PhD studentship in root dendrochronology (M/F): long-term root growth in forests

Job title:

PhD studentship in root dendrochronology (M/F): long-term root growth in forests

Company:

Job description

Offer DescriptionThe workplace will be the LSCE ( ), a world-class institute on climate change research and Earth System modelling located on the plateau of Saclay, near Paris. It employs over 320 researchers from more than 30 different nationalities and diverse scientific disciplines. The student will be part of the Ice, Climate and Stable Isotopes team in the LSCE and will be enrolled in the Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences of Île-de-France (SEIF) at the University of Paris-Saclay. This is a PhD program by Research and it benefits from a very dynamic research environment and infrastructure in the Plateau Saclay.

• Scientific background :

While we often look at the growth of trees above the ground to understand and model how forests respond to climate change, a significant portion of tree growth actually occurs belowground. Roots play a crucial role in tree physiology by tapping water and nutrients, and they often store the highest concentrations of carbohydrate reserves, making them essential for understanding and modelling tree responses to the environment and climate change. Belowground forest responses are virtually unknown because of logistical difficulties and high cost to access root systems. In some species and regions, tree rings formed in the roots can be used to evaluate root growth over years to decades and centuries. The project CATES, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), is pioneering the development of a global network of root dendrochronology to study and monitor belowground forest growth.

• Objective of the thesis :

The thesis is part of the CATES project and will aim to develop a methodology to study root growth and its environmental response from root rings.

• Requirements :
• Master degree (M2 in France).
• Interest in Biogeosciences, field, and laboratory work.
• Analytical and scientifically-minded thinking.
• English writing skills.

• Approach :

Root dendrochronology is the application of tree-ring analysis to structural roots, typically in the context of ecology, forestry and geomorphology. While this field is less developed than studying tree rings in the stem, it has shown potential for several species. The scientific challenge of the thesis is to use root chronologies (calendar-dated annual growth series) from multiple species to extract insights from tree physiology, combining traditional tree-ring techniques with environmental and ecosystem monitoring across a network of sites.

• Expected results :

The thesis will advance our current understanding of belowground forest growth and how it changes over time, helping to improve the representation of forest growth in current ecosystem models.RequirementsResearch Field Environmental science Education Level Master Degree or equivalentResearch Field Biological sciences Education Level Master Degree or equivalentResearch Field Geosciences Education Level Master Degree or equivalentLanguages FRENCH Level BasicResearch Field Environmental science Years of Research Experience NoneResearch Field Biological sciences Years of Research Experience NoneResearch Field Geosciences Years of Research Experience NoneAdditional InformationWebsite for additional job detailsWork Location(s)Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement Country France City GIF SUR YVETTE GeofieldWhere to apply WebsiteContact CityGIF SUR YVETTE WebsiteSTATUS: EXPIRED

Expected salary

Location

Gif-sur-Yvette, Essonne

Job date

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 03:37:05 GMT

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