Drs. William J. Platt (Professor, Louisiana State University) and
Kevin M. Robertson (Adjunct Professor, Tall Timbers Research Station,
Florida) are seeking a student interested in working toward a Ph.D.
degree in the areas of ecology and conservation biology of pine
savannas in the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain. Our areas of
interest include disturbance ecology (fire, hurricane, anthropogenic)
and conservation of native longleaf pine savannas. We are especially
interested in a student with a strong interest in plant community
ecology, plant identification, and multivariate statistics to focus
research on potential responses of the highly diverse longleaf pine
plant community to microsite history, including overstory pine
structure and associated fuel loads, fire behavior, root competition,
and soil chemistry. We have ongoing long-term studies of mature
longleaf pine forests in southern Louisiana and southern Georgia for
which the recent history of pine stand structure and fire regime are
well known.
We are offering a one-year research assistantship through Tall
Timbers Research Station in Tallahassee, Florida for support when
dissertation research is being established at the Wade Tract
old-growth longleaf pine savanna preserve in southern Georgia.
Further support is expected to be available through teaching
assistantships. The student should have a keen interest in study of
ecological concepts and a wholistic interest in the ecology of pine
savanna ecosystems. The student will be based in Dr. Platt's lab in
the Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Prospective students must formally apply and
be accepted into a degree program in the Biological Sciences
Department at LSU
(<https://bl2prd0610.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=2usQtq3FqUqBr5R_irb9r-oOR_1E488IvwK1MaepIHqJ-CR1OHyxbYXWpuySt9nCCl3dD9_TG4o.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.biology.lsu.edu%2f>http://www.biology.lsu.edu/).
The Department of Biological Sciences at LSU has strengths in
ecology, evolution, and systematics
(<http://www.biology.lsu.edu/cos/biosci/>http://www.biology.lsu.edu/cos/biosci/).
Baton Rouge is a cosmopolitan city that is culturally diverse and
unique, located at the crossroads of the greater New Orleans area and
Cajun country. It falls withint the proposed North American Coastal
Plain Biodiversity Hotspot region and is within approximately one
hour drive of many natural areas, the Gulf coast, and New Orleans.
Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy is a non-profit
organization known as the "birthplace of fire ecology" since its
establishment in 1958
(<http://www.talltimbers.org/fireecology.html>www.talltimbers.org/fireecology.html).
Tall Timbers provides research access to thousands of hectares of
pine savannas and woodlands managed with prescribed fire, including
the Wade Tract, a proposed Natural Areas Landmark that is one of the
very few remaining and the most-studied old-growth longleaf pine
savannas
(<http://www.talltimbers.org/wadetract.html>http://www.talltimbers.org/wadetract.html).
Tall Timbers is located north of Tallahassee, Florida, in the center
of one of the nation's top six "biodiversity hotspots", and the
surrounding Red Hills Region has been named one of the "Last Great
Places" by The Nature Conservancy. If interested, contact Dr. William
Platt (<mailto:btp...@lsu.edu>btp...@lsu.edu) and copy Dr. Kevin
Robertson (<mailto:krobert...@ttrs.org>krobert...@ttrs.org)
