PhD position on Immune Gene Variation in Resident vs. Migratory Ducks
The <http://www.orn.mpg.de/IMPRS> International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology is jointly organized by the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen and Radolfzell and the University of Konstanz. More than 25 internationally recognized research groups actively participate in the PhD program and offer challenging, cutting-edge PhD projects in the fields of Behavioral Biology, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Physiology, and Neurobiology. Project description Birds, in particular poultry and ducks, are a source of many infectious diseases such as avian influenza. These viruses are a threat not only to these birds themselves but also to poultry farming and human health, as forms that can infect humans have evolved. Migratory birds, water birds in particular, play an important role in the global spread of avian influenza. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is the most numerous and well-known waterfowl species with a Holarctic distribution. Most mallards are migratory and spring and fall flights can exceed thousands of kilometres. Northern breeding birds are mostly migratory, wintering much further south, while birds breeding in temperate regions (much of Western Europe) are resident or dispersive. The foraging habitat of the mallard in shallow waters brings it into contact with a wide variety of pathogens and it may act as a reservoir and disperser for many of them. Migratory lifestyle challenges the immune system because migration is an intense form of exercise and therefore impacts the energy budget of the whole organism incl. energetic costs of immune defence. Additionally, encountering diverse locations during migration brings the organism into contact with a sundry of pathogens. Each pathogen community at one site (wintering, staging, breeding) is potentially different from the one visited before. We therefore expect differences in immunogenetic constitution of mallards (or other ducks) between migratory populations and those that do not migrate: the residents. The innate immune system is a first line of defence of an organism against infection. An important component in the innate immune reaction of birds are beta-defensins. These are small anti-microbial peptides capable of inhibiting growth or killing of pathogens. Beta-defensins have been proposed to play a key role in the immune defence of ducks against avian influenza. Recently, a suite of genetic makers targeting multiple genes of the beta-defensin gene family has been developed. The successful PhD candidate will study genetic variation at beta-defensin genes in several migratory and resident mallard populations. The project is carried out within the greater framework of migration ecology and disease ecology incl. the use of GPS and heart-rate loggers to follow fine-scale movements of ducks, plus monitoring their immune status by veterinary techniques. Technologies for studying these genes may include traditional sequencing of target loci (Sanger sequencing locus by locus), assessing general genetic variation at neutral loci (microsatellites or single nucleotide polymorphisms) and/or use next generation sequencing (454, Illumina) for amplicon sequencing of the whole gene family. Our offer All students accepted to the program will be supported by stipends or contracts. Besides their own research, the IMPRS fellows attend laboratory courses and workshops in relevant transferable skills like scientific writing and project management. Talks by invited speakers during our annual IMPRS symposium, student retreats, and conference participation complete the individually tailored curriculum. The working language is English. Each PhD student receives individual supervision and mentoring and is guided in her/his research work by a PhD advisory committee. Main advisor <http://www.orn.mpg.de/wikelski> Martin Wikelski, Inge Müller, Wolfgang Fiedler & Robert Kraus, MPIO Radolfzell Your application Outstanding students of all nationalities with a deep commitment to basic research in Organismal Biology are invited to apply. Deadline for the application is January 15, 2014. Interviews with the applicants are scheduled for Mid-March. Candidates accepted into the program may start latest September 2014. The Max Planck Society and the University of Konstanz are equal opportunity employers. Qualification: Applicants should hold a MSc or equivalent degree in biology or a related discipline at the point of enrollment. Queries should be mailed to the program office: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] Application : For the online application process visit <http://www.orn.mpg.de/2383/Application> www.orn.mpg.de/2383/Application. More information on the current PhD projects at <http://www.orn.mpg.de/projects> http://www.orn.mpg.de/projects and <http://www.facebook.com/OrganismalBiology> www.facebook.com/OrganismalBiology.
