The impact of livestock on parasite transmission in communities of African savanna herbivores at University of Liverpool on FindAPhD.com

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Dr J Bro-Jorgensen, Dr DW Franks, Prof A Fenton No more applications being accepted Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

Liverpool United Kingdom

About the Project

Background:
Wildlife in sub-Saharan Africa is under intensifying pressure from human activities as the continent͛s human population keeps growing. On savannas, herbivores increasingly share their pastures with livestock but the ecological consequences of coexistence remains poorly understood. A particular knowledge gap relates to the effect of livestock presence on patterns of parasite transmission. The student will conduct fieldwork in East Africa to collect primary data on parasite infection, and subsequently analyse the data using disease ecological models. The project is linked to HORN, a multi-partner training and research programme focusing on One Health in the Horn of Africa. Desirable skills include confidence in leading fieldwork in Africa (ideally backed up by evidence), skills from veterinary science, and quantitative skills. Also relevant is familiarity with molecular biological approaches.

Objectives:
(1) To quantify the impact of livestock presence on parasite transmission in an African savannah system
(2) Use this insight to make recommendations for both conservation management and livestock production

Funding Notes

Competitive funding of tuition fee, research costs and stipend (£14,553 tax-free, 2017-18) from the NERC Doctoral Training Partnership “Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment” (ACCE, http://acce.group.shef.ac.uk/ ). ACCE – a collaboration between the Universities of Sheffield, Liverpool, and York – is the only dedicated ecology/evolution/conservation Doctoral Training Partnership in the UK.

Applications (CV, letter of application, 2 referees) by email to [Email Address Removed], deadline: January 9th 2018. Interviews: 14th-16th February 2018. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed for only one project from the ACCE partnership.

This project is also available to self-funded students. A fees bursary may be available.

References

Bro-Jørgensen, J., & Mallon, D. (editors) (2016) Antelope conservation: from diagnosis to action. Conservation Science and Practice Series. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell

Payne, B.L., & Bro-Jørgensen, J. (2016) Disproportionate climate-induced range loss forecast for the most threatened antelopes. Current Biology 26:1200-1205

Fenton, A., Streicker, D. G., Petchey, O. L., & Pedersen, A.B. (2015) Are all hosts created equal? Partitioning host species contributions to parasite persistence in multihost communities. American Naturalist 186:610-22.

Streicker, D., Fenton, A., & Pedersen, A. B. (2013) Differential sources of host species heterogeneity influence the transmission and control of multi-host parasites. Ecology Letters 16, 975-984.

Where will I study?

University of Liverpool

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The impact of livestock on parasite transmission in communities of African savanna herbivores

University of Liverpool Institute of Integrative Biology