Fauna Forever is looking for field research interns (Peru)

Fauna Forever, a Peruvian non-profit, is looking for field research
interns to assist its team with numerous wildlife research projects
based in the Amazon rainforest of Peru, more specifically in forests
near the town of Puerto Maldonado. We are particularly keen on interns
who would like to take on the challenge of answering one or more of the
research questions and themes summarized below, during periods of 1-12
months. Successful intern applicants will need to cover their in-country
costs associated with food, accommodation and local transport.
Professional training and supervision of projects is provided, and we
encourage data to be published in peer-reviewed journals (assistance
with this is provided). Knowing Spanish is not a requisite, but would be
an asset. Energy, enthusiasm, and working well as part of a diverse,
international team is a must.

MAMMALS
1. What are the effects of forest structure and fruit resource
availability on primate abundance, group structure, and behavior in
Amazonian Peru?
2. To what extent does primate group and home-range size vary with fruit
resource composition and availability in Amazonian Peru?
3. How does ecotourism, Brazil nut extraction, timber extraction, and/or
bush-meat hunting affect the diversity, abundance and activity patterns
of mammal species in Amazonian Peru?
4. How habituated are the mammals (and other taxonomic groups) at
increasing distances from ecotourist lodges and research stations in
Amazonian Peru?
5. Geophagy activity patterns in rainforest mammals in Amazonian Peru.

BIRDS
1. How do the characteristics (species composition, abundance, home-
range size) of mixed-species bird flocks differ between forest types in
Amazonian Peru?
2. How does the abundance of oropendola, cacique, macaw, parrot and
other flocking bird species differ as the distance from human
settlements increases in Amazonian Peru?
3. How does the diversity and abundance of nocturnal raptors (family
Strigidae), based on transect and call-count station sampling methods,
differ between sites in Amazonian Peru.
4. Understanding the ecology of phoretic mites found in the nostrils of
hummingbirds and in flowers they pollinate in Amazonian Peru.

HERPETOFAUNA (AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES)
1. Monitoring Dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus sp.) populations in forest
streams in Amazonian Peru.
2. How does the size and weight of amphibian and reptile species differ
within and between sites in Amazonian Peru?
3. How does forest structure and light gap characteristics affect the
diversity, abundance and behavior of lizards in Amazonian Peru?
4. How does the size and position of temporary ponds made from natural
and artificial materials affect the amphibian species that use them?
5. What is the herpetological conservation value of Brazil-nut midden
piles in Amazonian Peru?

INSECTS AND OTHER INVERTEBRATES
1. Using dung-beetles as indicators of mammal diversity and biomass in
Amazonian Peru.
2. The ecology of phoretic mites on dung-beetles in Amazonian Peru.
3. What is the “perfect” bait mixture for attracting the most diverse
assemblage of butterflies to Van Someron-Rydon-type live traps in
Amazonian Peru?
4. How diverse is the insect community that lives in Guadua bamboo
thickets as compared with neighboring forest types in Amazonian Peru?
5. Using field microscopy techniques to identify the types of plants
pollinated by stingless bees in Amazonian Peru.
6. The ecology of microscopic animals found in temporary water bodies in
Amazonian Peru.

BOTANY
1. What is the relationship between the abundance of key-stone fruiting
tree species and the abundance of fruit-eating mammals and birds in
Amazonian Peru?
2. How fast do Guadua bamboo shoots grow vertically, and Guadua-thickets
grow horizontally, in Amazonian Peru?
3. What tree seedlings regenerate naturally in the gaps made during the
process of selective harvest of tropical timber trees in Amazonian Peru,
and is there a relationship to the extracted species?
4. What is the size distribution of Dipteryx trees in different forest
types in Amazonian Peru?
5. What are the fauna species that rely on Dipteryx trees of different
size categories (including their seeds), and how does their ecology
change when large Dipteryx trees are selectively extracted?

For more details, and to apply for an research intern position, please
see our website (http://www.faunaforever.org) and feel free to contact
us at any time at info@faunaforever.org