1 PhD position on Insect community ecology in Netherlands | Wageningen UR

The goal of the research project is to unravel plant adaptations to attack by multiple insect herbivore species. Plants respond to insect herbivory by changing their defence phenotype specifically for the identity of the attacker. It has been hypothesized that specificity in induced plant responses is a plant adaptation to deal with unpredictability of insect attack. However, a response to one attacker may make plants more susceptible to attack by other herbivore species. An optimal defence strategy should thus incorporate the consequences of the induced response. As PhD student you will study whether various Brassicaceous plant species differ in the predictability of exposure to insect attack, such as when, by which species and in which order herbivore attack takes place and if these patterns of attack are reflected in specific plant defence adaptations to dynamic processes in multi-herbivore attack. You will combine field experiments on the structure of insect communities with plant performance measurements as well as laboratory experiments on insect behaviour. Within the project you will be closely collaborating with a PhD student who focusses on plant physiological responses to multi-herbivore attack, a technician and post-doc as well as researchers at international institutes with expertise in ecology, entomology and plant sciences.

Requirements

The successful candidate will have an MSc degree in Biology with a specialization in Ecology or similar, with experience in community ecology, behavioural studies on insects and statistical analyses of multivariate datasets. We are looking for a highly motivated field ecologist who can work in a multidisciplinary team in a collaborative spirit. The candidate will be proficient in the English language. Within the Laboratory of Entomology, PhD students are encouraged to supervise MSc thesis students when such opportunities arise.

Conditions of employment

We offer a full-time position (38 hours), initially for 1 year after which a go/no go decision will be taken on extension with another three years. Gross salary per month € 2174,- in the first year rising to € 2779,- per month in the fourth year, for a fulltime appointment. The candidate will be based at the Laboratory of Entomology in Wageningen.

Organisation

Wageningen UR

The research on plant adaptations to multi-herbivore attack is embedded in the research team of Dr. Poelman at the Laboratory of Entomology Wageningen University. Our team studies community ecology of plant-insect interactions and consists of ecologists, entomologists, molecular biologists and computational modellers. At the Laboratory of Entomology the research teams consist of ambitious scientists and we aim at an interdisciplinary approach from cellular to community level to unravel biological phenomena underlying the functioning of plant-insect communities, insect vectored diseases, insect neurobiology and insects as food and feed. The Laboratory of Entomology is part of the Plant Sciences Group of the Wageningen University and Research Centre.

Wageningen University and Research Centre

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