PhD opportunities on the conservation biology and genetics of threatened diadromous species in reconnected rivers

About the Project

Habitat, fragmentation is a major source of biodiversity loss in freshwaters, with rivers around the world fragmented by dams and weirs. These impoundments restrict connectivity, inhibit fish migrations across ecosystem boundaries, modify gene-flow and impact population sustainability. However, schemes to restore river connectivity can be achieved through either the installation of ‘fish-passes’ on the structures or through removal of the structure. There have, however, been few attempts to quantify the conservation, ecological and genetic outcomes for threatened diadromous fishes of this reconnection, despite these species facing unprecedented European population declines. This has resulted in major knowledge gaps in the distributions, ecology, biology and genetics of populations of these diadromous species, despite their conservation importance and on-going population threats.

The lower River Severn basin was fragmented by several navigation weirs that were largely impassable by most diadromous species, especially under low flow conditions. However, a reconnection programme has installed fish passes on the weirs in the main River Severn and modified weirs in the River Teme tributary so diadromous fishes can pass them more easily. However, there are substantial knowledge gaps in many aspects of how the populations of diadromous species have responded to reconnection, including aspects of their spawning distributions, early life ecology and biology, and genetics.

To overcome these knowledge gaps on river reconnection in relation to the River Severn’s diadromous species (including European shads Alosa spp., sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, European eel Anguilla anguilla and Atlantic salmon Salmo salar) then we are offering three fully funded PhD opportunities, with titles of:

• In-river migrations and juvenile ecology of European shads (Alosa spp.) in reconnected rivers
• Movement ecology and biology of threatened sea lamprey and European eel populations in reconnected rivers
• Application of genetic and molecular tools to assess the population and conservation outcomes of river reconnection programmes for threatened diadromous species

The European shad, and sea lamprey and European eel PhDs will use methods including acoustic telemetry to meet their objectives, whereas the genetic and molecular PhD will use methods including environmental DNA and population genetics. Information on the rationale, aims and objectives, methods and development opportunities of each project is available from their project description.

Enquiries email name and address:

Robert Britton: rbritton@bournemouth.ac.uk

Demetra Androeu: dandreou@bournemouth.ac.uk