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The position will be the TWRA malacologist and will serve as the Tennessee mussel program coordinator.  The position will be primarily focused on freshwater mussels and snails in Tennessee and will help coordinate production and mussel augmentations/reintroductions out of TWRA's mussel propagation facility (Cumberland River Aquatic Center).  The position will be under TWRA's Biodiversity Division. 

Summary

Summary: Under direction, is responsible for professional management work of average difficulty assisting in directing wildlife management activities and personnel in a large region of the state or wildlife/fisheries planning, research, and environmental staff work in the comprehensive planning and review of statewide wildlife and/or fisheries management programs; and performs related work as required.

Distinguishing Features: This is the regional program manager for wildlife or fisheries management or environmental services or the staff planning specialist level in the field of wildlife/fisheries management and conservation program planning. An employee in this class assists in planning, supervising, and coordinating the management of wildlife/fisheries/environmental services activities and the enforcement of agency rules, regulations, and policies in an assigned region or plans, develops, coordinates, and administers comprehensive wildlife/fisheries/environmental services programs involving long range planning, research studies, and environmental impact factors. This class differs from that of Wildlife Manager 3 in that an incumbent of the latter coordinates wildlife/fisheries management in a large geographic area or wildlife biological management on a statewide or regional basis. This class differs from that of Wildlife Manager 5 in that an incumbent of the latter supervises the Wildlife Manager 4.

 See https://stateoftn-careers.ttcportals.com/jobs/14231731-wildlife-manager-4-04162024-56979 for more information and to apply.

Per Francisco J. Borrero:

We have an opening for an exciting opportunity to work with the USDA, here at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

An ad for 4 permanent positions (one here at the Academy) was posted today, Nov. 9, and will remain open until November 16^th (very short window). This is the direct link to the actual position(s)-

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/759899800

1. As mentioned, 4 technicians are being sought, one of them to work in the USDA Malacology Lab here at the Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia). The other 3 positions are in Entomology, Botany, and I believe Plant Pathology, and are in the Washington D.C. area. Even though a Biological Sciences degree is required, people with degrees in compatible careers can be considered.

2. Open window for applications is very tight: started today (Nov. 9), closing Nov. 16^th. Date for starting job is negotiable.
3. Interested candidates must start an account with USAJOBS.gov as soon as possible and put their papers together to comply with the short window of opportunity.
4. If anybody would like to contact me, I can answer basic questions, and can make suggestions to tailor a competitive application. As needed, I can also refer to my supervisors.

The College of Science at The University of Texas at El Paso is seeking an innovative leader to serve as Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.  The Chair will join a cross-disciplinary, collaborative, growing department with research activities spanning diverse areas of biology with significant programmatic strengths in ecology and evolutionary biology, and biomedical sciences. The successful candidate is expected to be an effective leader and active researcher with a strong vision for developing and strengthening educational programs and research initiatives across the Department. Applicants must have a distinguished scientific record, demonstrated leadership skills, relevant administrative experience, and a commitment to the education and mentorship of students and faculty. The Department is especially interested in candidates with experience serving underserved groups and who will contribute to the diversity and excellence mission of the University.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in a discipline appropriate for the Department of Biological Sciences
• Current academic rank of tenured associate or full professor (or equivalent non-US rank)
• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Excellent management skills
• Distinguished record of research and teaching

For more information and to apply, please visit https://utep.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=156575

The KwaZulu-Natal Museum is one of the largest and leading heritage institutions in the country. It is dedicated to serving the people of South Africa by interpreting, collecting and exhibiting material evidence of the cultural and natural world, in order to increase knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the nation's rich heritage. In order to properly drive its strategic objectives, the KwaZulu-Natal Museum invites applicants for the following position:

CHIEF CURATOR / CURATOR - MOLLUSCA

Salary: Negotiable at level 12 (Chief Curator) or 10 (Curator) of Public Service Employees

Key Responsibilities:

• Generate new knowledge regarding the southern African marine molluscan fauna
• Publish original research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals 
• Strengthen local partnerships and international research links
• Publication of field guides and popular articles 
• Generate research funding
• Augment KwaZulu-Natal Museum Mollusc collection
• Acquire generalised and specialised expertise relating to departmental collections
• Improve effectiveness of collections management 
• Contribute to the Museum's exhibitions and public outreach programmes
• Contribute to broader institutional goals

Additional Responsibilities for Chief Curator:

