Designing Microbial Interventions to Study Behavioural Effects in Wild Birds (DAVIDSON_U25DTPR)
This project is open to Home Fee Status applicants only.
The gut microbiome influences how animals behave and interact with their environment via the microbiome–gut–brain axis (MGBA). There is an urgent need to understand how this operates in wild animals, where cognition and behaviour shape responses to environmental change. This project goes beyond traditional lab systems to explore how natural microbiome variation affects behaviour in wild birds, overcoming the challenge of manipulating the microbiome in non-model species.
Great tits (Parus major) are common garden birds with widespread distributions. Our previous work has shown that their gut microbiota is highly variable, and this variation may influence behaviour. By isolating and characterising host-native microbes, we aim to enable targeted and ecologically valid manipulations of the gut microbiome to understand how microbes benefit wildlife.
Project objectives will be shaped to suit your interests and may include:
1.Culturing gut microbes from an existing bank of faecal samples. Isolates will be whole-genome sequenced to compare strains across habitats, life stages, and species (great tits, blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus).
2.Evaluating the colonisation potential and beneficial properties of host-derived microbes using genomic and microbiological techniques.
3.Testing the microbiome’s role in behaviour through microbial supplementation experiments.
Training:
You will join a dynamic and supportive research environment at UEA, with opportunities to work at the Quadram Institute and train at the NIOO-KNAW avian facility (Netherlands). You will gain interdisciplinary skills in fieldwork, microbiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, behavioural ecology, statistical analysis, and science communication. Tailored training will support your career development and employability.
Person specification:
Applicants should hold a degree in Biology or a related field. Experience in microbiology, molecular ecology, or analytical methods is desirable.