Universal ecological responses to climate change: understanding impacts on zooplankton

This fully-funded studentship is available for UK/EU nationals and includes £14,777 per annum maintenance for the successful candidate for 3.5 years, as well as covering the associated University fees. Based within the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool, you will work with Profs. Andrew Hirst and David Atkinson (both at the University of Liverpool), and Dr Angus Atkinson (Plymouth Marine Laboratory) on this project.

As our planet warms, profound shifts in species and communities are occurring. Three ‘universal’ ecological responses to warming have been described; namely the redistribution of species in space (often retreating towards the poles and to greater depths in the ocean); shifts in phenology (seasonal timing of life cycle events, e.g. earlier reproduction in spring); and changes in body size (higher temperatures are associated with reductions in body size). Although each of these responses has been measured in a wide array of animal and plant species, they have typically been measured in isolation. This means we have little appreciation of how the three responses interact. Are these responses co-dependent? For example, does a species which strongly shifts its phenology have reduced geographic and body size shifts? Furthermore, the implications of the three universal climate change responses are poorly known. For example, phenology shifts can differ between trophic levels, potentially leading to a mismatch in the seasonal timing of zooplankton and their food. Our incomplete knowledge of the climate change responses of zooplankton is severely limiting our ability to predict future changes in marine ecosystems.

Marine ectotherms, including plankton and fish, have been shown to be undergoing rapid changes to climate warming over recent decades, with zooplankton described as “sentinels of climate change”. These organisms are typically fast growing and their free dispersal within the ocean means that they can colonise new areas across large distances. Zooplankton are also critical to ocean functions, major grazers on the algal primary producers, and a key conduit of energy to higher tropic levels, including commercially important fish and marine mammals. These attributes make zooplankton ideal candidates to examine climate-related change, and are a group that must be understood given their socio-economic relevance.

This PhD will utilise existing long-term collections of zooplankton, spanning a wide geographic range, as well as giving the successful candidate the opportunity to collect your own data through the analysis of samples from across Europe. Experimental work can also be an important part of the planned work. The successful candidate will quantify major responses of a wide range of zooplankton species to climate warming, develop methods to compare these different responses, and determine their interactions. This PhD work will lead to an improved ability to understand and predict future climate change responses of marine plankton.

Candidates should ideally have a BSc degree or Masters in a related discipline (e.g. zoology, marine biology, biological sciences), with strong interests in ecology and / or eco-physiology. Ideally you will have some mathematical skills and a knowledge of R, although full training on all aspects of the project will be provided. The supervisors have a strong track-record in working collaboratively together over many years, and have published and successfully co-supervised many students. Our ethos is to grow the skills of the PhD students we work with, in a co-operative and encouraging environment, providing the expertise needed for a research career.

Informal enquiries can be made to Prof Andrew Hirst (email: [Email Address Removed]). Also see: www.aquatic-ecology.co.uk. This PhD studentship has an intended start date of 1st Oct 2018. Application deadline 15th August 2018.

For application enquiries, please contact [Email Address Removed]