New exciting PhD opportunity with LEAP
I am really excited to be able to report on this new funded PhD studentship that we have been granted by Bournemouth University, Faculty of Science and Technology.
"The Importance of Micro-Climate Refuges for Mammal Responses to Climate Change and Human Disturbance"
Climate change and deforestation of tropical rainforests are threatening the livelihoods of millions of people as these globally important ecosystems provide food and medicines, store carbon, influence global climate, provide water supplies, and have high biodiversity. Because tropical animals are adapted to the relatively stable tropical climate they are disproportionately sensitive to climate change. Still, most climate change research occurs in temperate zones. In particular, more information is needed on how tropical animals may use micro-climatic refuges within a forest to avoid harsh climatic conditions and manage exposure to biting insect and parasites (which prefer hot wet places). We have the unique opportunity to determine the role micro-refuges play in buffering primates against climate change at a well-studied UNESCO World Heritage site in Indonesia and identify how the availability of micro-refuges changes as a result of human disturbance. Specifically, the project links new approaches and developments in micro-climate research and drone image recording and analysing techniques to determine (1) how primates select micro-habitats (height, exposure) to manage thermal regulation and minimise exposure to biting insects and parasites; and (2) how the availability of the required micro-habitats is affected by human influences.
The project is timely because we are at the brink of a global extinction crisis but scientists are still struggling to predict how species will respond to climate change and human disturbance. In addition, starting this project now means it can fully benefit from the establishment of a Bournemouth University-led international network of micro-climate specialists (Leverhulme International Networking Grant 2017 to P. Gillingham et al.). This ensures that the project is connected to similar projects across the globe and will have an international audience during the network’s workshops to improve methods and share findings on the newest emerging theories and techniques.
Outcomes and methods
O1. Unique knowledge of behavioural flexibility and development of methods for measuring micro-climate refuges that will transform future predictive modelling of species’ responses to climate change.
M1. Behaviour will be recorded for the critically endangered apes Symphalangus syndactylus (siamang) and Pongo abelii (orang-utan) using point and focal sampling in our established site Sikundur, Sumatra, Indonesia. Detailed forest structural data is available from ongoing projects. Presence of insects and micro-climate will be measured vertically and horizontally in the forest according to exposure, moisture, and temperatures using traps and climate data loggers (some are already employed).
O2. An analytical tool to assess micro-climate variation in relation to disturbance and recovery history in tropical forests allowing conservationists to plan forest management to ensure sufficient micro-climate refuges for primate survival.
M2. The LEAP team (Marie Curie fellow Alexander et al. 2017 & in prep.) developed analytical methods for characterising forest types and quality based on drone imagery that is available for the site. Vocal recordings and nest counts are used to measure densities in relation to forest structure across five sites varying in degree of disturbance (plantation, clear felling, selective logging) and whether recovery was natural or trees were planted over 5-30 year time scales.
The project builds on previous work initiated by currently ongoing MRes, PhD and postdoc projects of LEAP: Landscape Ecology and Primatology. In particular this project builds on the MRes work by Emma and the PhD work that Chris is doing.
Supervisory Team
Dr Abdullah Abdullah from Indonesia and Matt Nowak from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme are involved as local supervisors.
Full Entry Requirements
Studentship candidates must demonstrate outstanding academic potential with preferably a 1st class honours degree and/or a Master’s degree with distinction or equivalent Grade Point Average.
In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, BU will look closely at the qualities, skills and background of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure successful completion.
Additional eligibility criteria
The ideal candidate has field research skills and experience in the tropics, GIS skills, and quantitative ecological analyses skills and a master’s degree in a related field is desired.
International entry requirements
If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:
IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with minimum 5.5 in each component or equivalent.
View further information about our English language requirements.
A number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes are offered through our partner institution, Bournemouth University International College, and will get you ready for study at BU at the appropriate level.
You can also find further details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our postgraduate entry requirements page.
HOW TO APPLY Please complete the online application form by 26th April 2017 09:00 am via Bournemouth university graduate school. On that page you will see a big green button that you click to apply.
Further information on the application process can be found at: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/studentships
Please make sure that you apply via that official Bournemouth university website and that you complete the full form and submit a CV. You are requested in the application form to write a proposal. Please do write a proposal to show your understanding of the research, your approach and your background knowledge on the subject and methods to be used. Even though there is a project proposal already, you still need to complete this section as the quality of that proposal forms an important part of our selection criteria.
