Background
An iconic sign of global warming is the retreat and extinction of glaciers worldwide. As glaciers are retreating, new terrain is continuously exposed to colonization by diverse organisms, prompting distribution shifts and new interactions among species. But glacier extinction will also be followed by the loss of species from ecological networks and local communities, with the inherent impoverishment of ecosystem functions. However, lack of comprehensive network-level studies impairs our ability to predict the fate of biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems on forelands of retreating glaciers. An integrative understanding of network dynamics and ecosystem functions following glacier retreat is therefore of paramount importance to biodiversity maintenance and environmental health.
Objective
We will investigate ecological networks in environments ranging from recently ice-free terrains to late stages of development on three glacier forelands in the Swiss Alps. We will reconstruct interactions among multiple ecological communities (fungi, plants, pollinators, herbivores, and predators) by means of surveys and DNA metabarcoding. This novel aspect will allow us to unveil cryptic species and hidden interactions, and analyze the assembly, structure, and dynamics of ecological networks at unprecedented resolution. The contribution this project will provide is crucial to understanding and predicting the fate of biodiversity and anticipating the consequences of global warming on mountain ecosystems.
Qualifications
We are looking for motivated and enthusiastic master students with a passion for science and nature. Students are expected to have basic fieldwork and quantitative skills and be keen to learn different experimental techniques.
Keywords
Alps, biodiversity, community ecology, ecological networks, glacier extinction