PhD Opportunity: Heat Stress in Flying foxes: Behavioural Ecology and Mitigation

A fantastic PhD opportunity exists in the University of Adelaide Bat One Health Research Group for a candiate passionate about the conservation management of threatened species who loves working in the field and sometimes in challenging conditions. Do you have good analytical skills, a great sense of humour and who is a team player? This might be a great opportunity for you!

The threatened grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) has made the Adelaide Botanic Park home. They arrived in 2010 and the camp is now >30,000. But not all has been rosy for them since they made Adelaide home.

As climate change worsens, they become susceptible to very hot temperatures. In December 2019, over 9,000 bats died due to heat stress. However, we did save some in time and 430 went into care for over three months before they could be released. Emotionally, physically and financially this took its toll. An idea was born – to keep the flying foxes in the wild during hot times – how could we do that?

We proposed an idea to place high level water sprinklers in the camp in the hope it would reduce the temperature, provide hydration and protect them from excessive heat. With help from WIRES, Fauna Rescue SA, the Botanic Gardens and Green Adelaide, we obtained money to put some infrastructure in place and to undertake some preliminary research. Then La Nina hit; all was good for the flying foxes but not for the research.

However, we did eventually have some hot days and we deployed the sprinklers in December 2022 and February 2023 and Georgia Muller, honours student, compared the treatment area with control areas in terms of temperature and behaviour. Preliminary results are very encouraging and so we want to elevate this to a PhD study. We are now looking for a student with the aforementioned attributes(Georgia is moving to South Africa sadly).

The PhD will investigate the effects of the treatment i.e. the sprinklers (in different configurations and at different times) on the ambient conditions and on the behaviour of heat stressed flying foxes and compare with controls in the camp and in other camps in South Australia and interstate. We also want to study heat stress behaviours and investigate stress and health biomarkers. Our aim is to understand how flying foxes respond to heat stress conditions and what the consequences are, in order to define the best practice guidelines to protect flying foxes (and perhaps other species) across the country in conjunction with colleagues interstate. We are also open to additional research ideas related to this topic, so feel free to think outside the square.

The project is funded by a small but significant research grant. However, the student will need to apply for a scholarship of the University of Adelaide to cover their tuition and living expenses.

To apply, email A/Prof Wayne Boardman (wayne.boardman@adelaide.edu.au) and include the following documents as a single pdf file:

1. A research statement (max. 1 page) that describes your research experience, your main research interests and interest in conservation management and how they relate to the proposed project. Also describe your analytical skills, and where you developed them; or your willingness to acquire those skills.


2. Imagine you are investigating heat stress in flying foxes in a conservation context. What are the components of this multi-faceted relationship that interest you the most (e.g. individual level, population level perspective, direct behavioural responses, flow on effects)? You can include a hand drawn diagram to illustrate the relationship.


3. ​Your CV, including contact details of two academic referees.


4. The transcript of your university degree (BSc with Honours, or MSc, or equivalent).

 

Application deadline: 13 August 2023.

Start date: ASAP in readiness for the 2023-2024 summer season.

For informal inquiries, please contact:



A/Prof Wayne Boardman ​wayne.boardman@adelaide.edu.au​0883131246 (after 14 Aug)

Dr Stephan Leu ​​stephan.leu@adelaide.edu.au​​0883132823 (before & after 14 Aug)