Rodent and ant dispersal of seeds -MSc and PhD bursaries available

1. Rodent and ant dispersal of seeds -MSc and PhD bursaries available

2. Seed dispersal by ants and rodents -MSc and PhD bursaries available The Cape has the highest incidence of ant dispersal in the world and many seeds have adapted to the presence of ants by producing an oily body (elaiosome) which encourages the ants to drag the seeds into their nests. Until recently, all of the Cape literature on seed dispersal regarded rodents as seed consumers, and so the fate of seeds was dependent on antagonistic relationships between the seed consumers (the rodent baddies) and the seed dispersers (the ant goodies). While the fate of seeds is still dependent on how many get dispersed versus eaten, the role of rodents can no longer be seen quite as simplistically. Recent research suggests that rodents are also important dispersers of large seeds in the Cape. I would like a PhD or MSc student to explore the relationships between ant and rodent dispersers, and the evolution of seeds with and without elaiosomes. How does the presence or absence of an eliaosome influence seed fate in the presence of rodents versus ants? Are rodents better at dispersing large seeds and ants better at dispersing smaller seeds? What are the chemical and scent differences between rodent and ant dispersed seeds? Do the scent profiles of unrelated taxa show convergent evolution when dispersed by the same dispersers or does each plant family have a different scent profile, irrespective of the disperser?

3. These are the kinds of questions we may ask in an MSc or PhD, and because there has been so little work done on rodent dispersal in South Africa, these basic natural history questions would all be novel. A student doing this project would spend time in the field carrying out experimental work but there is also scope for lab work on scent. Theresa Wossler will act as a co-supervisor on these projects as a result of her long-standing interest in ants and scent. Stellenbosch University is a unique environment in which to study plant-animal interactions as the Botany and Zoology department has an unusually high number of its staff members actively involved in this field. The evolutionary ecology lab is joint-run by four biologists, all working on plant-animal interactions. Their students form a working group which enables them to benefit from each other, swopping skills, ideas and literature. I have NRF grant-holder-linked funding for an MSc (R50 000 p.a.) and a PhD bursary (R70 000 p.a.). These bursaries are available to students with permanent residence certificates and for South African citizens. Students with their own financial funding are also welcome to talk to me about these projects Interested students may contact Bruce Anderson at 0721136948, banderso.bruce@gmail.com. Also visit website at: http://academic.sun.ac.za/botzoo/bruce/index.htm