24 Nov 08:41
PhD Studentship: Stress ecology and biocomplexity
Dear Colleagues,
Please forward the ad below to whoever might be interested.
Many thanks in advance!
Christian Mulder
Job description Within the framework of the ongoing cooperation between the Department of Environmental Science (Radboud University, RU-DES) and the Laboratory for Ecological Risk Assessment (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM-LER), new computational and ecological methods are developed for the assessment of ecotoxicological risks of exposure to multiple physical and chemical stressors. RU-DES has currently one vacancy for a PhD position within the aforementioned framework entitled ‘Ranking stresses using food-web analysis’. In order to obtain insights into the relative importance of different kinds of stressors on the occurrence (presence/absence) and numerical abundance of species, expected species distributions in relation to the impact of anthropogenic stressors will be obtained by exploring the structure (topology) of food webs (e.g. Mulder et al. 2005a) and networks (e.g. Posthuma and De Zwart 2006). This can be achieved in several ways. To analyse the effects of chemicals, biotic and abiotic monitoring data will be combined with metabolic functions to describe the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics at species level. Toxicity extrapolation (Luttik et al. 2005) also plays an important role here. Alternatively, stressors may also be considered to destabilize the system in a more general sense, for instance by favouring species with certain traits and strategies. Other human-mediated stressors to be evaluated include macronutrients (total Kjeldahl nitrogen, phosphorus), micronutrients and trace elements (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) and pH. Recently we have begun to investigate monitoring data this way (e.g. Mulder et al. 2003, 2005b). The selection of stressors will be performed by multiple regressions and generalized linear models. Patterns and processes predicted by model simulations must be tested by the available field data (empirical evidence). For example, one model may explain the extent to which certain stressors will contribute to increasing occurrence of taxa that better fit the dynamics of a new situation at community level. Such models will therefore be able to provide a quantitative prediction of such changes, although we will include all other trends predicted by these models. Using these approaches it will be possible to select stepwise the environmental pressure with the highest impact, or the stressor that can be managed more effectively, giving precious guidelines for action to policy and environmental managers. 1. Luttik R, Mineau, P, Roelofs, W (2005) A review of interspecies toxicity extrapolation in birds and mammals and a proposal for long-term toxicity data Ecotoxicology 14, 817-832 2. Mulder, C, Aldenberg, T, De Zwart, D, Van Wijnen, HJ, Breure, AM (2005) Evaluating the impact of pollution on plant-Lepidoptera relationships. Environmetrics 16, 357-373 3. Mulder, C, Cohen, JE, Setälä, H, Bloem, J, Breure, AM (2005) Bacterial traits, animals’ body mass and numerical abundance in the detrital soil food web of Dutch agricultural grasslands. Ecology Letters 8, 80-90 4. Mulder, C, De Zwart, D, Van Wijnen, HJ, Schouten, AJ, Breure, AM (2003) Observational and simulated evidence of ecological shifts within the soil nematode community of agroecosystems under conventional and organic farming. Functional Ecology 17, 516-525 5. Posthuma, L, De Zwart, D (2006) Predicted effects of toxicant mixtures are confirmed by changes in fish species communities in Ohio, USA, rivers. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 25, 1094–1105 Requirements University Graduate The candidate should hold an MSc degree in Natural (Environmental) Sciences. A combined empirical-theoretical expertise on the impact of physical-chemical stressors on populations and communities is required. Important selection criteria are: curiosity, commitment, elementary modelling, good communication skills, good writing skills in English and experience in ecotoxicology and statistical techniques. Organization Radboud University Nijmegen Faculty of Science Strategically located in Europe, Radboud University Nijmegen is one of the leading academic communities in the Netherlands. A place with a personal touch, where top-flight education and research take place on a beautiful green campus in modern buildings with state-of-art facilities. The Department of Environmental Science is embedded in the Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University. Its mission is (1) scientific research on environmental issues, (2) education at BSc-MSc-PhD levels and (3) service to society for regional management and national and international policy. We aim to understand and assess biological responses to combined physical-chemical pressures. Our efforts concentrate on: - (topics) interactions of multiple stressors, in particular physical reconstruction and chemical pollution, with ecosystems and human health - (aim) understanding and predicting - (geography) rivers and estuaries, in particular the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta and - (methods) theoretical concepts (models) developed in interaction with practical cases (laboratory experiments and field surveys) - (results) monodisciplinary in-depth insight and multidisciplinary overall assessment For additional information see website. The Laboratory for Ecological Risk Assessment (LER) of RIVM. The mission of LER is to provide a scientific basis for the assessment of impacts of different types of environmental stress on the composition and functioning of ecosystems in their mutual coherence. The emphasis is on the fate of substances in ecosystems, the exposure of organisms and the subsequent effects on ecosystems. LER focuses on developing knowledge of the structure and functioning of ecosystems and the effect of different types of ecosystem stress thereon, individually or in combinations. LER enables model development as well as experimental research. The models derived describe the relationships between environmental stress and the structure and functioning of ecosystems. These are applied in the risk assessment methods that are developed and in the decision support systems for the impacts of environmental stress on ecosystem quality. Results are applied in environmental policy and management to derive scientifically sound and effective policy measures. For additional information see website. Conditions of employment Maximum salary amount in Euro's a month 2.612 Employment basis: Temporary for specified period Duration of the contract: 4 years with a go/no go decision after 18 months. Maximum hours per week: 40 Additional Information Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from: prof.dr. A.M. Breure Telephone number: +31-30-2743068 E-mail address: ton.breure <at> rivm.nl, t.breure <at> science.ru.nl Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links. Application You can apply for this job before 31-12-2008 by sending your application to: Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica Mr. M. Frieling PO Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, NL E-mail address: pz <at> science.ru.nl When applying for this job always mention the vacancy number 62.39.08. The short URL code for this job opening is: 00345-333. You can use this as a direct link to the job by adding the code to the URL www.academictransfer.org/ | ||||
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