Effects of hypoxia on the toxicity of model chemicals in the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

We are inviting applications for this PhD studentship to commence October 2012. For eligible students the award will cover UK/EU tuition fees and an annual stipend (in 2011/12 this was £13,590 for full-time students, pro rata for part-time students) for three years..

This studentship will be funded by the College of Life and Environmental Sciences and Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). Successful applicants will benefit from working within a lively research environment within Biosciences (Streatham Campus, Exeter) at the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter and will be expected to spend a proportion of their time working at the Cefas Weymouth laboratory.

Supervisors:
Dr Eduarda Santos (University of Exeter) [Email Address Removed]
Dr Rod W Wilson (University of Exeter) [Email Address Removed]
Dr Ioanna Katsiadaki (CEFAS)

Hypoxia is a global and increasingly important stressor in aquatic ecosystems, with major impacts on biodiversity. The causes of this global phenomenon are diverse and include climate change, which alters mixing and temperature of water bodies, and eutrophication, due to excess nutrient input from agriculture and sewage effluent. Commonly, affected ecosystems simultaneously suffer from hypoxia and inputs of chemical contaminants. Despite increasing concern about the effects of combined stressors on aquatic organisms very little data are available on how multiple stressors may interact to cause adverse effects on the development and health of organisms and, specifically, how hypoxic conditions influence chemical toxicity. Previous studies have demonstrated remarkable alterations in the toxicity of some compounds when exposures occur under hypoxia. This could have major repercussions for environmental regulation that aims to inform policy decisions for protecting aquatic ecosystems. However, current knowledge spans only a few chemicals and species and has incompletely investigated the life cycle of aquatic organisms, highlighting a major knowledge gap for evaluating the environmental impact of chemicals, where exposure often occurs under reduced oxygen. It is critical to investigate the interactions between these stressors in order to more effectively and objectively determine realistic safety thresholds for contaminants in aquatic ecosystems. This PhD studentship will address this knowledge gap by investigating the interactions between hypoxia and exposure to chemical contaminants (including endocrine disrupting chemicals and metals) in fish, using the stickleback as a model organism, representative of the UK fresh and transient waters.

We seek highly motivated candidates with a strong interest in aquatic ecotoxicology. This innovative project will offer the candidate high quality training in aquatic research benefiting from state of the art facilities and a world class research environment in fish ecotoxicology. The project will also offer the opportunity to interact closely with CEFAS, where one of the supervisors is located, and other organisations engaged in environmental research.