Latest Vacancies
PhD SCHOLARSHIP
RESILIENCE IN LANDSCAPE PLANTS WITHIN A CHANGING CLIMATE
University of Sheffield / The Royal Horticultural Society
Dr Ross Cameron1 and Dr Gareth Phoenix2
1 Department of Landscape; 2 Department of Animal and Plant Sciences
The UK has a reputation of being a ‘garden state’, with a moderate, largely benign climate that facilitates the cultivation of plants from across the globe within its domestic and public gardens, parks, arboreta and civic landscapes. Does this scenario hold true for the future, however? Climate change models for the UK imply that on the whole summers may be warmer and winters wetter and milder, but also indicate there will be greater turbulence in weather patterns. Indeed more extreme weather events are predicted and at an increasing frequency. A consequence of this is that landscape plants will be exposed to more rapid oscillations in wetting / drying cycles and potential greater temperature fluctuations. Plant species and cultivar selection is relatively well understood in relation to an individual abiotic stress factor (e.g. hardiness rating for cold tolerance), but little information exists on general plant resilience with respect to tolerating multiple stresses. Particularly so, when these stress factors rapidly follow on from one to another, thereby not providing enough time for full acclimation responses to be induced.
The aim of this studentship is to define what resilience means in terms of plant survival and physiological adaptation to multiple or repeating cycles of stress. The focus will be on plant adaptation to rapid wetting / drying cycles (i.e. waterlogging / drought stress, where there is some overlap on the adaptation responses plants employ), but also to take account of other seasonal factors, particularly temperature. A key component of the research will be to identify mechanisms that are common to 2-3 model landscape species, and those that tend to be associated with species (or even cultivar) specific adaptive responses. A potential line of enquiry would be to test whether landscape plants already considered ‘robust’ by the garden sector retain their resilience when exposed to the new multiple stress scenarios, and if so, to determine the mechanisms behind this via comparison to more susceptible varieties or species.
Applicants should have an understanding of plant stress physiology and how to measure stress responses in higher plants (physiological changes, hormonal responses, photosynthates and other nutrient allocation dynamics). Tolerance / adaptation to waterlogging and water deficit are likely to be key components of the study, and knowledge and or previous experience of plant water relations is desirable. The studentship will provide opportunities to work under controlled conditions e.g. via controlled environment chambers, but also experiments should be designed to investigate how plants might perform in situ (e.g. semi-controlled experiments in field settings). As such students should have a grasp of how other relevant factors (e.g. soil structure and hydrology, irradiance, humidity etc.) might influence responses and results generated. The nature of the study requires not only academic prowess, determination and ingenuity, but an ability to communicate to a range of audiences. Dissemination of results will be through peer-reviewed papers and conferences, but also articles in The Garden Magazine and presentations at RHS events / gardens.
Student stipend: £13,600 pa
| Criteria | Level | Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Essential (E)/ Desirable (D) |
||
| Bachelors degree in relevant discipline | E | Application |
| Masters degree in relevant discipline | D | Application |
| Understanding of plant biology / stress physiology | E | Application / Interview |
| Understanding of appropriate research methodology | E | Application / Interview |
| Understanding of context – climate change, vegetation biology, landscape / garden plants |
D | Application / Interview |
| Problem solving skills | E | Application / Interview |
| Evidence of innovative approaches / thinking | D | Application / Interview |
| Organisational skills | E | Application |
| Ability to work independently, but also to collaborate work in teams as necessary | E | Application / Interview |
| Determination / focussed approach to work | E | Interview |
| Written communication skills | E | Application |
| Verbal communication skills | E | Interview |
| Statistical knowledge / skills | E | Application |
| IT skills (Word / Excel / PP or similar) | E | Application |