Included Manta project with Hannah

future/index.qmd

@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@ For more information about potential research projects or scholarships, contact
 
 ## Conservation
 
+### Manta ray demography and optimal foraging: understanding life-stage energy needs at a global hotspot (Honours or MSc project)
+
+Manta rays are among the ocean’s most charismatic and threatened megafauna, yet key aspects of their ecology remain poorly understood. How do energetic needs differ across life stages, and how do these differences shape when and how mantas feed? This project explores the demography and optimal foraging behaviour of the reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) during mass foraging events at Hanifaru Bay Marine Protected Area, Maldives, the world’s largest known aggregation site for this species. Ontogenetic shifts – changes in body size, shape, and energetic demands through life – are common in marine predators, influencing diet, habitat use, and ecosystem roles. In manta rays, feeding is thought to be triggered when zooplankton densities exceed energetic thresholds, consistent with optimal foraging theory. Field observations suggest that juveniles and pregnant females remain feeding after larger adults have ceased, hinting at demographic differences in energetic thresholds. This project will test the hypothesis that juveniles and reproductively active females have lower feeding thresholds, reflecting their higher metabolic demands.
+
+The student will analyse existing datasets collected between 2021 and 2023, including fine-scale behavioural data, concurrent zooplankton density estimates, high-resolution video surveys identifying maturity and pregnancy status, and long-term photo-ID records from the Maldivian Manta Conservation Programme (2007–2023). By integrating these data, the project will quantify demographic differences in feeding persistence, link foraging behaviour to prey availability, and assess how life-stage energy needs drive manta ecology.This project offers an exciting opportunity for a student passionate about marine megafauna, behavioural ecology and conservation. Working closely with researchers from the University of Queensland, the University of the Sunshine Coast, and the Maldives, the student will gain skills in statistical analysis, behavioural ecology, and marine conservation. The findings will contribute to a peer-reviewed publication and inform IUCN and Maldivian government management of this globally significant species and habitat.
+
 ### Seamount connectivity: informing deep-sea conservation with oceanographic models
 
 Seamounts—underwater mountains scattered throughout the ocean—are increasingly targeted by fisheries and may soon face pressure from seabed mining. Despite their ecological significance, most lie in the high seas, where protection is limited. The recently adopted Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty provides a historic opportunity to advance conservation in these regions, but actionable science is urgently needed to guide spatial planning. This PhD project will explore how the connectivity of biodiversity among seamounts—driven by deep ocean currents —can inform the design of protected area networks. While direct observations of population connectivity in the deep sea are challenging, high-resolution oceanographic models offer new opportunities to simulate larval dispersal among seamounts. The student will simulate three-dimensional dispersal of neutrally buoyant particles from selected seamounts in key regions such as the western Pacific and central Pacific. These simulations will explore horizontal and vertical connectivity, identify potential source and sink regions, assess how oceanographic isolation may drive endemism, assess model predictions against available genetic data, and explore how oceanographic connectivity may support resilient fisheries. A key focus will be designing protected area networks that incorporate seamount connectivity. This PhD is suited to a student with interests in ocean modelling, marine conservation, and spatial ecology. It will involve working with large oceanographic datasets and particle tracking simulations, and will include collaborations with deep-sea ecologists, geneticists, and policy experts. The student will gain valuable skills in oceanographic modelling, systematic conservation planning, and deep-sea ecology, contributing directly to science-policy initiatives under the BBNJ Treaty.