Latest news and views from the aquatic MSc programmes at Queen Mary University of London

1. AER & FAME Review… May’14
The latest...
Places are rapidly filling for our Aquatic Ecology
by Research and Freshwater and Marine Ecology
MSc programmes. It looks like we will have a very
interesting and diverse set of students studying
with us from October.
Project updates: Melina Jack (AER part-time) is
discussing her project plans with Drs Christophe
Eizaguirre & Jon Grey to study whelk population
dynamics & trophic ecology in collaboration with
the Kent and Essex IFCA, also supported by
DEFRA. This will involve accompanying trawling
research vessels to collect samples and then plenty
of follow up time in the lab applying
mitochondrial and stable isotope techniques. Cool
multidisciplinary study!
Houting larvae from Marco's salinity tolerance experiment —
in Kiel, Germany
Also AER, Marco Magazzu’ is using his extended
project time to assess whether anthropogenic
hybridization can further threaten the endangered
North Sea houting, one of the rarest fish species in
N Europe. This is also work with Christophe and
Marco has been spending some time working in
the labs at Kiel University in Germany.
Is it ‘clear’ which ones contain invasive crayfish?
The pond mesocosms, the site of at least four MSc
theses are still actively in use. Former AER student,
Ed Willis-Jones, is here testing effects of red
swamp crayfish ecosystem engineering on oxygen
and methane dynamics, as well as zooplankton
community composition and use of methane-
derived carbon.
So… What’s new?
A new optional module, field based in Crete, is
being made available to FAME students keen to
explore the use of statistical methodology in
designing, collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and
presenting population dynamics experiments and
observations…. Tough decision!
The Aquatic Ecology Group is a major player in
the recently launched Natural Environment
Research Council funded London Doctoral
Training Partnership. This essentially means there
are 36 PhD positions up for grabs every year for
the next five spread across the London
Consortium. So, plenty of scope for converting
your MSc straight into a PhD
Dr Andrew Hirst is part of a new NERC & DEFRA
co-funded project. Called Marine Ecosystems
Research Programme, this 5 year multi-million
pound project is focused on UK marine
ecosystems, understanding their past, present and
future states. I foresee spinoff MSc projects!
The latest version of the
Handbooks for 2014 are
available to download
from the MSc web pages.
Compiled by Dr Jonathan Grey Type ‘FACS field trips’ into YouTube and see what you get!
E-mail: j.grey@qmul.ac.uk Follow on Twitter @MSc_FAME Web: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/
Where are they now?
• Ed Willis-Jones (AER 12-13) will be giving a
demonstration of invasive crayfish ecosystem
engineering at the River Thame Conservation
Trust in June
• Dimitra Mantzorou (FACS 12-13) did her MSc
project with the Environment Agency on
invasive ‘demon’ shrimp in the Thames. Her
results are being combined with experimental
results from a BSc and a PhD student into a joint
publication to be submitted later this summer.
• Congrats to Felicity Shelley (FACS 09-10)
who worked with Prof Mar kTrimmer for her MSc
thesis and has just had her first paper published in
the prestigious Proceedings of the Royal Society:
Shelley, Grey & Trimmer (2014) Widespread methanotrophic
primary production in lowland chalk rivers. PRSB 281 (1783)