PhD Studentship: Future-proofing ecosystem restoration in the tropics through understanding if manipulating seed sources can increase climate resilience

Most ecosystem restoration programmes target the tropics, where biodiversity and carbon gains are highest. Brazil plays a key role in this, with a target to restore 12 million ha of degraded land by 2030, requiring 15,000 tonnes of native seeds. However, climate change is increasingly driving restoration failure. Using seeds that will be more resistant to future climates can increase restoration success. However, it remains uncertain if seeds collected from different climate conditions have different functions which can be exploited to increase climate resilience and restoration success.

The PhD student will explore the role climate-related variation in plant function can have in promoting restoration success in the Brazilian savanna, a global biodiversity hotspot, hosting more plant species than the Amazon rainforest. The student will have the opportunity to undertake fieldwork in Brazil, measuring plant physiological variables that determine drought resistance. These can be measured at seed collection sites that exist across a rainfall gradient, or at a common garden–rainfall exclusion experiment in Brasilia, one of the first of its kind in the tropics.

The student will co-develop this project with the supervisory team and support from a NERC-funded project with its long-established international partners, who can train the student in restoration science and practice, experimental design and data-analysis, as well as facilitate international fieldwork. The student can also be trained in plant physiological measurements by a University of Cardiff co-supervisor, an expert in developing plant sensor technology, and with whom we have a decade-long collaboration and an excellent publication track record. In addition, the student will work closely with our partner NGO’s WWF Brazil and ISA (The Brazilian socio-environmental Institute), who are leading seed collection and restoration efforts in Brazil, bridging the gap between science and practice. This offers excellent opportunities for training in knowledge transfer and public engagement.

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