Job Information
Organisation/Company: University of rennes 1
Department: Ecobio
Research Field: Environmental science » Ecology
Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2)
Country: France
Application Deadline: 1 May 2023 – 23:59 (Europe/Paris)
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Full-time
Offer Starting Date: 1 May 2024
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Not funded by an EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No
Offer Description
| Project title | Ecosystem Services provided by sTReams to AdjaceNt aGricultural tErrestrial ecosystems (STRANGE) |
| Call for expression of interest description | The Marie S. Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) programme is a highly prestigious renowned EU-funded scheme. It offers talented scientists a unique chance to set up 2-year research and training projects with the support of a supervising team. Besides providing an attractive grant, it represents a major opportunity to boost the career of promising researchers. TheLaboratory Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Evolution (ECOBIO) of the university of Rennes is thus looking for excellent postdoctoral researchers with an international profile to write a persuasive proposal to apply for a Marie S. Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship grant in 2023 (deadline of the EU call set on 13 September 2023). The topic and research team presented below have been identified in this regard. |
| Main Research Field | Environment and Geosciences (ENV) |
| Research sub-field(s) | Ecology |
| Keywords | Aquatic insects, dispersal, aquatic/terrestrial interactions, trophic ecology, landscape ecology, ecosystem services, Brittany |
| Research project description | Streams are traditionally viewed as receptacles rather than sources of energy with regard to nutrient and energy cycles. For a long time, terrestrial-aquatic interactions have focused on studying the impact of terrestrial ecosystems on aquatic ecosystems, but more and more studies are highlighting the role of aquatic ecosystems on terrestrial ecosystems. However, these studies usually address this role in terms of physical (e.g. water resources) and chemical (e.g. fertilization during floods) inputs and often neglect the role of biological factors. Biological factors enable many ecosystem services such as pollination, regulation of crop pests, depollution of watercourses, fertilization of adjacent terrestrial soils, etc (Raitif et al. 2019). The strong interactions between species can affect the whole ecosystem and underline the importance of landscape-scale processes in driving local interaction, specifically in the context of aquatic-terrestrial interactions. With the increasing consideration of the riverscape concept (Torgersen et al. 2022), landscape perspectives in riverine ecology and their biota nested within the socio-ecological landscape now provide guiding principles and approaches in watershed management. Numerous studies have shown that lakes and rivers are an important source of energy for the terrestrial environment, mainly through the emergence of winged aquatic insects, recognized as providing nutritional subsidies to terrestrial consumers. They represent a substantial source of fertilization for soils and an important resource for terrestrial organisms. Plants near wetlands where food webs contain fewer insect predators or flying insects receive more pollinator visits and are less pollen limited (Knight et al. 2005). Thus, dense hydrographic networks could suggest a strong impact in terms of ecosystem services in adjacent terrestrial ecosystems. The quantification of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes has a number of potential, context-specific, uses. First, it is a mean to illustrate the benefits of conserving or improving the services provided by biological factors and it can alert policy-makers and other stakeholders of the risks of these services diminishing. Secondly, once quantified, the ecosystem services can be included as part of cost-benefit analysis to inform policy or business decisions and land planning. Finally, quantifying temporal and spatial flows of energy, materials and organisms between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems will improve and unify landscape and meta-ecosystem ecology, grounding theory in the field.The objective project is to evaluate three (but not limited to) ecosystem services provided by aquatic ecosystems in adjacent agricultural environments (pollination, soil fertilization, food resource for terrestrial foodwebs) following a gradient of agricultural intensification and to analyze their impacts in terms of integration in the management policies of the territories. The postdoctoral fellow will be able to work on different sites located along a gradient of agricultural intensification and in different agricultural contexts where agricultural practices are informed within three Zones Ateliers (ZA Armorique: ZAAr, ZA Loire: ZAL, ZA Brest-Iroise: ZABRI) from the French Long Term Socio-Ecological Research network (LTSER RZA). Knight, T. M., McCoy, M. W., Chase, J. M., McCoy, K. A. & Holt, R. D. Trophic cascades across ecosystems. Nature 437, 880–883 (2005)Raitif, J., Plantegenest, M. & Roussel, J.-M. From stream to land: Ecosystem services provided by stream insects to agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 270–271, 32–40 (2019).Torgersen, C. E. et al. Riverscape approaches in practice: perspectives and applications. Biological Reviews 97, 481–504 (2022). |
| Supervisor(s) | The Postdoctoral Fellow will be supervised by Dr Christophe Piscart (personal website). Dr Piscart is director of research at the French Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the team leader of the PAYSABIO theme of research at ECOBIO research unit. He is also deputy director of the French Long Term Socio-Ecological Research network (RZA) and the former president of the French Association of Limnology. He is a recognized world authority on the ecology of freshwater invertebrates, with 20+ years of research experience. Dr Piscart has established an excellent body of research, with over 90 publications and >3600 citations (h-index: 32, Google Scholar). Dr Piscart has an extensive network of collaborators, both nationally and internationally (18 countries), including environmental network of observatories (LTSER RZA and European eLTER networks). He has successfully coordinated 5 research projects and 9 WP in national and international projects and supervised more than 5 postdocs and 11 PhD students.The Postdoctoral Fellow will also collaborate with other researchers of the research unit, mainly Dr Benjamin Bergerot (http://benjamin.bergerot.chez.com) for spatial modelling and Pr. Julien Petillon (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julien-Petillon) for entomology and terrestrial foodwebs. |
