We offer a research opportunity for master students focusing on the analysis of aquatic food webs and ecosystem processes to characterize the current ecological state of the Maroccan Draa river catchment.

The Draa river catchment (photo by R. Schäfer)

The catchment of the Maroccan Draa river sustains the livelihood of over 1 million people and is home to a diverse range of aquatic life. However, increasing water scarcity due to climate change and overexploitation of water resources lead to deteriorating water quality through salinization. The ecological consequences are poorly understood.

The project aims to characterize the current ecological state of the Draa by recording fish, turtle, algae and benthic invertebrate species as well as ecosystem processes. Potential changes in species composition and interactions from sites with different salinities will be investigated. The master student will conduct a literature research on aquatic food web analysis in arid regions and be responsible for the investigation of benthic invertebrates and ecological processes within a larger group of German and Moroccan researchers.

Beneficial prerequisites are a background in ecology and speaking French.

Start date: March 2018

For more information please contact Elisabeth Berger (berger@uni-landau.de).