PhD position OT-25726
thermal vulnerability of multi-trophic communities
13100 Le Tholonet
INRAE presentation
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.
Work environment, missions and activities
One Ph.D. position focusing on the ecological consequences of global warming on aquatic ecosystems is available at the RECOVER laboratory in the freshwater ecology (FRESHCO) team at the INRAE of Aix-En-Provence (France). The student will work under the supervision of Arnaud SENTIS (INRAE), in collaboration with other researchers, post-doc, PhD students and technicians. This position is part of a large European project (ERC project Climate CoundDown) investigating the thermal vulnerability of freshwater communities. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work and collaborate with other people involved in this project.
Topic
Ectothermic animals are particularly sensitive to global warming as their body temperature closely matches the surrounding environmental temperature. Most predictive models of ectotherm responses to extreme warm temperature use the upper critical thermal maximum (CTmax) as an indicator of their heat tolerance (Pinsky et al. 2019). CTmax is typically measured in laboratory trials by exposing a single individual to a gradual temperature increase until it loses its locomotor functions. The CTmax is critical in defining the fundamental niche of ectothermic animals, their biogeographical distribution (Sunday et al. 2012, Desforges et al. 2023) and the lethal effects of heat waves (Genin et al. 2020). Climate change is increasing thermal vulnerability by increasing exposure to heat waves so that extinction risk is becoming critical (Jørgensen et al. 2022).
The main objective of this PhD project will be to investigate the thermal vulnerability of lake communities. For this purpose, data collected for several biological compartments (from plankton to fish) will be collected alongside information on species thermal limits. These data will then be used to infer the vulnerability of lake communities and explore the links between thermal vulnerability and food web complexity or community structure. This PhD should help determining the current thermal vulnerability of ecological communities to extreme heat events.
Training and skills
Candidate competences
We are seeking highly motivated students with good organizational skills and strong interests in both quantitative and experimental ecology, as well as global change ecology. Master students in biology, ecology or a related field are welcome. Students interested in both experimental and theoretical work are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates should be sufficiently fluent in English to be able to read and write scientific articles, and engage in discussions. Previous experience with freshwater fauna, laboratory/mesocosm experiments, and statistical analyses (R software) will be strongly appreciated. We are looking for persons with open mind attitude, proactive and capable to carry out research with a certain degree of autonomy.
INRAE's life quality
By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):
- up to 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.
How to apply
I send my CV and my motivation letter
All persons employed by or hosted at INRAE, a public research establishment, are subject to the Civil Service Code, particularly with regard to the obligation of neutrality and respect for the principle of secularism. In carrying out their functions, whether or not they are in contact with the public, they must not express their religious, philosophical or political convictions through their behaviour or by what they wear. > Find out more: fonction publique.gouv.fr website (in French)