Global climate change is threatening coastal ecosystems by causing changes in oceanographic conditions such as temperature and pCO2. These shifts induce changes in life-history traits and affect the physiological performance and productivity of organisms in coastal food webs, and thus the overall functioning of the ecosystem. A better understanding of the physiological response and adaptive capacity of coastal organisms is critical to assess their fate in a rapidly changing ocean.
Harpacticoid copepods are very abundant meiofauna (small invertebrates) occurring in the sediment of estuaries. They are efficient grazers on diatoms and a major food source for juvenile fish. They are known for their capacity to bioconvert fatty acids that originate from primary producers, a process known as ‘trophic upgrading’.
In this project, we aim to quantify changes in life-history traits, phenotypic responses and reaction norms of individuals and populations to multiple climate change stressors (ocean warming, ocean acidification, shifting diets). On the one hand, the student will identify and explore novel techniques to culture benthic harpacticoid copepods in a lab environment. On the other hand, the student will be involved in (multi-)stressor incubation experiments on the cultured copepods to measure changes in life-history traits and oxygen respiration using specialized lab equipment. This internship will therefore offer a combination of field work, lab work and data analysis.
Mentor: Jens Boyen
Promotor: Prof. Dr. Marleen De Troch
