Masters Research Assistantship: Decision Tool for Rating Carp-Native Fish Competition

Project overview and responsibilities: Perhaps the most concerning invasive species currently troubling the Mississippi Basin are the bigheaded carps. Their incursion has caused great commotion and mobilized natural resource conservation sectors to address observed and anticipated impacts. Bigheaded carps are planktonic filter feeders at the base of trophic cascades, potentially impacting plankton communities and competing with native filter-feeding fishes and juvenile stages of many other native species. To develop effective management strategies and make well-informed decisions, it is essential to understand and measure the extent of this competition. The aim of this research is to create a framework for rating the extent of feeding competition between native fishes and invasive carps. Feeding analyses will rely on DNA metabarcoding. eDNA, in combination with quantitative PCR, would be used to estimate the relative abundance of invasive species. The competition rating is expected to inform management decisions about when, where, and how to address competition. 

The student will work with Drs. Steve Miranda and Sandra Correa. Duties will include field and laboratory work and coordination with several resource conservation agencies working in the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers. 

Location: This position is based on the MSU campus in Starkville, Mississippi.

Qualifications: Undergraduate degree in natural resources, biology, ecology, or related field, strong written and verbal communication abilities in English, and excellent interpersonal skills to work collaboratively. The ideal candidate will have interests on invasive species, applied molecular biology, and feeding ecology. This position is seasonally field intensive and will require close coordination with agency biologists for sampling. Experience trailering and operating boats is highly desirable. GPA > 3.0.