Uncovering ovarian morphology across age in the common hippo (H. amphibius) (Dr Antonia Weberling)
PROJECT TITLE
Uncovering ovarian morphology across age in the common hippo (H. amphibius)
SUPERVISORS
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Cetacodonta, which include whales, porpoises, dolphins and hippos, are a very understudied suborder of difficult-to-access rare and endangered species. Through a collaboration with CORNARE (CORPORACIÓN AUTÓNOMA REGIONAL DE LAS CUENCAS DE LOS RÍOS NEGRO Y NARE "CORNARE"), we got access to reproductive tracts collected from hippos of the invasive Hippopotamus amphibius population in Colombia that originates from 4 hippos imported by Pablo Escobar in the 1980s.
In this project, the student will first characterise the morphology of the hippo reproductive tract using traditional histology, immunofluorescence and multiplexed in situ hybridisation techniques. Then, a comparative study of reproductive tracts of differently aged hippos will be carried out to understand the morphological changes occurring during ageing and how these compare to other mammals. This will shed the first light into reproductive tract morphology and maturation in a member of the Cetacodonta suborder.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
The student will join a highly collaborative environment and be introduced to both traditional developmental biology, evolutional developmental biology and innovative species conservation approaches during their project. The training will involve sectioning, histology stainings, confocal and light-sheet microscopy as well as in situ hybridisation techniques. The student will gain thorough image analysis skills.
Funding Information
The position is not currently funded and therefore the candidate will need to secure funding.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this research degree, please click here.