Shining light on toad movements: testing the spatial response of toads to artificial light at night

We are looking for two motivated students interested in working with migrating toads in the field. 

In February and March, thousands of common toads (Bufo bufo) migrate from their wintering grounds to their breeding ponds. During this period, many toads are killed when crossing roads. However, streetlights can affect their spatial response: attraction to illuminated areas could be extra dangerous, as this may cause them to stay unnecessarily long on the road and increase the risk of being run over. We aim to test their response to light by performing behavioural experiments. This will happen in February and March at night when it is relatively warm and rainy, on a site close to Wijchen. 

The internship will at the department of Animal Ecology at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) in Wageningen.

Tasks

• Formulate research questions;
• Help design the behavioural experiments;
• On busy nights with many migrating toads, we will go into the field;
• Collect data and annotate interval images;
• Analyse the data: work on statistical models and the ecological interpretation.

Who we're looking for

• You are an independent, assertive, and motivated university (MSc) or hbo (BSc) student;
• You live in the area of Wageningen during the internship;
• You like to work together with another student (and supervisor) on this topic (you can as well apply simultaneously with a fellow student);
• A driver’s license is essential unless you can team up with a student possessing one;
• You enjoy field work with amazing numbers of toads, on dark, rainy nights in February and March, and flexible for last-minute fieldwork (as toads do not have outlook agendas).

Practical information

• Duration: Start date early January, end date May or later
• Contact: Maaike van der Zanden, PhD-candidate, NIOO-KNAW, BioClock Consortium, RUG