Microbiome metagenomics, senescence and mortality in an island population of birds

这个新颖而令人兴奋的项目将使用宏基因组学来研究与健康相关的个体肠道微生物组（GM）的组成和功能变化，塞舌尔莺的衰老和死亡。对人类和家养/圈养动物的研究表明，脊椎动物转基因--一个由数千种物种组成的复杂微生物群落--全球机制在东道国的基本进程中发挥作用，并表明全球机制的差异可能对健康和老龄化产生相当大的影响。然而，圈养（和医疗/卫生干预）可能会从根本上影响转基因，并混淆这些研究。详细的研究，衡量如何在野生脊椎动物种群中的GM随着时间的推移在个人内的变化，需要充分了解GM的作用。我们的长期监测塞舌尔莺，在那里的个人测量和采样在他们的整个生命的岛屿人口，提供了一个独特的机会，进行研究的GM没有混杂的问题，非自然条件或医疗干预。我们已经有了100多个个体的样本和准确的健康和生存数据，以前的工作证实，衰老、生存和转基因成分存在相当大的差异。因此，这一群体为一项出色的、开创性的研究提供了样本、数据和分辨率。这一博士学位提供了一个特殊的培训机会，在世界一流的研究环境中研究前沿的概念性问题。您将获得广泛的研究技能，包括测序，宏基因组学，生物信息学，数据库使用和统计建模。还将有实地工作部分。您还将接受位于东英吉利大学的诺维奇生物科学博士培训合作伙伴组织提供的优质综合培训，该合作伙伴组织由大卫·S·理查森教授（东英吉利大学）和福尔克·希尔德布兰德博士（Quadram/厄勒姆研究所）监督，并得到Matt Hutchings教授（JIC）和Hannah Dugdale博士（格罗宁根）的支持。

This novel and exciting project will use metagenomics to investigate compositional and functional changes in individual gut microbiome (GM) linked to health, senescence and mortality in the Seychelles warbler.Studies on humans and domestic/captive animals have shown that the vertebrate GM - a complex microbial community comprising thousands of species - plays a role in fundamental processes within the host and suggests that differences in the GM can have considerable impacts on health and ageing. However, captivity (and medical/health interventions) can radically affect the GM and confound such studies. Detailed studies that measure how the GM changes within individuals over time in wild-living vertebrate populations are needed to fully understand the role of the GM.Our long-term monitoring of an island population of Seychelles warblers, where individuals are measured and sampled throughout their lives, provides a unique opportunity to undertake a study on the GM without the confounding issues of unnatural conditions or medical interventions. We already have samples and accurate health and survival data on 100's of individuals and previous work confirms that considerable variation in senescence, survival and GM composition occurs. This population therefore provides the samples, data and resolution for an excellent, ground-breaking study.This PhD offers an exceptional training opportunity, working on cutting-edge conceptual questions within a world-class research environment. You will gain a wide range of research skills including sequencing, metagenomics, bioinformatics, database use, and statistical modelling. There will also be a fieldwork component. You will also receive excellent general training from the Norwich Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership based at UEA, supervised by Prof David S Richardson (UEA) and Dr Falk Hildebrand (Quadram/Earlham Institute), with support from Prof. Matt Hutchings (JIC) and Dr Hannah Dugdale (Groningen).