Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Deep-Sea Ecology

Location – Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY.

Fieldwork – Faial Island, Azores, Portugal

Short project description

Over the past decade there has been increasing concern related to expanding deep-sea fisheries targeting seamounts and the slopes of oceanic islands. These concerns have centred on the impacts of trawling on target and by-catch fish species with low resilience to fishing pressure and on the destruction of epifaunal communities, particularly cold-water coral reefs, by mechanical impact of fishing gear. Managing deep-sea fisheries in the context of a changing environment means that there is a pressing need for detailed data on the ecology of deep-water corals and other important components of the epifaunal communities of seamounts and the slopes of oceanic islands. In particular, the habitat requirements of epifaunal species need to be understood in terms of favoured substrata, current regimes and food supply.

This project will utilize a unique submersible facility, based in Horta, Faial Island in the Azores to study the epifaunal community structure and aspects of the life histories and recruitment of sessile organisms on the upper bathyal slopes of these oceanic islands. The Azores host a valuable bottom long-line fishery targeted at demersal species and by-catch include corals. Deep-sea studies in this region have concentrated on fish populations and hydrothermal vents, although historically sampling of the benthic fauna was undertaken by expeditions such as those funded by Prince Albert I of Monaco from 1886-1915. Recent analyses of historical coral records from the NE Atlantic have indicated that the coral fauna of the continental slope is distinct from those of seamounts but more similar to that of oceanic islands.

The work undertaken in this project will include the use of the submersible Lula to undertake video transects to sample megafauna and to record habitat and evidence of fishing. These data will be used to analyse the relationships between habitat, community structure and fishing pressure using non-parametric methods, multivariate analyses, and analyses of taxonomic distinctness. If feasible, habitat suitability modelling will be developed to help to predict the distribution of coral habitats at local to regional scales within European waters.

As well as basic studies on distribution of species within benthic communities, specific studies will be undertaken on the population dynamics and nutritional ecology of target groups of organisms (specifically corals) through seabed experiments (deployment of settlement panels), observational studies (gut content analysis), reproductive and genetic studies. The latter will be used for three purposes: 1) To aid the identification of taxa 2) To undertake analyses of phylogeography over large geographic scales 3) Assess gene flow and dispersal at small spatial scales.

A postdoctoral research assistant with experience in one or more of the areas of work within the project is required to work with Dr Alex David Rogers. The postdoctoral research assistantship is funded by the Leverhulme Trust (Grant ID20060477) whilst fieldwork and elements of the research costs are funded by the Lighthouse Foundation. The submersible Lula is operated by the Rebikoff Foundation. The post will be appointed at a maximum of Spine-Point 8 (Salary £26,093 + London weighting). The post-holder will be required to work with the Deep-Sea Ecosystems team at ZSL, including Ph.D. students, postgraduates and undergraduates as well as with collaborating scientists from the Azores, Portugal and other European and non-European countries.

For further information please contact Dr AD Rogers: Phone +44 (0)20 7449 6669; Email Alex.Rogers@ioz.ac.uk

Closing date is 11th October 2007

 Original Job Advert
 Job description
 Job skills specification Azores

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