Scholarship: Spatial scale and the paradox of the resource concentration hypothesis

The world is inherently patchy. In particular, essential resources required by animals, such as food, shelter or nest sites are generally distributed in an irregular manner. The aim of this project is to determine how the spatial distribution of resources influences individual behaviour, which in turn influences population processes and ultimately the structure and diversity of multi-species communities.

The project will combine observation of a semi-natural system (plants, their insect herbivores, parasitoids and pollinators) with manipulative field experiments and computer simulations, in order to examine the population-level consequences of alternative foraging strategies and differing responses to resource density. It is anticipated that the multi-scale concepts developed in the course of the project will be broadly applicable to the management of pest species and their natural enemies, as well as species of conservation concern that inhabit patchy and fragmented landscapes.

Further details from http://www2.vuw.ac.nz/staff/stephen_hartley/
The scholarship is sponsored by the Royal Society of New Zealand at NZD$20,000 (~US$12,000) per annum + domestic tuition fees. French, German, NZ and Australian citizens pay domestic fees, all other nationalities are liable for international tuition fees.
Dr Stephen Hartley School of Biological Sciences Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600 Wellington NEW ZEALAND http://www2.vuw.ac.nz/staff/stephen_hartley/