Plant community ecology of Tibetan grasslands. This project is located in Qinghai province, China. Compared to grasslands worldwide, Tibetan grasslands have an extremely high level of plant diversity, averaging 30-40 species per 0.25m2. In contrast to other grasslands, forbs can represent up to 95% of NPP. This unique high alpha, high beta diversity and large functional group dominance differences make Tibetan plateau grasslands an ideal system to examine mechanisms driving plant diversity and plant species coexistence. The Tibetan plateau is also characterized by intense above- and belowground herbivory and a long evolutionary history of grazing. We hypothesize that this intense herbivory by a large array of different herbivores is an important factor driving plant diversity. A master’s degree in ecology is preferred. Starting date is open and two funded positions are available
My University, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, is in Suzhou which is located close to Shanghai, China, see (http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/). Students will receive a Ph D degree from Liverpool University. If interested, please contact me. Johannes (Jean) M H Knops Professor & Head of Department Health and Environmental Sciences Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University 111 Ren’ai Road Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, 215123 [email protected]