| Department/Research | UMR ECOBIO (website) has 160 members which analyzes the dynamics of biodiversity and the functioning of continental ecosystems in the face of ongoing global changes (population growth, climate change, land use) with a view to sustainable development (restrained management of natural resources, conservation, etc.). The functioning of continental ecosystems and associated ecosystem services is understood through the prism of the analysis of biodiversity, from the gene to the landscape. The study of the mechanisms linking structure and function of ecosystems is at the center of our work, whether for the maintenance of biodiversity, the transfer of materials or the adaptation to constraints. The ecological and evolutionary consequences of current changes (land use, climate change, environmental contamination, artificialization of environments) are also studied, in particular the response of individuals and populations to induced stresses, and that of communities to disturbances. Most of the ecosystems concerned have a strong anthropogenic component and taking into account human activities as an organizational factor is one of the challenges of our research.UMR ECOBIO has many facilities with 3 technical platforms, 1 OSUR-UR1 platform fully equipped for environmental, biological and molecular analyses, and financial administrative service. The research unit host regularly MSCA fellowships and many foreign researchers (postdoc and permanent staff members) and proposes many services and supports for foreign members. |
| Location | The fellow will be able to work either on the Campus of Beaulieu of the university of Rennes or in the Biological Field Station of Paimpont (https://paimpont.univ-rennes.fr) |
| Suggestion for interdisciplinary / intersectoral secondments and placements | There are many opportunities for secondment to the research units of the three French Long Term Socio-Ecological Research observatories (ZA Loire, ZA Brest-Iroise, ZA Armorique) which conduct disciplinary and transdisciplinary researches on socio-ecosystems. |
| Skills Requirements | Skills in environmental DNA, metabarcoding, pollination or trophic ecology are welcome but any kind of expertise in ecosystem services may be also interesting to develop different approach of the complex interactions between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. |
| Eligibility criteriafor applicants | Academic qualification: By 13 September 2023, applicants must bein possession of a doctoral degree, defined as a successfully defended doctoral thesis, even if the doctoral degree has yet to be awarded.Research experience: Applicants must have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date applicants were in possession of a doctoral degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks (e.g. due to parental leave), will not be taken into account.Nationality & Mobility rules:Applicants can be of any nationality but must not have resided in France more than 12 months between 13/09/2020 and 13/09/2023 |
| Application process | We encourage all motivated and eligible postdoctoral researchers to send their expressions of interest through the EU Survey application form (link here) , before the 1st of May 2023. Your application shall include :a CV specifying: (i) the exact dates for each position and its location (country) and (ii) a list of publications;a cover letter including a research outline (up to 2 pages) identifying the research synergies with the project supervisor(s) and proposed research topics described above.Estimated timetableDeadline for sending an expression of interest1st of May 2023Selection of the most promising application(s)May – June 2023Writing the MSCA-PF proposal with the support of the above-mentioned supervisor(s)June – September 2023 MSCA-PF 2023 call deadline13 September 2023Publication of the MSCA-PF evaluation results February 2024Start of the MSCA-PF project (if funded)1st of May 2024 (at the earliest) |
Requirements
Research Field: Environmental science » Ecology
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Specific Requirements
Academic qualification: By 13 September 2023, applicants must bein possession of a doctoral degree, defined as a successfully defended doctoral thesis, even if the doctoral degree has yet to be awarded.
Research experience: Applicants must have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date applicants were in possession of a doctoral degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks (e.g. due to parental leave), will not be taken into account.
Nationality & Mobility rules:Applicants can be of any nationality but must not have resided in France more than 12 months between 13/09/2020 and 13/09/2023
Additional Information
Selection process
We encourage all motivated and eligible postdoctoral researchers to send their expressions of interest through the EU Survey application form (link here), before 1st of May 2023. Your application shall include:
- a CV specifying: (i) the exact dates for each position and its location (country) and (ii) a list of publications;
- a cover letter including a research outline (up to 2 pages) identifying the research synergies with the project supervisor(s) and proposed research topics described above.
Estimated timetable
| Deadline for sending an expression of interest | 1st of May 2023 |
| Selection of the most promising application(s) | May – June 2023 |
| Writing the MSCA-PF proposal with the support of the above-mentioned supervisor(s) | June – September 2023 |
| MSCA-PF 2023 call deadline | 13 September 2023 |
| Publication of the MSCA-PF evaluation results | February 2024 |
| Start of the MSCA-PF project (if funded) | 1st of May 2024 (at the earliest) |
Website for additional job details: https://2pe-bretagne.eu/en
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: Ecobio
Country: France
City: Rennes
Postal Code: 35042
Street: Campus de beaulieu avenue du général leclerc
Where to apply
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/2023_Formulaire-candidature-demarche-MSCA-…
Contact
City: Rennes
Website: http://ecobio.univ-rennes1.fr/
Street: Campus de beaulieu avenue du général leclerc
Postal Code: 35042
