Voluntariado bioevolutivo en los Pirineos para este verano

Field assistants summer 2018: Volunteer positions in evolutionary biology

Nick Barton's group at the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria requires volunteers to assist with field work on plant speciation in the Pyrenees (Spain) this coming summer (late May - early August).

The project: We are studying the evolutionary dynamics underlying
species diversification in the genus Antirrhinum (snapdragons). A major
focus of this research involves field work on natural hybrid zones
between two subspecies with different flower colours. Most of the field
work is contributing to a long-term pedigree project aimed at
establishing a direct link from genotype to phenotype to fitness. With
20,000 samples collected over eight generations (so far), this provides
an exciting and powerful system to examine many outstanding questions in
speciation and quantitative genetics in wild populations. We are seeking
volunteers to assist with the field work, which involves working in
teams mapping the location of individual plants (GPS), tagging and
sampling them for leaves and flowers, measuring quantitative traits,
phenotyping them for flower pigmentation and processing material for
later DNA extraction. There may also be opportunities to be involved in
other projects we are doing on plant-pollinator interactions, pollen
fertility and community ecology surveys. Most of the work is outdoors,
however we do spend some time indoors processing samples. The work is
highly team orientated, typically in groups of 2-3 in the field and
larger groups processing samples back at the research station. This is a
great opportunity for anybody looking to obtain experience in field work
relating to evolutionary biology, plant ecology and plant-animal
interactions. You will also be part of a large multidisciplinary team
including researchers from IST Austria, the University of Vienna, John
Innes Centre
(Norwich, UK) and the University of Toulouse.

The field site is located near Ripoll in a beautiful part of the
Pyrenees of North Eastern Spain (Catalonia). We stay in comfortable
apartments overlooking a picturesque valley, with close access to hiking
trails and small villages. All food, accommodation and travel (within
Europe) are covered. However, we cannot offer any further stipend.

For these positions we are looking for hard working and enthusiastic
biology students with a strong interest in working outdoors with plants.
You must be meticulous with recording data and also be comfortable
working as part of a team. Experience with field-based projects and
plants is preferred but not essential.

We require assistance between late May and late July. Depending
on the year and the plants, we may extend our time into August. Length
of stay is flexible but a minimum stay of 3 weeks is required.

Please send any questions to Dr. Melinda Pickup via the email address
below. How to apply? By
the closing date of April 6th 2018, please send a statement of your
background, CV, why you are interested and the length of time you would
be available via email to: melinda.pickup@ist.ac.at