PhD Position – Are ecological indicators climate-proof? Reassessing pressure–response relationships in estuarine fish communities in an era of global change

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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

You will join the Aquatic Ecosystems and Global Change (EABX) research unit, which focuses on the responses of estuarine and freshwater biodiversity to global change. You will carry out your PhD within the Estuarine Ecosystem Functioning and Restoration and Amphihaline Migratory Fish Populations (FREEMA) research team, which investigates the functioning of estuarine ecosystems and the ecology of migratory fish species of conservation concern.

The main objective of this PhD project is to assess the impact of environmental changes on the ecological status assessment of estuaries and explore potential adaptations to ensure the reliability of these assessments in the context of climate change.

The project will build on fish community monitoring data collected since the early 2000s across several dozen estuaries in France. It will be structured around four complementary research objectives:

• Characterise changes in environmental conditions and anthropogenic pressures in the studied estuaries to identify factors that may influence ecological status assessments.
• Investigate changes in pressure-response relationships between anthropogenic pressures and fish community responses by comparing statistical relationships across different periods and assessing their implications for reference conditions and ecological status classifications.
• Explore ways to incorporate environmental changes into ecological assessment methods, particularly by including hydroclimatic variables in statistical models or introducing metrics sensitive to environmental changes.
• Assess the ecological relevance and operational suitability of the metrics used in the Estuarine and Lagoon Fish Index (ELFI), by examining their sensitivity to environmental changes and exploring the potential value of new metrics, particularly those derived from functional ecology.

Expected outcomes

This PhD project will provide a better understanding of how environmental changes influence the relationships between anthropogenic pressures and estuarine fish community responses. It will aim to identify potential biases associated with the use of historical reference conditions and propose improvements to the ELFI index to enhance the robustness and reliability of ecological status assessments and their relevance for the management of transitional waters under the European Water Framework Directive (WFD).

Training and skills

• Master's degree (MSc or equivalent) in aquatic ecology or a related field (marine sciences, fisheries science, etc.).
• Strong skills in data analysis, with proficiency in R and its associated environment. Experience with additional tools such as R Markdown and Shiny would be an asset.
• Good knowledge of estuarine fish ecology.
• Strong initiative and ability to independently develop and propose approaches to data analysis and statistical modelling.
• Good teamwork and collaboration skills.

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;

-Partial reimbursement of home-to-work commute pass.

How to apply

I send my CV and my motivation letter