Comportement animal, Sydney Australie

>
> Two PhD Scholarships in Evolutionary Ecology (Sydney, Australia)
>
> Both projects will be based in Macquarie University's Centre for the
> Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour (http://galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au/
> ~cisab/) and are supported by MQRES Scholarships*.
>
> Project 1. - Maintenance of polymorphism in the Gouldian finch
>
> This project will investigate the persistence of the rare yellow
> morph of the endangered Gouldian finch in wild and captive
> populations. The general research theme is to understand why the
> genetically determined yellow morph naturally occurs at much lower
> levels (< 1%) than the red (30%) and black (70%) morphs of this
> species. Based on the genetic determination of the morphs we should
> expect to find a much higher frequency of the yellow morph in natural
> populations. However, previous work has shown that yellow individuals
> are behaviourally dominated by the other two morphs and also are
> generally avoided as mates. This project will investigate a variety
> of physiological and behavioural traits in an attempt to characterise
> both positive and negative selection on the yellow morph to
> understand its place in this classic balanced polymorphism. Although
> the research program into which this project fits is supported by
> ongoing ARC Discovery and Linkage grants, the student will have ample
> room for individual choice of specific topics and design of
> experiments. Applicants should have a background in some of the
> following areas: biology, animal behaviour, behavioural ecology,
> evolutionary ecology, genetics.
>
> The project is based in the research group of A/Prof Simon Griffith,
> to whom enquiries should be directed (simon.griffith@mq.edu.au )
> before 31 May 2007. This project will be jointly supervised by Dr
> Sarah Pryke (also in CISAB).
>
>
>
>
> Project 2. - Genetic structure of the chestnut-crowned babbler
>
> We seek a student to investigate the genetic structure of the
> cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babbler: from family groups
> through local populations up to the broad-scale species range in
> arid, and semi-arid Australia. This research program, focusing on an
> avian equivalent of the meerkat, will include field-work, behavioural
> observation and a substantial molecular component (PCR-based
> microsatellite genotyping) with the main aim of understanding the
> breeding system of this species, and the way in which ecology
> interacts with dispersal and local adaptation to contribute to the
> evolution of cooperative breeding. This project will use an ongoing
> study population at the Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station (far-
> west NSW) and a number of other wild populations throughout the
> range. Although the research program into which this project fits is
> supported by an ongoing ARC Discovery grant, the student will have
> ample room for individual choice of specific topics and design of
> research. Applicants should have a background in some of the
> following areas: biology, animal behaviour, behavioural ecology,
> evolutionary ecology, genetics.
>
> The project is based in the research group of A/Prof Simon Griffith,
> to whom enquiries about the project should be directed
> (simon.griffith@mq.edu.au) before 31 May 2007. This project will be
> jointly supervised by Dr Andrew Russell (University of Sheffield, UK,
> http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/aps/contacts/acadstaff/russell.html).
>
> * MQRES scholarships are available year round for Australian and
> International students. MQRES scholarships include an APA-equivalent
> stipend (currently AU$19,616 p.a. tax exempt), allowances for
> relocation and thesis costs, international tuition fees and overseas
> health cover for a maximum of 3.5 years tenure. Applicants should
> have completed equivalent research qualifications to a four-year
> Australian Bachelor degree with First Class Honours, such as a
> Bachelor degree plus a Masters degree with a substantial research
> component. AU$6,000 p.a. is provided by CISAB to all PhD students to
> cover direct research expenses of their project, and several generous
> internal schemes are available to fund travel to visit overseas
> laboratories and to attend conferences.
>
>
>
>
>
> Simon Griffith
> Centre for the Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour
> Macquarie University
> Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
> phone: +61 9385 8068 fax: +61 2 9850 9231
> http://galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au/~cisab/