MS Assistantship in Plant Physiological Ecology
Ecotypic variation of Big Bluestem along a precipitation gradient, testing
for local adaptation in response to drought
Fort Hays State University, Department of Biological Sciences
We have a position available for a MS student to study plant physiological
ecology of drought stress. The project will include studies of the
responses of natural prairie ecosystems to variation in precipitation using
the ecologically dominant prairie grass big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
as a model. The work will be part of a project funded by the USDA Plant
Biology Abiotic Stress program. The project will include common garden
reciprocal transplant experiments and phenotypic characterization to test
for the adaptive differentiation of natural populations of big bluestem
across the precipitation gradient from southern Illinois to Colby, Kansas.
Relevant measurements will include tiller density and height, flowering
time/success, leaf mass area, gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and
plant and soil water potential. There is also opportunity for the student to
develop other measurements and hypotheses within the field treatments,
including comparisons with closely-related sand bluestem (Andropogon
hallii). This student will also interface with others in the collaborative
project that are investigating the functional genetic variation and
expression in big bluestem ecotypes and identifying genes that are
responsive to drought. There will also be opportunities to interact with
other researchers in the context of the Kansas State University Ecological
Genomics Institute (www.ksu.edu/ecogen).
The student will be co-advised by Brian Maricle (brmari...@fhsu.edu)
Biology, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS
(http://www.fhsu.edu/biology/brmaricle/) and Keith Harmoney at the KSU
Agricultural Research Center, Hays, KS (kharm...@ksu.edu) and will work as
part of a larger collaborative team with Loretta Johnson (KSU;
http://www.k-state.edu/johnsonlab/), Ted Morgan (KSU;
http://www.k-state.edu/morganlab/Morganlab/lab.html), Sara Baer (Southern
Illinois University;
http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/Faculty/Baer/index.html), Karen Garrett
(www.ksu.edu/pdecology) and Eduard Ahkunov (KSU; eakhu...@ksu.edu).
Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in plant physiological
ecology and/or ecological genomics. Preference will be given to students
who have experience or demonstrated potential in these areas.
Review of applicants will begin in October 2009, and will continue until the
successful applicant is identified.
Applications should include a cover letter with a statement of research
interests and timing of availability, a CV, and names and contact
information for three professional references. Please send your application
through e-mail to brmari...@fhsu.edu. To ensure that your application is
received, please include the following in the subject of your e-mail:
Application for Ecotype Assistantship. Acceptance into this assistantship
is also contingent on acceptance into the Fort Hays State University
Graduate School. This entails a separate application; instructions can be
found at: http://www.fhsu.edu/gradschl/forms.shtml
The starting date can be January or May 2010. Applicants will need to be
able to begin on the project by May 2010. The position offers competitive
salary and benefits.
