A position is offered for a doctoral student at the Buesgen Institute
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August
University of Goettingen beginning on 1 August 2008 for 3 years. Salary
is E 13/2 based on the German TV-L system. The successful candidate
will work on the project: ?Long-term fates of N in tropical forest
soils exposed to chronic N addition?. This research project will be
co-supervised by Dr. Marife D. Corre and Prof. Dr. Edzo Veldkamp. This
is part of the independent research group ?NITROF: Impact of elevated
NItrogen input on the biogeochemistry and productivity of TROpical
Forests? (www.nitrof.forst.uni-goettingen.de), funded by the Robert
Bosch Foundation, Germany.
Project description:
Rates of N deposition in the tropics are projected to increase
drastically in the next decades due to increases in N fertilizer use,
fossil fuel consumption, and cultivation of legumes. Until now studies
where N was experimentally added to natural forest ecosystems in the
tropics have been very limited and even rarely addressed the
environmental consequences of elevated N input. To date it is unclear
how tropical forests will react to chronic N additions. The objectives
of this research project are: 1) to determine the long-term fates of
NH4+ and NO3- in montane and lowland forest soils exposed to chronic N
addition, and 2) to quantify the effects of chronic N addition on the
contribution of different soil depths to surface fluxes of N2O, CO2,
and CH4 from the montane forest soil. This study is complementary to
the on-going measurements of NO, N2O, CO2, and CH4 emissions, leaching
losses, and above-ground net primary production in lowland and montane
forests exposed to chronic N addition. The N addition in the lowland
site started in 1998 and the site is located in Gigante Peninsula which
is part of the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, Panama. The N addition
in the montane forest started in 2006 and the site is located in
Fortuna Forest Reserve which is part of the La Amistad Biosphere
Reserve in Chiriqu? province, Panama. These sites are under the custody
of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and the study sites are
near to excellent laboratory/research/housing facilities. This study
will generate the first information on consequences of elevated N input
on N cycling, retention, and trace gas emissions from the tropical
mainland. This information is important to assess the effects of future
anthropogenic N deposition on tropical forest ecosystems.
Applicants should hold a M. Sc. or diploma degree in ecology, soil
science, environmental sciences, geo-ecology, forestry, biology or
related disciplines. The successful candidate is expected to be in
Panama for at most 24 months to carry out research works with regular
visits to the home institution for discussions/data analysis/writing.
Excellent knowledge of English is essential. Basic knowledge of Spanish
or willingness to learn it is necessary. More information about our
institute can be found under:
http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/67070.html
Please send your application the latest on 10 June 2008 to:
Dr. Marife D. Corre
Buesgen Institute -Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems
Buesgenweg 2
37077 Goettingen
Germany
