PhD in Biological Sciences

Climate change is driving more frequent and intense heatwaves, with major consequences for biodiversity, ecological functioning, and ecosystem services provided to society. In coastal habitats, most research has focused on impacts of marine heatwaves in subtidal environments and tropical or sub-tropical regions, while the temperate intertidal zone remains relatively underexplored, despite being one of the most thermally extreme habitats on Earth. Intertidal organisms face unique challenges, exposed to both marine and atmospheric heatwaves, often in rapid succession or concomitantly. Understanding individual-level responses, and the mechanisms underpinning these, is vital to identifying sensitive and resilient populations and species. Scaling from individuals to community-level responses is then essential for identifying ecological tipping points and forecasting climate change impacts in complex marine ecosystems. This project will apply a multi-level approach (molecular, physiology and ecology) to investigate how coastal temperate marine invertebrate and macroalgal species respond to extreme heat events, both marine and atmospheric, across multiple biological scales. You will conduct single-species laboratory experiments on marine invertebrates and seaweeds to identify physiological responses to marine and atmospheric heatwaves. Identify molecular mechanisms (via RNAseq) underpinning sensitivity and resilience in selected species. Run community-scale mesocosm experiments to assess how ecological interactions mediate community-level responses to heatwaves.