The student will join an ongoing project examining the distribution of blackbrush – Coleogyne ramosissima along elevation gradients in the Mojave Desert of California. This collaborative project is funded in part by USGS and comes with the possibility of a paid summer internship with the Las Vegas USGS field office, as well as research and teaching scholarship support during the academic term. The project aims to develop improved understanding of the climatic, edaphic and ecological constraints of this important vegetation type to predict its response to climate change. The student will gain experience in ecophysiological field methods, including meteorological instrumentation, photosynthesis measurements and stable isotope analysis of water. The student must be able to work under strenuous outdoor conditions and spend a significant amount of time at the field site near the Nevada/California border. Interested individuals should send a cover letter outlining experience and research interests, curriculum vitae, unofficial copies of university transcripts, GRE scores and contact information for three references to Dr. Susan Schwinning, Biology Department, 601 University Drive, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666. Inquiries by phone or email are welcome. More information about my lab and the Biology Department can be obtained at www.susan-schwinning.net/Lab/ and the Biology Department’s webpage at www.bio.txstate.edu.
