Dear All, We have a 3-year SNF-funded PhD position available in our group at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland: "From understanding to predicting: Giant tortoises as drivers of the seed dispersal network of Aldabra".
The Aldabra Atoll in the Western Indian Ocean is home to 100,000 giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) the largest surviving population of giant tortoises in the world. The project aims at dramatically improving our understanding of the role of the giant tortoises as seed dispersers. We will investigate multiple levels of ecological organisation, from individual behaviour and the outcome of pairwise interactions, to community-level interaction patterns. The project has three components: 1) developing a theoretical individual-based model of seed dispersal by giant tortoises and experimentally field-testing its predictions by radio tracking artificial ingestible seeds, 2) constructing the seed dispersal network of Aldabra (camera trapping, fecal analyses), and 3) experimentally evaluating the effect of tortoise gut passage on seed germination and seedling establishment. The preferred starting date is mid-2013, and applicants should have or expect to obtain an MSc (or equivalent) in a relevant field. Review of applications starts on 01 November 2012, but candidates will be considered until the position is filled. More information and application details can be found here: http://www.ieu.uzh.ch/staff/positions/PhD_hansen_20121001.pdf Cheers & best, Dennis
