Doctoral Researcher - Halle (Saale), Deutschland - Martin-Luther-Universität Halle Wittenberg

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle Wittenberg
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle Wittenberg
Geprüftes Unternehmen
Halle (Saale), Deutschland

vor 16 Stunden

Lena Wagner

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Lena Wagner

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Beschreibung

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Modern, interconnected, conscious of tradition:
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) is the oldest

and largest university in the State of Saxony-Anhalt with a history dating back more than 500 years. Today more

than 20,000 students are enrolled at the university. MLU's core research areas are in the nanosciences and bio
- sciences, the Enlightenment, as well as in social and cultural research. The university is also home to a range of

small disciplines, some of which can be found nowhere else in Germany. The university has excellent national and

international ties, and works closely together with leading research institutes, industry, and more than 250 uni
- versities around the world.

The Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, in cooperation with the DFG-funded International Research Train
- ing Group GRK 2324 "TreeDì
  • Tree Diversity Interactions: The role of treetree interactions in local neighbour

years:
Doctoral Researcher (M/F/d) on the project

"Drivers of soil micro-eukaryote richness (nematodes, protists) in a tree diver
- sity experiment" (P6G-3)
as part-time employment (65%).

The salary will be up to Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L, if the personal requirements and tasks are fulfilled.


The research topic:
It has been shown that beneficial soil biota are an important driver for over-yielding of species-rich plant communi
- ties, while plant monocultures decline in productivity over time due to the accumulation of soil pathogens. In addition

to fungi and bacteria, nematodes and protists play an important role in this process. Nematodes represent 80% of all

animal individuals on Earth, occupying a wide range of trophic levels (i.e. herbivores, bacterivores, fungivores, pred
- ators), and thus, have a strong impact on plants. Together with fungi, protists dominate soil eukaryotic diversity, while

some are important plant pathogens (e.g., Oomycota). Despite the close interactions between these micro-eukaryotes

and plants, it is poorly understood how plant diversity influences the composition and diversity of nematodes and

protists, and how this in turn affects plant growth. As such research is particularly underrepresented in tree diversity

experiments, this will be investigated in the BEF-China experiment. The project aims to (1) determine the composition

and diversity of the nematode and protist communities using next-generation and long-read sequencing as well as

classical microscopy, and to (2) determine the underlying mechanisms responsible for the different micro-eukaryotic

communities along the tree diversity gradient, with a particular focus on the role of root exudate quantity and quality

as well as changes in soil properties. The project is supervised by Dr. Peter Dietrich (Assistant Professor at MLU;


Tasks:


  • Task 1: to take soil (and root) samples in different tree neighborhoods, extract nematodes, measure root exu
- dates

  • Task 2: to identify nematodes and soil protists by nextgeneration sequencing and classic microscopic analyses,
establish a method for long-read sequencing

  • Task 3: to analyse the impact of the tree species composition on nematode and soil protist communities, identify
underlying drivers (root exudates, soil properties)

veröffentlicht am

The doctoral researcher will team up with the fellow on the Chinese side. Supervision and assistance will be provided

by a Joint German-Chinese PhD Advisory Committee (PAC), combining empirical and theoretical expertise. All TreeDì

fellows will have to submit their PhD thesis as a cumulative thesis, comprising at least three chapters in the form of

first author papers in international peer-reviewed journals, of which at least one paper has to be accepted or pub
- lished at the time of thesis submission. TreeDì fosters early experience in autonomous research, and thus, encourages

to become engaged in synthesis, making use of available data from previous projects. Moreover, the work will also

include scientific exchange with other working groups, participation in the TreeDì qualification programme, and

presentations on international conferences.


Requirements:


  • A completed scientific University degree (Diploma/ M.Sc.) in a projectrelated field (e.g. ecology, environmental
sciences)

  • Very good ecological knowledge and great interest with regard to forest and soil biodiversity research
  • Good quantitative and statistical skills in R are essential
  • Experience in nematology, microscopy techniques and nextgeneration sequencing are advantageous
  • Fluency in English (writing and speaking)
  • A clear drive to do science
  • Motivation to be a proactive team player in an international research consortium
  • Flexibility and good organizational skills, handson mentality
  • Applicants must be prepared to spend substantial time (approx. 24 months per year) in China for fieldwork, lab
visits and courses

  • Willingness to work under
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