The PhD student will be employed within the project “Plants in a low CO2 world: proxy development for the Pleistocene plant record and reconstructed feedbacks on the carbon cycle”. The project will provide important constraints on the impact of glacial low CO2 conditions on plant growth and development. Furthermore, results will allow for determining the consequences for the terrestrial carbon cycle.
Low CO2 levels prevailed during most of the Pleistocene. For most modern plants a minimum concentration of about 160 ppmv atm. CO2 represents the limit of natural growth conditions. It has been suggested that CO2 starvation has had a direct effect on plants, limiting growth and water use efficiency. Low CO2 and associated water stress may have caused extinctions of plant species during the Pleistocene. However, little is known about the impact of these extreme environmental conditions. The main aims of the present project are to perform growth experiments at a series of (sub)ambient CO2, in order to validate botanical (pollen and seed productivity, stomatal frequency) and organic geochemical proxies (stable isotopes). Moreover we will study glacial plant macro and pollen records. The combination will allow us a better understanding of the impact of low CO2 on plants during the Pleistocene.
The project is a collaborative project of the Department of Biology at Utrecht University and the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences at the VU University Amsterdam. The project is sponsored by the Darwin Center for Biogeology. The place of work is Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Qualifications:

We seek a highly motivated candidate with excellent communication skills and qualifications (MSc or equivalent) in the fields of environmental biology, plant ecology/-ecophysiology or palaeoecology. Experience in laboratory techniques necessary to work with plants in growth chambers would be an advantage. Candidates are expected to communicate easily in English, both verbally and in writing.

Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from: Dr Wolfram Kuerschner, email: w.m.kuerschner@uu.nl, tel. (+31) 30 253 2630, and from the websites of the Darwin Center and the Palaeoecology group.

How to apply:

Please send your application (including a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae and contact details of at least two references) before September 15th 2010 to email: Science.PenO@uu.nl. Please mention vacancy number 66007.