Esquivel-Muelbert Group: Ecology and Evolution of tree size

Supervisor

Dr Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert

Importance of Research

Large tropical trees are the strongest competitors for water and light within tropical forests. Once they reach the canopy, they are exposed to a range of stressors such as lightning, increased water stress, and strong winds. Yet some species of giant tropical trees can survive under such harsh conditions for centuries. We are interested in candidates looking to develop a PhD project investigating the Ecology and Evolution of tree size. This project will be integrating field ecology, molecular biology, and biogeography to answer how and why giant trees evolved and what are the consequences of gigantism on trees to their ecology and demography. In this project, you will map the ability to become, and persist as, a giant tree across the phylogeny to understand how often such characteristics evolved, and whether the evolution of these giants varies across major biogeographical regions. 

Project Summary

You will be part of an international collaborative NERC/NSF Gigante project. Supervised by Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert and with Beverly Groover as the second supervisor this project will be developed in collaboration with Lalasia Bialic-Murphy (WSL), Evan Gora (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies) and Toby Pennington (Missouri Botanical Gardens), Gisele Biem Mori (INPA, Brazil) and Vanessa Rubio (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies)

Application Process

If you are interested, please send an email with a two-page CV (including grades of your last degree) and a one-page cover letter (including some ideas for this project) to ae595@cam.ac.uk by the 20th November with the title ‘PhD EcoEvo tree size’. Selected candidates will be asked to develop a project and will be supported to apply for funding within the University of Cambridge system. The deadline for this second stage will be the 6th January.

References 

Esquivel-Muelbert, A., Banbury, R. et al. (2025) Increase in tree size across Amazonia. Nature Plants. 11, 2016–2025 

Bialic-Murphy, L., McElderry R.M , Esquivel-Muelbert, A. et al. (2024) The pace of life for forest trees. Science, 86 (6717), 92-98.

Gora, E & Esquivel-Muelbert, A. (2021) Implications of size-dependent tree mortality for tropical forest carbon dynamics. Nature Plants, 10.1038/s41447-021-00879-0.