Project Description

About the Project

Project Description:

Like many places, Brazil has endured severe habitat loss over the last 500 years. Beginning with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, the introduction of sugar cane and other cash crops meant that many coastal primary forests were cleared. The expansion of cattle ranching and coffee plantations in the 17th and 18th centuries and the rubber boom of the next two centuries cleared more forest, especially in the Amazon. Finally, over the last seventy years, major infrastructure projects have increased urbanization, and further expansion of cattle and soybean agriculture westward has further contributed to the accelerated decline of pristine forests of all types.

Whilst we know the history of habitat loss in Brazil, the effects on the ecology of its avifauna are less well known. The high diversity and endemism of Neotropical birds sensitize them to environmental change. Changes in their behaviour and other natural history traits over time can give us insights into the effects of such environmental shifts. This studentship will focus on four common species of the avian subfamily of Tachyphoninae, a group of non-migratory Neotropical lowland tanagers. As omnivores, and with specimens in the Zoological Museum of the University of São Paulo collected over more than a century, they offer a unique opportunity to use stable isotope analyses to explore long-term changes in habitat use and diet across Brazil.

The studentship will elucidate how habitat loss has altered foraging behaviour, including whether closely related species now overlap or partition their ecological niches following habitat fragmentation. Findings can be extrapolated to avifauna more generally and to future environmental change. This will help inform conservation strategies and prioritise areas for protection.

The four species are Ramphocelus carbo (Silver-beaked tanager), Ramphocelus bresilia (Brazilian tanager), Tachyphonus rufus (White-lined tanager), and Tachyphonus coronatus (Ruby-crowned tanager). As well as being taxonomically related, all are omnivorous, being largely frugivorous, but also feeding on seeds, nectar, and insects. The student will measure stable isotopes in the feathers and claws of these birds, all of these being well-represented from different years and over a century in the Zoological Museum of the University of Sao Paulo. Feathers are moulted annually, principally between January and May. Date of collection and feather wear can be used to determine the year of moult in samples collected over the main moulting period.

Stable isotopes of light elements (C, N and S) can be used in mixing models to calculate the importance of major, isotopically distinguishable, dietary items, for instance, the extent of omnivory. The species overlap only in Sao Paulo State, which has seen many land-use changes, so isotope metrics would determine if the species overlap their niches or partition them, and whether this has changed over time as the environment became fragmented. Conversely, comparing each species’ isotope metrics between several biomes will determine whether these niches endure throughout each species’ range. This data would detail empirically any changes in their ecology that have taken place in the later years of anthropogenic impact and allow a discussion of the extent of these changes in different biomes.

On a smaller scale, a comparison of sex/age would allow investigation of whether males and females and/or adults and juveniles have different patterns of diet/habitat use/niche. Further, whilst these are all considered generalist species, a comparison of isotopic niche width would reveal whether there has been some degree of individual specialization over time.

Funding Information

Funding Notes

IAPETUS2’s postgraduate studentships are tenable for up to 3.5 years and provide the following package of financial support:

A tax-free maintenance grant set at the UK Research Council’s national rate, which in 2025/26 is £20,780;
Payment of tuition fees at the Home rate
Access to extensive research support funding;
Support for an external placement of up to six months.

Part-time award-holders are funded for seven years and receive a maintenance grant at 50% of the full-time rate.

International students: the following costs are not covered: View Website

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility:

All applicants need to meet NERC’s eligibility criteria to be considered for an Iapetus studentship and these are detailed in the current UKRI studentship terms and conditions: https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/UKRI-011025-StandardTrainingGrant-TermsandConditions.pdf

For International Students, UKRI only pay the home fees, so please check with the host organization (University) making the award about their policy on the differential between home and international fees.

Any of our studentships can be part-time if that mode of study is more appropriate for your circumstances. (International students should check the terms of the Tier 4 visa scheme to see if this is possible).

Application Process

How to Apply:

Please refer to the following website for details on how to apply:

http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/opportunities/howtoapplyforaresearchdegree/.

Supplementary Information

In order to address historical imbalances in the higher education sector, Iapetus is committed to recruiting a diverse, representative community of researchers in Environmental Science. The DTP has developed an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy to further this. This includes the Widening Participation Scheme, which identifies Home applicants from underrepresented groups. Also, we are pleased to also run the Iapetus Diversifying Talent Scholarship Scheme, a separate competition designed for those from underrepresented groups. For more, please see the Iapetus website.”