How is environmental change shaping the future of Southeast Asia’s top predators?

Background

With widespread habitat fragmentation occurring across human-dominated landscapes, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how environmental change affects connectivity and gene flow in wide-ranging large carnivores. The elusive nature of big cats makes them particularly challenging for obtaining comprehensive data on population status across human-modified landscapes, yet their top-predator status means they act as ‘singing canaries’ highlighting the vulnerability of other biodiversity to human disturbance. This study will use the Malayan tiger as a focal species to explore the impacts of environmental change on small populations by generating new spatial genetic data from tiger faecal samples in Malaysia, and combine this with ecological forecasting to predict how populations respond in the face of future change.

Research questions and methodology

1. How will populations change under future environmental, habitat and management scenarios, and what are the key drivers of change?
The student will combine existing climatic, landscape, and tiger occupancy data and use advanced spatially-explicit modelling techniques and resource selection approaches to explore patterns of change in population status and distribution.

2. To what extent do external factors affect gene flow and how do landscape barriers align with potential areas for habitat connectivity?
The student will conduct field surveys in peninsular Malaysia to collect faecal samples for DNA extraction and genotyping and integrate this new genetic information with environmental and occupancy data to identify potential dispersal corridors.
Training

The student will have access to a rich array of specialist training and support at DICE (https://www.kent.ac.uk/dice/), including expertise on climate and landscape-change assessment in Southeast Asia (Dr Struebig), and optimised methods for tiger landscape genetics (Dr Groombridge). In Malaysia, the student will receive field survey support under Rimba, and be a part of international scientific collaboration through Panthera. In-country expertise on DNA techniques will be available through CASE partner TRACE.

Person specification

An ambitious and independent student, who wishes to develop their skills in landscape genetics and international large carnivore conservation. The ideal applicant will have a postgraduate qualification in wildlife biology or similar subject, with previous research experience in Southeast Asia, carnivore biology, and population/habitat modelling.