Under changing climates, many organisms are facing dramatic range
shifts and expansions. The evolutionary constraints and consequences
accompanying these geographic shifts are little understood, but are
critical for understanding the processes of adaptation, niche evolution,
and generation and maintenance of genetic diversity.
This project will investigate the evolutionary constraints on and
consequences of niche evolution in the blue-tailed damselfly, Ishnura
elegans, which has expanded its range northward in Great Britain by over
150 km in the past 50 years. The project involves fieldwork across the
UK, and potentially also in Sweden.
Field and genetic (genome-wide SNP) data will be used to test alternative
hypotheses about niche evolution and adaptation to novel ecological
conditions under range expansion. The ideal student shows initiative and
independent thought, but will be provided with full training and support
to ensure a strong basis in evolutionary and population genetic theory,
and proficiency in analytical techniques, (e.g.,) genomic, landscape
genetic, and species distribution models.
This position is based within the Ecology research group the University
of Aberdeen, a cutting-edge research community with many opportunities
for collaboration. The student will work primarily under Dr. Lesley
Lancaster, and further information about her research interests can be
found here:http://www.nceas.ucsb.
Funding Notes:
Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain,
an upper second class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications
gained outside the UK.
Funding is available to UK nationals or those EU nationals who can
demonstrate that they have been resident in the UK for three years.
You should apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biological
Sciences, to ensure that your application is passed to the correct
College for processing.
More information about how to apply can be found here:
http://www.findaphd.com/
Enquiries should be made to sbspgadmin@abdn.ac.uk.
