Investigating species traits, interactions, and ecosystem services of novel dung beetle communities in New Zealand grasslands

The introduction and expansion of livestock farming systems in New Zealand and Australia has brought with it many environmental challenges, as these regions lack the organisms required to process the vast amounts of ungulate dung now produced in pastoral grasslands. Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) have been more recently introduced in these regions for the use of their feeding and reproductive behaviour of burying and consuming mammalian waste. This activity has been shown to increase soil health and reduce runoff of nutrients into waterways, increase pasture productivity, reduce pests and disease and even reduce greenhouse gas emissions from pastoral systems. However, a better understanding of the factors determining the functional efficiency of novel dung beetle communities is needed to determine how their future introductions will facilitate the continued management of ecological degradation in agricultural grasslands.

This project will be based in New Zealand and will focus on the performance of recently introduced species of dung beetles. The PhD student will carry out a range of experiments in the lab and the field aimed at determining how single and multi-species mixtures of dung beetles affect ecosystem functions and services such as dung burial, soil nutrients and pasture growth. Furthermore, the student will investigate the role of functional traits, environmental characteristics, and intra- and interspecific interactions in determining how these novel dung beetle communities function and supply ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. These experiments will be coupled with field surveys across New Zealand at sites where beetles have been previously released to determine whether results from experiments support and explain patterns that are observed in the field.

To fill this position, we are seeking an independent and highly motivated applicant with:
• An Honours or MSc degree in a relevant subject (e.g., ecology, biology, entomology)
• Experience in ecological field work and/or lab and field experiments
• Sound skills in analysing ecological data (preferably with R)
• Experience in soil ecology (would be highly advantageous)
• Excellent communication skills in English (spoken and written)

We are offering an exciting position for a PhD candidate to be based at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand under the supervision of Dr Andrew Barnes and Prof. Louis Schipper and working closely with Dr Simon Fowler and Dr Quentin Paynter at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. The candidate will also have the opportunity to collaborate with a number of researchers at the University of Western Australia, University of New England, and Charles Sturt University within a broader project investigating introduced dung beetles in New Zealand and Australia. The position is fully funded for a fixed term of three years (including a stipend, full tuition fees and research costs) and is to begin as soon as possible. Candidates should send electronic applications as a single PDF document comprising a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, and scientific publications (if applicable) to Dr Barnes. Review of applications will begin on the 31st of August 2018 and will continue until the position is filled.