MSc positions and internships
Competition or facilitation: How does the exclusion of different
mammalian herbivores affect the composition and abundance of arthropod communities?
Supervisor: PD Dr. Anita C. Risch, anita.risch@wsl.ch
Project: The project is embedded in NF-Project: “Top-down effects of four
herbivore groups of different body size on above- and belowground properties in
grassland ecosystems of variable productivity”. Herbivores are gradually excluded
according to their size in a large scale experiment that was established in the
Swiss National Park in 2009. Among other factors we would like to assess how
invertebrate communities will be altered when mammalian herbivores are
excluded. Standard methods will be used to sample both ground dwelling
arthropods (by pitfall traps) and invertebrates living on the vegetation (by suction
sampling). Samples will be collected every two weeks between June and September
in the Swiss National Park and thereafter sorted to different taxonomic groups.
Potential candidates must be able bodied, willing to spend several weeks in a
remote area working in the field under sometimes adverse
conditions. The candidates must also be willing to spend several weeks in the
lab using the binocular microscope for several hours to identify the
arthropods. Thus experience in arthropod identification or willingness
to learn are desirable.
Institute:
WSL Birmensdorf
Time
of the year: Summer
Additional
supervisor: Dr. Martin Schütz, martin.schuetz@wsl.ch und Dr. Marco Moretti, marco.moretti@wsl.ch
Date:
19.1.2011
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How does the exclusion of different mammalian
herbivores affect photosynthesis rates of selected plant species in subalpine
grasslands?
Supervisor: PD Dr. Anita C.
Risch, anita.risch@wsl.ch
Project: The project is
embedded in the NF-Project: “Top-down effects of four herbivore groups of
different body size on above- and belowground properties in grassland
ecosystems of variable productivity”. Herbivores are gradually excluded
according to their size in a large scale experiment that was established in the
Swiss National Park in 2009. Among other factors we would like to assess
whether herbivore exclusion leads to changes in photosynthetic rates of
selected plant species. Measurements will be conducted every two weeks between
June and September in the Swiss National Park. Potential candidates must be
able bodied, willing to spend several weeks in a remote area working in the
field under sometimes adverse conditions.
Institute: WSL Birmensdorf
Time of the year: Summer
Additional supervisor: Dr. Martin Schütz, martin.schuetz@wsl.ch
Date:
19.1.2011
- - - - -
Impact of different sized
herbivores on belowground biomass in subalpine grasslands
Description: Herbivores are excluded
according to their size in a large scale experiment that was established in the
Swiss National Park in 2009. Among other factors root biomass will be assessed
every year. Three week of field work are required in the fall of 2011,
otherwise the samples need to be processed manually in the laboratory at WSL.
Data from 2009 and 2010 are already available.
Supervisor: PD Dr. Anita C. Risch, anita.risch@wsl.ch
Project: embedded into NF-Project: “Top-down
effects of four herbivore groups of different body size on above- and
belowground properties in grassland ecosystems of variable productivity“
Institute: WSL Birmensdorf
Time of the year: Fall, Winter
Additional supervisor: Dr. Martin Schütz,
martin.schuetz@wsl.ch
Date: 19.1.2011
