About the Project
Applications are invited for a three-year PhD studentship. The studentship will start on April 1st 2019.
Tropical coral reefs represent one of the most important, iconic and diverse marine ecosystems, hosting ~24% of all marine fish species and possibly more than a million species overall. Coral reef ecosystems support a variety of human needs, including fisheries, tourism, shoreline protection, and yield compounds that are important in the development of new medicines. At least 500 million people are dependent on coral reefs for their livelihoods, including some of the World’s poorest communities. However, coral reefs are in crisis from a combination of direct human impacts, such as overfishing, destructive fishing practices, coastal pollution, coastal development, and the pervasive effects of climate change, especially mass coral bleaching and ocean acidification. About 19% of coral reefs have been destroyed and a third of reef-forming coral species face extinction, a situation getting worse by the year.
2014-2017 saw the longest, most wide-spread and possibly the most damaging mass coral bleaching event on record. One possible refuge for coral reef species against the impacts of climate change is the presence of mesophotic coral ecosystems, which occur in deeper waters between 30-200 m. At these depths, reef-forming species, as well as associated biota, can form extensive communities, which may play an important role in the recovery of degraded shallow reefs by providing a source of larvae (Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis).
The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) consists of the near-pristine Chagos Archipelago, which is protected by a very large (640,000 km2) marine protected area (MPA). It is a largely unperturbed ecosystem due to its protected status and remote location, making it an excellent location to study reef dynamics in their natural state. Mesophotic reefs are known to occur within the BIOT; however, knowledge of their spatial distribution, their species composition and diversity, and their role in supporting shallow-water coral reefs across the archipelago is largely unknown.
This PhD studentship will investigate the distribution, diversity and species composition of mesophotic reefs, and their associated larval communities, within the BIOT. The overall aim of the proposed research is to determine the role that mesophotic reefs play in supporting the shallow-water reefs.
The studentship is part of a truly integrated, interdisciplinary project involving physicists, geochemists and biologists. The overall project will investigate oceanographic drivers of ecosystem variability in the BIOT and develop appropriate conservation strategies for the marine environment.
Training
The student will benefit from a range of training, including field data collection, ROV handling, CTD sampling, physical sample collection, processing image/video analysis, GIS mapping, species identification and statistical analysis. The PhD student will also benefit from a research cruise to the BIOT, gaining valuable ship-based research experience.
Eligibility
Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree in an appropriate subject (Marine Biology, Ecology) and preferably a relevant MSc or MRes qualification, or relevant research experience. Experience in GIS mapping, R, image and video analysis, tropical species identification and ship-going experience would be desirable but is not essential.
If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Nicola Foster [Email Address Removed]. However, applications must be made in accordance with the details shown below.
General information about applying for a research degree at Plymouth University is available at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/your-studies/the-graduate-school/applicants-and-enquirers
You can apply via the online application form which can be found at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/postgraduate and click ‘Apply’.
Please mark it FAO Aimee McNeillie and clearly state that you are applying for a PhD studentship within the School of Biological and Marine Sciences.
For more information on the admissions process contact [Email Address Removed] +44(0) 1752 586079.
The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Friday 8th February 2019. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for formal interview during the week beginning 25th February 2019. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received an offer of a place by the week of interviews should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
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