VOLUNTEER FIELD ASSISTANT

The research project is on the community ecology and phylogeography of bird assemblages in arid zones of northern Venezuela. The objective of this project is to characterize bird communities inhabiting six arid zones in northern Venezuela at both ecological and genetic levels, in order to generate relevant information for conservation planning in these regions. Field work will involve conducting daily point counts, mist netting, banding, and collecting blood samples. Vegetation sampling will be also carried out to establish habitat associations between vegetation variables and the presence of habitat-specialist bird species in order to develop models that can be used to assess possible effects of land-use changes on the structure and composition of bird communities in these arid zones. The field season will extend from 5 Sep 2004 to 31 Aug 2005. Work will be conducted 7 days a week during three weeks per month. Each volunteer is expected to participate for a period of at least three weeks. Room, meals and travel expenses within Venezuela will be covered. All applicants should send their C.V., a letter of intention and a recommendation letter to: ADRIANA RODRIGUEZ-FERRARO (EM:
arppf@studentmail.umsl.edu, FX: 58-212 551 99 59), Caracas, Venezuela.