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Prof Nickolas Ostle, Prof J Bullock
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
PhD studentship opportunities in Agriculture and the Environment
Supervisors: Prof Nick Ostle (Lancaster University), Prof James Bullock, Dr Jeanette Whitaker (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology), Dr Laura Cardenas (Rothamsted Research).
Humans are exerting increasing pressure on the Earth’s finite soil resources, and there is an urgent need to manage soil sustainably. This requires balancing the production of food, fibre and energy against other vital services provided by soils. Soil carbon is a cornerstone of soil functioning, underpinning plant productivity and other ecosystem functions including greenhouse gas production. However, in managed ecosystems, such as grasslands, the carbon content of soil is inversely proportional to management intensity and resultant plant productivity. A key challenge is therefore to identify how plant productivity can be maintained whilst managing the soil to optimize carbon content and resilience to environmental change. This PhD research project will be developed to answer the following question:
How do plant traits influence grassland carbon sequestration, ecosystem functioning and resilience?
The PhD student will have the opportunity to carry out novel research in above-belowground interactions using the latest techniques and equipment. They will screen grassland plant ecological, physiological and biogeochemical traits as regulators of soil functions. Hypotheses will consider how soil carbon cycling relates to the fast-slow continuum of plant life history types and leaf economics spectra; testing current theory about how plant functional types have evolved and respond to perturbations and expanding this to understand below-ground processes. This research will use global datasets, laboratory and, especially, ongoing plant diversity field experiments (Wessex BESS www.brc.ac.uk/wessexbess, U-GRASS www.soilsecurity.org/u-grass and ECOTRAITS ecotraits.weebly.com). Experiments have been running for 3+ years and provide established manipulations of plant communities, adding huge value to the research.
Academic Requirements: First-class or 2.1 (Hons) degree, or Masters degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate subject.
Deadline for applications: Midnight 31 March 2016
Provisional Interview Date: To Be Confirmed
Start Date: October 2016
Further Information: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sci-tech/downloads/phd_273.pdf
Application process: Please upload a completed application form (download from http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lec/pg/LEC_Funded_PhD_Application-Form.docx) outlining your background and suitability for this project and a CV at LEC Postgraduate Research Applications, http://www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/postgraduate/pgresearch/apply-online.
You also require two references, please send the reference form (download from http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lec/pg/LEC_Funded_PhD_Reference_Form.docx) to your two referees and ask them to email it to Andy Harrod ([Email Address Removed]), Postgraduate Research (PGR) Co-ordinator, Lancaster Environment Centre by the deadline.
Due to the limited time between the closing date and the interview date, it is essential that you ensure references are submitted by the closing date or as soon as possible.
Supervisors: Prof Nick Ostle (Lancaster University), Prof James Bullock, Dr Jeanette Whitaker (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology), Dr Laura Cardenas (Rothamsted Research).
Humans are exerting increasing pressure on the Earth’s finite soil resources, and there is an urgent need to manage soil sustainably. This requires balancing the production of food, fibre and energy against other vital services provided by soils. Soil carbon is a cornerstone of soil functioning, underpinning plant productivity and other ecosystem functions including greenhouse gas production. However, in managed ecosystems, such as grasslands, the carbon content of soil is inversely proportional to management intensity and resultant plant productivity. A key challenge is therefore to identify how plant productivity can be maintained whilst managing the soil to optimize carbon content and resilience to environmental change. This PhD research project will be developed to answer the following question:
How do plant traits influence grassland carbon sequestration, ecosystem functioning and resilience?
The PhD student will have the opportunity to carry out novel research in above-belowground interactions using the latest techniques and equipment. They will screen grassland plant ecological, physiological and biogeochemical traits as regulators of soil functions. Hypotheses will consider how soil carbon cycling relates to the fast-slow continuum of plant life history types and leaf economics spectra; testing current theory about how plant functional types have evolved and respond to perturbations and expanding this to understand below-ground processes. This research will use global datasets, laboratory and, especially, ongoing plant diversity field experiments (Wessex BESS www.brc.ac.uk/wessexbess, U-GRASS www.soilsecurity.org/u-grass and ECOTRAITS ecotraits.weebly.com). Experiments have been running for 3+ years and provide established manipulations of plant communities, adding huge value to the research.
Academic Requirements: First-class or 2.1 (Hons) degree, or Masters degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate subject.
Deadline for applications: Midnight 31 March 2016
Provisional Interview Date: To Be Confirmed
Start Date: October 2016
Further Information: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sci-tech/downloads/phd_273.pdf
Application process: Please upload a completed application form (download from http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lec/pg/LEC_Funded_PhD_Application-Form.docx) outlining your background and suitability for this project and a CV at LEC Postgraduate Research Applications, http://www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/postgraduate/pgresearch/apply-online.
You also require two references, please send the reference form (download from http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lec/pg/LEC_Funded_PhD_Reference_Form.docx) to your two referees and ask them to email it to Andy Harrod ([Email Address Removed]), Postgraduate Research (PGR) Co-ordinator, Lancaster Environment Centre by the deadline.
Due to the limited time between the closing date and the interview date, it is essential that you ensure references are submitted by the closing date or as soon as possible.
Funding Notes
Full studentships (UK/EU tuition fees and stipend (£14,057 2015/16 [tax free])) for UK/EU students for 3.5 years. Unfortunately studentships are not available to non-UK/EU applicants.
References
1 Díaz, S. et al. (2016) The global spectrum of plant form and function. Nature 529, 167-171.
2 Oliver, T.H., Isaac, N.J.B., August, T.A., Woodcock, B.A., Roy, D.B. & Bullock, J.M. (2015) Declining resilience of ecosystem functions under biodiversity loss. Nature Communications, 6
3 Orwin et al., (2014) Effects of species evenness and dominant species identity on multiple ecosystem functions in model grassland communities. Oecologia 174; 979-992.
2 Oliver, T.H., Isaac, N.J.B., August, T.A., Woodcock, B.A., Roy, D.B. & Bullock, J.M. (2015) Declining resilience of ecosystem functions under biodiversity loss. Nature Communications, 6
3 Orwin et al., (2014) Effects of species evenness and dominant species identity on multiple ecosystem functions in model grassland communities. Oecologia 174; 979-992.
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