives of ecosystem monitoring, we will gain a better understanding of how changes at the base of the ecosystem are dispersed through the trophic web until they reach top predators. We will be able to determine the sources and pathways of carbon that support the populations of pelagic fish and marine predators (trophic fluxes), allowing us to empirically link a particular perturbation in the area with the components of the ecosystem that might be affected (e.g.: the effects of temperature anomalies or Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) on fish stocks and marine predators).

Because we are aiming at obtaining a better ecological understanding of mid-trophic species by using this combined monitoring approach, this project will have a direct effect on ecosystem and fisheries management, improving our ability to make better decisions about fishing stocks and other human economic activities in the area that depend on the marine ecosystem.

 

Aims and Objectives

This research project aims to:

• To develop a complementary ecological monitoring system that incorporates information at the base and top of the trophic web
• To evaluate the use of top predator’s tissue samples to document variation at the base of the trophic web
• To contrast and validate the changes detected in marine predators with information on the base of trophic web obtained from remote sensing.

Training

We are looking for a student with a background in marine or terrestrial ecology, ecological modelling, and/or oceanography. The successful candidate ideally will have excellent quantitative and analytical skills and will demonstrate a strong interest in foraging ecology, trophic webs, bottom-up / top-down controls and oceanography. Expertise in programming in R, Matlab, and/or Python and statistical analyses is indispensable. Experience working with stable isotopes and satellite data.

The student will gain a unique set of professional skills, including The student will have the opportunity to develop their own ideas and questions and take true ownership of the project

Structure

By using a multidisciplinary approach that combines ecosystem-wide remote sensed data with biogeochemical tracers (Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis of amino acids, CSIA-AA) from marine top predators, we will be able to identify changes in the coastal marine ecosystem such as shifts in the composition of the community of primary producers. This study will take advantage of the excellent collection of top predator tissues archived by the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) and the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Strandings Network in Southwest England to run CSIA-AA from local marine top predators (pinnipeds and cetaceans) over the last decade to investigate changes in the community of primary producers. The second part of this PhD project will be to analyse a range of remote sensing products that correspond to time periods when tissue samples were collected. Finally, the PhD student will be able to contrast and validate the changes detected in marine predators with information on the base of trophic web, consolidating a comprehensive environmental monitoring system that uses both information on the physical and biological drivers as well as the integrated information at the top of the trophic web, allowing us to get a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of the coastal ecosystem

The project will be supervised by Dr Luis Huckstadt at University of Exeter alongside Dr Lauren Biermann at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Ruth Williams, Marine Conservation Manager at Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Stuart Bearhop at University of Exeter and Rob Deaville from the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) at the Zoological Society of London will also offer supervision.

Information for Applicants

How to apply
Please find below the list of PhD projects which will start from October 2023. Please click on the reference code of the project you are interested in for more information and the contact details of the Lead Supervisor. You are encouraged to contact the Lead Supervisor (stated in the description of the project) prior to the submission of your application to discuss any aspect of the project/s you are interested in. This will be informal and will have no impact on any applications that follow, other than showing your interest and enthusiasm.

To submit your application, please send to cdt-summer@plymouth.ac.uk:

• A two-page curriculum vitae (CV) – please do not include personal information, such as your portrait photograph, age, marital status or nationality on your CV.. Let us know your education history from undergraduate, work experience, employment, research and publications and any other experience you consider relevant for the project. (Do contact the team at CDT SuMMeR if you have queries (CDT-SuMMeR-PGRS@plymouth.ac.uk);
• A personal statement/covering letter (no longer than 1000 words) which explains why you consider yourself to be a suitable candidate for the PhD Project advertised, what qualifications, experience and skills you have that support your application, and what your aspirations are following on completion of this PhD. Our team is strongly committed to upholding equity, diversity, and inclusion. We expect candidates to uphold these same values and contribute to a positive, safe and inclusive environment. We invite candidates to include a statement about their experience of working across disciplines, cultures, countries or groups in their cover letter. Please ensure you state the PhD Project Reference Code for which you are applying for, on your personal statement/covering letter;
• Complete the Diversity survey at the following link: CDT SuMMeR EDI Survey Please note this is for monitoring purposes only and is not linked to your application. The raw data is being collected independently of the CDT SuMMeR Programme Office by SERIO and is being collected because we want to check how well we are improving our recruitment processes year-on-year. We want to make sure we attract the best talent by recruiting candidates from many diverse backgrounds and experiences. Only the anonymised and aggregated data will be made available to the CDT SuMMeR programme office.
• Optional: SuMMeR appreciates and values differences and seeks to attract, develop and retain a diverse mix of talented people that will contribute to and benefit from the CDT. If you wish to do so, please provide any contextual information that is relevant to your prior attainment and/or your educational pathway to this point. For example, if you are returning to the education system after a period of prolonged absence, you may, if you wish, list any relevant professional experience/qualifications that you have gained. Or, if your prior attainment was affected by extenuating circumstances that you wish to share with us, please do so (up to 500 words).

The closing date for applications is 16:00 BST on 17^th January 2023.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by email and invited for interview, with interviews expected to take place from the week commencing the 6th of February 2023. We regret that we may not be able to respond to every applicant. Applicants who have not received a response by this date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Find out more here.