The power of poo: detecting ecological health and biogeochemical function through animal faeces

Applications are invited from prospective students for a PhD scholarship at Imperial College London. Animal faeces could unlock unknown secrets on the state of the natural world and how it is changing under different stressors. The successful applicant will combine genetic, chemical and ecological analyses of animal faeces from different fieldwork and laboratory experiments. This will reveal a holistic picture about the state of an ecosystem, across terrestrial, freshwater and marine biomes. The candidate will be based in the Department of Life Sciences at the Silwood Park Campus, supervised by Dr Emma Cavan, with co-supervision from Dr Julia Schroeder and Dr Martin Bidartondo.

Project details:

The natural world faces many threats from human use, pollution and climate change, and understanding how complex and interactive ecosystems are impacted by pressures can be difficult. Animal faeces could unlock many facets of the state of the natural world and how it is changing. In the simplest way, they can show us the diet and health of the animal producing the faeces, but deeper exploration can reveal wider knowledge about the whole ecosystem.

The application of ecological faecal investigations are broad, with studies already using faeces to show nitrogen deposition of grazing cattle, ocean carbon storage by plankton, and potential bacterial contamination in water supplies. Combining genetic, chemical and ecological analysis, a more holistic picture can be gained about the state of an ecosystem, across terrestrial, freshwater and marine biomes. The aim of this PhD project is to show how much knowledge we can gain from faeces and detritus, and how we can use this to learn more about the natural world and how it is changing under anthropogenic stressors and climate change. Just some of the details we can gain from investigating the detrital and microbial composition of faeces include:

• how nutrients are flowing through an ecosystem
• the trophic levels in a food web
• ecosystem productivity
• traces of anthropogenic pollution

carbon cycling and storage

This PhD project will develop a suite of analyses to answer some key questions on ecosystem health and biogeochemical function through faeces alone. Initially, the project will focus on terrestrial and freshwater sampling at Silwood Park Campus, focussing on a few key taxa and habitats to showcase the methodological approach. As the project develops, opportunistic sampling in different ecosystems will then test the methods and provide data to support further funding in this work. The project aims to show how animal faeces can be used as indicators of local ecosystem health, and more broader global climate impacts.

Requirements:

• A First-Class Honours Degree in environmental science, oceanography, mathematics, or closely related disciplines.
• A Masters level degree qualification, e.g. MSc/MRes (First-class).
• Excellent communication skills, including strong writing abilities

How to apply:

Applicants are recommended to contact Dr Emma Cavan (e.cavan@imperial.ac.uk) for further details, informal discussions and information about the project, prior to the closing date 10^th January 2025. Please include a 2-page CV.

Funding:

If successful, the studentship will provide funding for 3.5 years from October 2025, including tuition fees at the level of Home students and a living stipend.