PhD position in "Ecology of macrobenthos in salt marshes and adjacent intertidal habitats in the trilateral Wadden Sea" in Sylt bei Alfred Wegener Institut für Polar und Meeresforschung

Background
Salt marshes in the Wadden Sea are increasingly threatened by biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, necessitating sustainable management strategies. The project TRICMA² brings together universities and research institutes from the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark to study the impacts of these different stressors on Wadden Sea salt marshes and adjacent habitats. The research team, comprising several PhD students and postdocs, and their supervisors, aims to explore the effects of these stressors on ecological networks, ecological connectivity, and ecosystem functions in the salt marshes of the trilateral Wadden Sea. The project combines a comprehensive field approach representing different biodiversity scenarios with field experiments and mesocosms to manipulate biodiversity, climate, and pollution. Additionally, ecological connectivity will be investigated by assessing movement patterns and habitat use of associated species such as birds. Emphasizing strong stakeholder engagement from sectors such as nature conservation, coastal protection, agriculture, and tourism, the project will integrate stakeholder knowledge and new scientific insights to develop guidelines for the sustainable management of salt marshes.

The topic of this PhD vacancy focuses on the role of the macrobenthic community in Wadden Sea salt marshes. You will be responsible for gathering and processing macrobenthos samples and analyzing the data that will be used 1) to assess community composition and interactions with different organism groups across diverse biodiversity scenarios, 2) tp examine the impacts of experimental manipulations of temperature, flooding, pollution, and the density of non-native common cordgrass (Spartina anglica) on salt marsh ecosystems, and 3) to evaluate ecological connectivity among habitats through i.e. the feeding behavior of benthivorous coastal birds. Additionally, you are expected to engage in social-ecological learning and science-society interactions by attending multi-stakeholder workshops and science-society meetings across the trilateral Wadden Sea.

You will be exposed to the interdisciplinary work environment at the Wadden Sea Station Sylt of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, collaborating closely with companion projects focusing on Wadden Sea salt marshes and contributing to the vibrant network of TRICMA² PhD students and postdocs.