Understory plant communities of the eastern deciduous forest of North America are extensively studied but remain poorly understood due to the complexity of limiting processes that affect their member species. Emerging evidence points to the importance of spatial distance and environmental heterogeneity, but how these factors vary by spatial scale, site history, phylogenetic relatedness, latitude, and isolation distance is unclear. We seek a highly motivated PhD student to examine these issues using trait-based, statistical, and experimental approaches in deciduous forest understories of southern Ontario, Canada. These understories are diversity hotspots in Canada, containing large numbers of rare and endangered plants. Their declines are well-described but the causal mechanisms are elusive, giving this study theoretical and applied significance. Interested applicants should ideally have an MSc in ecology, biogeography, or statistical biology, with field experience including experimental approaches and plant identification. The successful student will be remunerated with a combination of fellowships, research or teaching assistantships, with funding guaranteed for three years. APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 2009; START DATE September 2009. Please send CV, PDFs of prior publications, and names of two potential referees to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Drs. Karl Cottenie and Andrew MacDougall Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada
