Sitting ducks, what’s the flux? The impact of seabird nest abundance and spatial distribution on ecosystem processes

Applications are invited for a 3.5 years PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 1 October 2026
landscape of mountains and blue sky in the background, and ducks sitting on grass in foreground. Katherine Herborn studentship

Apply 

To apply for the ARIES Doctoral Training Partnership studentship please simply click on the ‘online application’ link below for PhD Biological Sciences :
Within the Research section of the application form, in the following fields, please add: 
  • 'Proposed project title/studentship title' add: ARIES 26-10 Herborn
  • 'Studentship Code' add: Not applicable 
When the application asks for a research proposal, please just upload a blank document. A research proposal is not needed for this programme as you are applying directly to a studentship project. 

Application guidance 

It is important that you follow the instructions above or your application for this studentship may be missed and therefore will not be considered. 
G You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.
Before applying, please ensure you have read the Doctoral College’s general information on applying for a postgraduate research degree .  
For more information on the admissions process please contact research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk. 
 
Director of Studies: Dr Katherine Herborn  
2nd Supervisor: Dr James Buckley  
3rd Supervisor: Dr Mick Hanley  
4th Supervisor: , Snæfellsnes Research Centre, University of Iceland
5th Supervisor: , The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
Applications are invited for a 3.5 years PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 1 October 2026

Project description  

Breeding birds act as ecosystem engineers, concentrating activity and nutrient deposition around nests in ways that alter microclimate and plant communities. Processes such as ‘landscapes of fear’ affect where birds nest. This could introduce predictable spatial structuring in bird impacts that scale up to shape ecosystem function. However, multiple climate factors are changing seabird distributions, and humans can further modify where and how densely birds nest through habitat and population management (e.g., wild release, predator control, disturbance), potentially affecting these bird-ecosystem relationships.
Alongside the long-term monitoring of ground-nesting seabird populations at the Snæfellsnes Research Centre (Breiðafjörður, Iceland), this project will:
  • Objective 1: Quantify the “nest footprint” by establishing relationships with soil microclimate, plant community, and carbon flux, and by mapping how these effects decay with distance from the nest.
  • Objective 2: Test whether nest footprint varies systematically with position in a ‘landscape of fear’.
  • Objective 3: Develop spatially explicit models to predict how nest footprints combine to generate landscape-level variation in microclimate, carbon flux, and plant biodiversity under different stressors or population management.
Together, this project determines the mechanistic basis of bird-ecosystem interactions and explores landscape-level impacts of shifts in this relationship. This will support development of a predictive tool for bird conservation, population and habitat management, and climate research.

Research methodology

In year one, field transects and thermal and multispectral drone surveys before, during and after nesting will map 1) nest sites of Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) and gulls (Larus sp.), 2) behavioural and physiological indicators of stress exposure, and 3) nest site and habitat ecology. Multivariate methods and spatial modelling will assess nest impacts at microhabitat and landscape-level. Later years will test model predictions via targeted measurements in sites under different management.

Person specification and training  

The candidate should have field experience and interest in avian ecology. Prior experience in spatial analysis is desirable. Supported by an interdisciplinary supervisory team from the ùƵ, University of Iceland, and the Université du Québec à Montréal, the candidate will develop expertise in spatial modelling, animal ecology, ecosystem process measurement and new drone and sensor technologies for environmental science research.

References 

Clyde, N., Hargan, K. E., Forbes, M. R., Iverson, S. A., Blais, J. M., Smol, J. P., ... & Gilchrist, H. G. (2021). Seaduck engineers in the Arctic Archipelago: nesting eiders deliver marine nutrients and transform the chemistry of island soils, plants, and ponds. Oecologia, 195(4), 1041-1052.
Bleicher, S. S. (2017). The landscape of fear conceptual framework: definition and review of current applications and misuses. PeerJ, 5, e3772.
Fox, A. D., Jónsson, J. E., Aarvak, T., Bregnballe, T., Christensen, T. K., Clausen, K. K., ... & Therkildsen, O. R. (2015, August). Current and potential threats to Nordic duck populations—a horizon scanning exercise. In Annales Zoologici Fennici (Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 193-220). Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board.
Davidson, S. J., Sloan, V. L., Phoenix, G. K., Wagner, R., Fisher, J. P., Oechel, W. C., & Zona, D. (2016). Vegetation type dominates the spatial variability in CH4 emissions across multiple Arctic tundra landscapes. Ecosystems, 19(6), 1116-1132.
Jerem, P., Herborn, K., McCafferty, D., McKeegan, D., & Nager, R. (2015). Thermal imaging to study stress non-invasively in unrestrained birds. Journal of visualized experiments: JoVE, (105), 53184.

Eligibility 

Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree in Biological or Environmental Science or a relevant Masters qualification. You should have field experience and interest in avian ecology. Prior experience in spatial analysis is desirable.
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in each component test area) or equivalent.  
Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded ARIES studentship of fees, maintenance stipend, £20,780 p.a. for 2025/26 (2026/27 rate TBC) and research costs. 
A limited number of ARIES studentships are available to International applicants. Please note however that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK.
NB: The studentship is supported for 3.5 years of the four-year registration period. The subsequent 6 months of registration is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ period. 
ARIES is committed to in all areas of its operation. We encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, and transgender status. Projects have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive, and appropriate research and fieldwork environment. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, with equal weighting given to experience and potential. 
For further information, please visit
If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Dr Katherine Herborn .
Please see our apply for a postgraduate research programme page for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application. 
For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our apply for a postgraduate research programme page or contact the Doctoral College .
The closing date for applications is 7 January 2026. 
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview after the deadline. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.