Institute of Ecology and Evolution,
University of Bern, Switzerland
Organisation
The Institute
of Ecology & Evolution at the University of Bern offers excellent
opportunities and infrastructure for theoretical and experimental research in
the field of ecology and evolution. It hosts six chairs, several associated
professors and junior group leaders with complementary, yet overlapping and
linked areas of scholarship. It is home to a large number of post-doctoral
researchers, PhD and MSc students from different countries worldwide.
Research at
the chair of Behavioural Ecology focuses on the evolution of sociality and
cooperation, within-population individual variation of behaviour and life
history pathways, and the influence of early experience on life-long and
transgenerational traits and decisions. In addition to theoretical modelling,
our research uses cichlid fishes from Lake Tanganyika, ambrosia beetles and
Norway rats as model systems. We combine sophisticated behavioural experiments
in the laboratory and field with long-term monitoring of individual life
histories in nature, develop theoretical models of evolutionary mechanisms
underlying behaviour, and study molecular mechanisms by transcriptome profiling
and hormone manipulations. Currently the division comprises roughly 30 staff
and student members.
Job
descriptions
1st
project: Integration of early environmental information within and across
generations in a cooperative breeder
Early life conditions can have life-long effects on the
phenotypic development of animals. Most research in developmental plasticity
focuses only on a single environmental trigger or ontogenetic stage. However,
natural environments are usually complex. If we aim to understand the
development of well-integrated adult phenotypes, we must consider effects of
multiple ecological factors during multiple ontogenetic stages. The highly
social cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher is a unique model system to study
the development of integrated phenotypes, because it uses environmental cues to
specialize on one of two life history strategies during ontogeny, namely early
own reproduction or delayed dispersal to help rearing offspring of dominant
breeders. N. pulcher is a well-studied model system of social evolution
that is exceptionally suited to experiments in the field and laboratory. Within
this project, two PhD positions are currently available:
Position 1: "Environmental influences on development
during different ontogenetic stages"
The aim of this PhD-project is to investigate the relative
significance of four important environmental influences for the development of
helping and dispersal propensities of N. pulcher: prenatal maternal
effects, brood care, early juvenile and late juvenile environments.
Position 2: "Long-term effects of early environment
within and across generations"
This PhD project investigates whether the early environment
influences adult life histories and reproductive performance, and whether it
affects the phenotypes of successive generations through epigenetic
inheritance.
Both PhD projects will pursue a multidisciplinary approach
involving behavioural experiments in the laboratory, field work, ecological
genomics and/or quantitative meta-analysis. Eligible candidates will have a
master’s degree (or equivalent) in Biology and research experience in animal
behaviour and a genuine understanding of evolutionary theory. Practical skills
in molecular genetics techniques, the application of statistical models and
empirical work with fish would be beneficial, but they are not a precondition.
The project will be mostly based in Bern, but will involve collaboration with
Nadia Aubin-Horth (University Laval, Canada) for the molecular analyses and
with Shinishi Nakagawa (University of Otago, New Zealand) for meta-analysis.
Supervisor: Barbara Taborsky.
2nd project: The use of information in social
decisions
Position 3: “Conditional decisions to stay or disperse in
fungus tending ambrosia beetles”
When deciding to stay or disperse from the natal territory,
information about the quality of potential dispersal areas may be limited and
costly to obtain. Modelling results imply that the stage before dispersal
decisions are made is of particular interest to understand social evolution.
Ambrosia beetles are cooperative breeders cultivating fungi for food.
Individual dispersal is timed in dependence of the need for cooperative care in
the natal colony. Here we ask whether and how dispersal decisions depend on (i)
the body condition of beetles, (ii) the microbial condition in the natal
gallery, and (iii) the sustainability of the substrate in which they
live. Experiments will show how beetles respond to the microbial
composition of their gallery, including hygienic behaviour, allogrooming and
fungal care, and their timing of dispersal. The utility of galleries will be
manipulated to test effects on the beetles’ condition, dispersal and
reproductive decisions. In addition, the degree of sociality will be determined
in scolytid ambrosia beetles colonizing living trees, to test whether
the ephemeral nature of freshly dead trees, the resource used by most
species, prevents this group from being eusocial.
This PhD project will pursue a multidisciplinary approach
involving behavioural experiments in the laboratory, field work in temperate
and tropical regions, and the assessment and manipulation of the chemical
ecology of the beetles’ fungus gardens. Eligible candidates will have a
master’s degree (or equivalent) in Biology, research experience in animal
behaviour, and a genuine understanding of evolutionary theory. Practical skills
in the application of statistical models, in chemical ecology and in empirical
work with arthropods are beneficial.
Supervisor: Michael Taborsky.
All three positions are funded by the Swiss National
Science Foundation. They last for three years and may start as early as January
2015. Salaries will follow the schemes of the Swiss National Science
Foundation. Closing date: Open until filled, but all application
materials, including the CV and a motivation letter, a summary of research
experience, copies of any published or in-press papers, and two letters of
recommendation should be received by 8th December 2014 to
ensure full consideration. Candidates should indicate in the cover letter for
which of the three positions they apply and when they could take up the position.
Please send all application material to the secretary’s office, c/o Claudia
Leiser, Behavioural Ecology, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50A, CH-3032
Bern, Switzerland; or, preferably, as e-mail attachments to claudia.leiser@iee.unibe.ch.
For information on our research please consult our
web-page: http://behav.zoology.unibe.ch/
For inquiries please contact barbara.taborsky@iee.unibe.ch
or michael.taborsky@iee.unibe.ch.