Carp are a highly abundant, invasive fish species in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) and are known to cause significant negative impacts on native fish and the broader aquatic ecosystem. The Australian government is currently poised and considering whether to support the release of a virus to assist in the species’ control. However, little is known about the importance of carp in contemporary food webs of the MDB. This project will determine the importance of carp in food webs, across different habitat types and environmental conditions in the MDB. The project will also examine the potential impact of carp removal on food webs and assess likely winners and losers in the native ecosystem.
There is a broad scope for the project to include a combination of field, experimental, and/or modelling approaches depending on the skills and interest of the candidate. For instance, field work could include the sampling of carp populations in rivers and wetlands with collection of tissues to assess carp diet and contribution of carp to the energy requirements of predators such as large-bodied fish and waterbirds. Quantitative approaches could include building of dynamic food-web models to simulate scenarios of carp removal from the community.
To be eligible to apply you must have (or expect to gain):
* International applicants must be residing in Australia and have the appropriate immigration approvals to allow them to take up the scholarship.
How to apply:
You will be required to: