[Coral-List] Master Internships In Perpignan (France)

[Valeriano Parravicini]

The REEF SERVICES project (www.reefservices.info <http://www.reefservices.info/>) is looking for motivated master students to work on the analysis of video of coral reef fish assemblages and the analysis of coral reef food-web at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Perpignan, France. Several topics are available and described hereafter, but flexibility is possible, depending on the motivation of the student. The work will include video analysis from stereo-video recording, literature review as well as data analysis. Using VidSync software, the movement, certain behaviors and size will be recorded. The internship offers an opportunity to learn about the role of coral reef fish in ecosystem functioning, video analysis and R coding. We offer an internship of 6 months with a salary of about 500 euro per month.
 
Requirements
All applicants should have basic knowledge of fish ecology and proficient in doing literature reviews and scientific writing in english. Previous experience with R and/or Python is mandatory. Experience with network analysis is a plus. No prior knowledge of video analysis in VidSync is required, however any experience with video or image analysis is an advantage. Basic experience or knowledge in reef fish diversity is an asset. Above all, applying students should be motivated, precise, creative and eager to learn.
 
Topics

1.   Estimation of activity rates in reef fishes
Activity is a major determinant of fish’s respiration. The total metabolic rate depicts how much food a fish needs to ingest and thus how carbon and nutrients flow through the ecosystem. The maintenance metabolic rate of fish has been increasingly quantified using respirometry techniques. However, the active metabolic rate is harder to approximate. It lies somewhere in between the maximum metabolic rate and the resting metabolic rate. A way to express the total metabolic rate would be to multiply the resting metabolic rate by a factor f, the activity scope. The goal of this internship is to quantify the activity scope f for multiple fish, using a combination of video observations and respirometry data.
 
To apply write an email with CV and motivation letter to: valeriano.parravicini at ephe.psl.eu <mailto:valeriano.parravicini at ephe.psl.eu> and nina.schiettekatte at gmail.com
 
2.   The role of coprophagy in the trophic food web
The diet of reef fish has been a main subject in coral reef ecology, yet our knowledge remains limited. An understudied part of trophic ecology is coprophagy. Fish poo can be an important food source for other fish, as some feces contains more nutrients than certain diets, such as herbivores. The goal of this internship is to analyse the importance of coprophagy in the diet of reef fish. A literature study will be conducted to assemble a database of diet items. Further, using video recordings, coprophagic interactions will be recorded. The palatability of fish feces can then be related to traits such as diet, the position in the water column, territorial behavior, schooling and size.
 
To apply write an email with CV and motivation letter to: valeriano.parravicini at ephe.psl.eu <mailto:valeriano.parravicini at ephe.psl.eu> and nina.schiettekatte at gmail.com
 
 
3.   Food-web structure on coral reefs
Coral reefs are an extremely diverse system where thousands of species interact directly and indirectly. One fundamental form of biological interaction is certainly represented by the predator/prey relationship as all species have to acquire energy and nutrients to survive and reproduce. Despite its importance, the structure of coral reef food web remains unclear partly because of the high diversity of this system. Through literature review the student will work on the definition of trophic interactions in coral reef ecosystem to test hypotheses related to its stability in face of ongoing climatic and anthropogenic stressors.
 
To apply write an email with CV and motivation letter to: valeriano.parravicini at ephe.psl.eu <mailto:valeriano.parravicini at ephe.psl.eu> and jcasey508 at gmail.com <mailto:jcasey508 at gmail.com>

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Valeriano Parravicini - PhD

École Pratique des Hautes Études 

REEF SERVICES project: www.reefservices.info <http://www.reefservices.info/>

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParraviciniVale 
Skype: vparravicini

CRIOBE (USR 3278 PSL-EPHE-CNRS-UPVD)
66860 Perpignan, France
Phone: +33 4 68 66 21 94