Wetlands comprise of inter-connected main river channels, side-channels, off-river refuges and connected lakes that can all be important in providing the wide range of habitats required for the completion of the lifecycle of many fish species. Given the high mobility of many freshwater fishes then wetlands that provide high connectivity can strongly support fish communities through providing a wide range of ‘functional’ habitats (i.e. the ‘biological’ habitats required for spawning, nursery, foraging and over-wintering). However, the ability of fish to access and use these functional habitats is under increasing threat. For example, climate change could result in the loss of over-wintering habitats through increased storm surges and saline intrusion, while anthropogenic manipulation of freshwaters includes the construction of barriers that impede the ability of fish to access their favoured spawning areas. 

To assess how resilient wetland fish populations are to environmental change is thus ecologically important, but can be complex when their functional habitats are spatially discrete and involve long distance migrations. For example, the Norfolk Broads wetland system, adult common bream Abramis brama (‘bream’) have been shown to be highly mobile, making annually repeatable migrations to specific spawning areas, where it is presumed that these areas then provide favourable nursery habitats. Although juvenile fishes, including bream, often make distinct movements into over-wintering habitats, the timings and drivers of this wintering behaviour remain uncertain. 

Consequently, the aim here is to assess the movement ecology and population dynamics of riverine fish populations in wetland habitats to quantify their resilience to environment changes. Using the River Bure wetland system as the study area, the objectives are to:
O1. Collate and analyse existing dataset on the fish community of the River Bure wetland system (population and community surveys, fish growth and recruitment patterns, fish movement data etc.); 
O2. Design and execute fish reproduction and recruitment surveys, and fish tracking programmes, in the River Bure system that assess spawning migrations and use of specific spawning areas, nursery habitats, and over-wintering areas. 
O3. Use data from O1 and O2 to assess the spatial and temporal use of different functional habitats by fishes in the River Bure wetland and quantify their resilience to aspects of environmental change, including habitat disconnection. 

This is a fully-funded PhD studentship which includes a stipend of £17,668 each year to support your living costs. 

Key information

Next start date:

18/09/2023

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

36 months

Entry requirements:

Outstanding academic potential as measured normally by either a 1st class honours degree or equivalent Grade Point Average (GPA), or a Master’s degree with distinction or equivalent. If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum (with a minimum 6.0 in each component, or equivalent). For more information check out our full entry requirements.