SUPER DTP: The causes and consequences of parental care in fish

This fully funded, 42-month PhD project is part of the SUPER DTP. The SUPER DTP is built around a well-established collaborative group of universities delivering world-leading research in natural environmental science.

Parental care takes many forms across the animal tree of life, from lengthy periods of provisioning to brief protection of eggs. These suites of behaviours, defined as any form of behaviour that increases offspring survival, have been closely linked to the evolution of many other traits, such as life history strategies, cooperation, and sexual selection. Despite the importance of parental care to so many aspects of evolutionary biology, however, the forces shaping the diversity of these care behaviours remain poorly understood, particularly within aquatic organisms.

Building on a pre-existing database of parental care and life history traits in freshwater and marine fish (partially published in Vanadzina et al. 2021), the student will first develop a comprehensive database of sex-specific parental care behaviours across the ray-finned fish (class Actinopterygii) based on handbooks and the scientific literature. They will then use this data and modern phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate three questions related to the broad-scale evolutionary causes and consequences of parental care behaviour in fish.

1. What drives transitions between parental care behaviours?
2. Does parental care facilitate or inhibit fish lineage diversification?
3. Does parental care facilitate or inhibit fish range expansion?

By studying the relationship between fish parental care, the environmental niche, range dynamics, and lineage diversification, we can better understand the forces that shaped the diversity in ray-finned fishes that we see today – and how we can better protect that diversity in the future. These trait-based models will improve our ability to predict how different species will be able to adapt under different climate change scenarios, and thus help provide a more targeted approach to conservation and management decisions.

This project will offer the successful candidate a wide range of training opportunities in scientific and computational skills, including R programming, GIS modelling, and data management, as well as specific competencies in phylogenetic comparative modelling. The student who undertakes this project will also receive extensive training in reading and analysing the natural history (fish) literature, working with modern trait-based and remote sensing databases, and presenting complex scientific information to a variety of audiences both verbally and in writing, all of which would be valuable transferable skills for a career in academia or the ecological/environmental sciences.

The student will be based in the Sheard and Lancaster labs at the University of Aberdeen, a friendly department investigating diverse biological questions a few minutes’ walk from the North Sea; they will also be working with a team of enthusiastic collaborators with complementary expertise at Queen’s University Belfast (Capellini) and the Universities of St Andrews (Webster) and Warsaw (Vanadzina). Informal enquiries are encouraged; please contact Dr Catherine Sheard (catherine.sheard@abdn.ac.uk) for further information.

Candidate Background:

Essential:

• Strong mathematical and/or statistical background
• Previous programming experience
• Demonstrable interest in macroevolutionary research

Desirable:

• Previous experience with phylogenetic comparative methods
• Taxonomic knowledge of fish

Candidates should have, or expect to achieve, a minimum of a 2.1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Applicants with a minimum of a 2.2 Honours degree may be considered providing they have a Distinction at Masters level.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.

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Application Procedure:

• Please visit this page for full instructions on how to submit your application.
• Please DO NOT apply through the University application portal.
• Please ensure that two written references from your referees are submitted. It is your responsibility to ensure these are provided, as we will not request references on your behalf.
• Unfortunately, due to workload constraints, we cannot consider incomplete applications.
• CVs submitted directly through a FindAPhD enquiry WILL NOT be considered.
• If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at pgrs-admissions@abdn.ac.uk