http://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=49549
PhD Research Project
Are pesticides a causal factor in insect pollinator
declines?<http://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=49549>
With the global human population predicted to reach 9bn by 2050 it is
important we maintain high yielding agricultural crops to meet increasing
demands for food and biofuels. Ensuring healthy crops means we must keep
pests under control and have effective pollination; for flowering crops
this means having animal pollinators in abundance. The most common method
of pest control across the globe is the application of agrochemicals
(a.k.a. pesticides). Ironically, though, pesticides used for crop
protection may inadvertently be harming the beneficial insects required for
effective pollination. For instance, 75% of agricultural crops rely on
insect pollination yet we know that insect pollinators are in decline.
Bees constitute the majority of insect pollination and are experiencing
some of the severest declines. Exposure to crop pesticides, whilst
typically non-lethal, can induce detrimental behavioural effects to
foraging individuals. Gill et al. (2012, Nature) found that neonicotinoid
pesticide exposure lowered pollen collecting performance in bumblebees,
with foragers bringing back less pollen - a result that raises important
questions with fundamental implications. What specific behaviours are
vulnerable to pesticide exposure leading to impaired foraging? Does such
foraging impairment have a knock-on effect to colony survival and fitness?
Does impaired foraging ability reduce effective pollination? Taking an
interdisciplinary approach, the project will integrate experimentation and
modeling. Observations of bee behaviour (likely to be bumblebees) and
monitoring of colonies will feed into a modeling component with the aim of
projecting future bee population trends in response to pesticide exposure.
This is a BBSRC-supported 1+3 DTP project, meaning support is for one year
as a Masters student followed by three years at PhD level. The student will
learn primary skills in: experimental design and behavioural observations,
large data-set analysis, statistics, computational modeling, and informing
scientific research to policy makers and stakeholders. It is also intended
that the student will spend 3-months on an internship at a non-academic
institute. Possession of any of the afore-mentioned skills and/or
experience is an advantage but not essential.
Imperial College is a world leading university, the Times Higher Education
World University Ranking 2013-2014 placed the Department of Life Sciences
as 3rd best in Europe and 10th best in the World. The student will be based
at the Silwood Park campus which currently has a growing and
internationally renowned community of researchers. The Grand Challenges in
Ecosystems and the Environment (GCEE) initiative has invested significantly
into ensuring a world leading group of scientists addressing important
global issues.
The application should include: CV, the names and addresses of two academic
referees and a covering letter. In the covering letter (max. 1 side of A4,
min. font size Arial 10 or Times Roman 12, min. page borders 2cm) please
include any experience and skills you feel make you a suitable candidate
for the position, and a statement of your biological research interests and
ambitions. The application deadline is 31st January 2014; please send your
application to [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http://www.findaphd.com/search/EmailEnquiry.aspx?fapjid=49549&LID=907&[log in to unmask]>,
and also use this email address for any queries you might have about the
position.
Supervisors: Dr Richard Gill and Dr Dan Reuman
Bees and pesticides literature:
- Gill RJ et al. (2012). Combined pesticide exposure severely affects
individual- and colony-level traits in bees. Nature, 491, 105-108.
- Goulson D (2013) An overview of the environmental risks posed by
neonicotinoid insecticides. J. Applied Ecology. doi:
10.1111/1365-2664.12111.
Modeling literature:
- Bryden J, Gill RJ et al. (2013) Chronic sublethal stress causes bee
colony failure Ecology Letters. 16, 1463-1469.
- Wearn OR, Reuman DC, Ewers RM (2012). Extinction debt and windows of
conservation opportunity in the Brazilian Amazon. Science, 327, 228-232.
Funding Notes:
To be eligible for BBSRC funding, each student must ensure that he/she:
1) Is settled in the UK i.e. is ordinarily resident in the UK without being
subject under the immigration laws to any restriction on the period for
which they may stay in the UK;
2) Has been ordinarily resident in the UK for three years immediately prior
to the date of start of their course;
3) No part of the period of residence in (2) was wholly or mainly for the
purpose of receiving full-time education. (This final point does not relate
to Home or EU students)
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