Spatio-temporal dynamics of beetles, spiders and weta in response to bottom-up and top-down controls

This project will build on six-years’ of previous work to identify the biotic and abiotic drivers behind the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of invertebrate communities in forests of the lower North Island of New Zealand. Some of the forests are subject to periodic control of introduced mammals and all southern beech (Nothofagus) forests experience irregular masting which can stimulate boom and bust cycles in rodents.
Candidates should expect a mixture of field work, traditional morphological identification of invertebrate specimens and ecological modelling - experience in one or more of these areas is an advantage.
The successful candidate will join a thriving community of ecologists and other researchers who are part of Victoria University of Wellington’s Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology.