Dear Ecologers Fauna Forever, a non-profit organization working in the rainforests of the Peruvian Amazon, is looking for field research interns and volunteers to assist its international team of conservation biologists, photographers, geographers, and educators with numerous wildlife research and community development projects.
At present we are particularly keen on identifying student interns who would like to take on the challenge of answering one or more of the research questions and themes summarized below, during periods of between 1-4 months (including periods in the summer). Successful intern applicants will need to cover their in-country costs associated with food, accommodation and local transport. Expert training and supervision of projects is provided by our team, and we encourage data to be published in peer-reviewed journals. A knowledge of Spanish is not required, as all staff speak English. Energy, enthusiasm, attention to detail, and working well as part of a diverse, international team, is a must! RESEARCH QUESTIONS: MAMMALS • How and why does the relative abundance of rodents (like agoutis and squirrels) vary within and between forest sites in Amazonian Peru, based on seed removal experiments? • To what extent does primate group and home-range size vary with fruit resource composition and availability in Amazonian Peru? • What are the effects of forest structure and fruit resource availability on primate abundance, group structure, and behavior? • How does ecotourism, Brazil nut extraction, timber extraction, and/or bush-meat hunting affect the diversity, abundance and activity patterns of mammal species in Amazonian Peru? • How habituated to the presence of humans are mammal species at increasing distances from ecotourist lodges, research stations, and local communities in Amazonian Peru? • How does the geophagy (clay-eating) activity patterns in rainforest mammals vary from place to place in Amazonian Peru, based on camera-trap methods and direct observations? BIRDS • How do the characteristics (species composition, abundance, home-range size) of mixed-species bird flocks differ between forest types in Amazonian Peru? • How does the abundance of oropendola, cacique, macaw, parrot and other flocking bird species differ as the distance from human settlements increases in Amazonian Peru? • How does the diversity and abundance of nocturnal raptors (family Strigidae), based on transect and call-count station sampling methods, differ between sites in Amazonian Peru? • How does the flower-visitation rate of hummingbirds vary between flowering plant and bird species, and between forest types (areas of differing forest structure and floristics) in Amazonian Peru? • How does the density of pigeon and trogon nests vary within and between forest types, and the factors affecting nest density, based on unbounded line-transect techniques? • How does the species and colony size of army ants (e.g. Eciton sp.) affect the community of insectivorous birds that follow army ant swarms? • How does the ecology of Silver-beaked tanagers differ between lowland and highland rainforest, and between intact and impacted forest areas (requires a minimum 2-month stay, as research will be undertaken both in Tambopata [Madre de Dios] and in Quellomayo [Cusco]); HERPETOFAUNA (amphibians and reptiles) • How does the abundance of Dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus sp.) very between forest streams and what stream characteristics help explain any difference observed? • How and why does the mean size and weight of amphibian and reptile species differ within and between sites in Amazonian Peru? • How does forest structure and light gap characteristics affect the diversity, abundance and behavior of lizards in Amazonian Peru? • How does the size and position of temporary ponds made from natural and artificial materials affect the amphibian species that use them? • What is the herpetological conservation value of Brazil-nut midden piles in Amazonian Peru? INVERTEBRATES • Is there a relationship between dung-beetle biomass and mammal or bird biomass in Amazonian Peru? • How abundant are phoretic mites on dung-beetles in Amazonian Peru, and what factors affect this abundance? • What is the “perfect” bait mixture for attracting the most diverse assemblage of butterflies to Van Someron-Rydon-type live traps in Amazonian Peru? • How diverse is the insect community (with an emphasis on a particular Order, like beetles) that inhabits Guadua bamboo thickets as compared with neighboring forest types (without bamboo) in Amazonian Peru? • How does the community of microscopic animals and plants found in temporary water bodies (such as those found in bromeliads, tree trunks, the holes left by fallen trees) vary across sites in Amazonian Peru? BOTANY AND CARBON • How does the fertility of seeds and growth rate of seedlings from key- stone tree species differ between forest types and distance from water bodies in the Peruvian Amazon? • What tree seedlings regenerate naturally in the forest gaps made during the process of selective harvesting of tropical timber trees in Amazonian Peru, and is there a relationship to the extracted tree species? • How does the productivity of trees differ between forest types, as measured by biomass of falling leaves, fruit, and flowers in Amazonian Peru? • What is the relationship between the abundance of key-stone fruiting tree species and the abundance of fruit-eating mammal and bird species in Amazonian Peru? • How does the size distribution of big trees like Dipteryx, Brazil nut, Ceiba, and Fig trees differ between forest plots in conservation areas and plots in timber concessions and plots close to local communities in Amazonian Peru? • How fast do Guadua bamboo shoots grow vertically, and Guadua-thickets grow horizontally, in Amazonian Peru? • How far do the principal roots of emergent and canopy tree species extend across the forest floor, and thus what area of soil do these trees receive nutrients from, with an emphasis on trees of the Moraceae family, such as figs? • What is the soil carbon content in seasonally flooded palm swamps and how does it compare to the soil carbon in terra firme forest types in Amazonian Peru? • How does the estimated above ground carbon content of trees in 0.05-ha plots vary across a gradient from seasonally-flooded forest up to non- flooding terra firme forest in Amazonian Peru? For more details, please see our website (http://www.faunaforever.org). Applications can also be made via our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/notes/fauna-forever/application-form- volunteers-and-interns/1041868142502124). For general inquiries, please contact us at our central email: [email protected] Many thanks! Dr. Chris Kirkby Managing Director and Principal Investigator Fauna Forever Avenida Aeropuerto Km 1 Puerto Maldonado Madre de Dios PERU [email protected]