• Provide junior research staff with advice and guidance i.r.o. collections management and research projects
• Facilitate and supervise further training and postgraduate studies of research staff
• Interact with national and international research community, advise government departments, serve on scientific review and  evaluation panels (e.g. NRF) and contribute to professional societies

Requirements for Chief Curator:

• PhD in relevant field, with considerable experience, evidence of an active independent research programme, with at least five years' research experience, publication record and curatorial experience 
• Experience and proven record in attracting independent research funding
• Broad discipline-based knowledge is essential, plus a high level of expertise in the relevant research field, both practical and intellectual 
• Good writing, presentation, communication and organising skills
• Valid driver's license (Code EB)

Requirements for Curator:

• Minimum M.Sc. or a B.Sc. (Hons) in the relevant field 
• Understanding of modern systematic theory and practice 
• Some knowledge relating to the Phylum Mollusc, including taxonomy, systematics, biogeography and biology
• Good writing, presentation and communication skills
• Some knowledge of curation, collection management and databasing would be advantageous 
• Valid driver's license (Code EB)

Applications should be directed for the attention of: The Chief Human Resources Officer, and posted to Private Bag 9070, Pietermaritzburg, 3200; or hand delivered to 237 Jabu Ndlovu Street, Pietermaritzburg, 3201. The closing date for the submission of all applications is Friday, 27 May 2022 at 12:00pm. No late applications will be accepted. Please send a signed covering letter stating the position you are applying for, a detailed CV with a list of references and copies of identity document, driver's license where applicable, matric certificate and all other qualifications if any. Copies of the supporting documents (i.e. identity document, driver's license, matric certificate and all other qualifications) need not be certified. Shortlisted candidates will however be required to provide certified copies of required documents on the date of the interviews. Further enquiries regarding these positions may be directed to the Human Resources Officer, Mrs. Lindiwe Molefe, at 033 345 1404.

Érik L’Heureux

Department of Biological Sciences

Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada

Constance Boone Award at the American Malacological Society

I had the opportunity to participate and present my research at the 83rd meeting of the American Malacological Society. During this conference, I learned a lot about several new topics and met a lot of passionate people. This congress was rich in exchanges of knowledge. I greatly appreciated my experience and hope to have the chance to come back year after year.

I study a group of terrestrial slug species called the Arion subfuscus/fuscus complex. These European slugs are now very common in northeastern North America. During my master's degree, I collected specimens throughout southern Québec (Canada). Of course, I was fortunate to have help from many people who also collected specimens for my project. I have identified molecularly more than 750 individuals [1]. Comparing the present distribution of this complex in Québec with the distribution as determined in the 1960s by Chichester and Getz [2], I found that it has had an incredible expansion of distribution over the last 50 years. Thanks to the molecular identification of the haplotypes, it was possible to determine that the slugs of the complex dispersed mainly passively on a large scale. Although A. fuscus and A. subfuscus were detected, A. fuscusis by far the most common species in Québec, which is surprising, as previous studies did not report this species in the northeast of the United States [3]. My hypothesis is that the border could restrict the passive dispersion of slugs via human activities, which I would like to investigate in the coming years by sampling in the northern United States.

For my Ph.D. project, preliminary results indicate that A. fuscus is extremely generalist in its choice of habitats. The next step of the project will be to assess the determinants of the invasion success of A. fuscus in North America. I will try to elucidate the strategies used by this species to occupy several types of habitats. To achieve this objective, I plan to use genetic and transcriptomic techniques to estimate genetic diversity and to assess the environment-dependent gene expression. Finally, I will measure environment-dependent morphological variations. Thanks to these multiple approaches, I will try to determine the role of plasticity or tolerance in this invasive exotic species and, of course, I would like to present my results next year at the meeting! This project will allow to understand how exotic species with very limited genetic diversity can manage to invade many habitats.

References

[1]     L’Heureux, É., and Angers, B. in press. A discreet invasion: distribution, origins, and expansion of the European slug complex Arion subfuscus s. l. in Québec. Canadian Journal of Zoology.

[2]     Chichester, L.F., and Getz, L.L. 1969. The zoogeography and ecology of arionid and limacid slugs introduced into northeastern North America. Malacologia. 7: 313-346.

[3]     Pinceel, J., Jordaens, K., Van Houtte, N., Bernon, G., and Backeljau, T. 2005. Population genetics and identity of an introduced terrestrial slug: Arion subfuscus s.l. in the north-east USA (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Arionidae). Genetica. 125: 155-171.

Tricia C. Goulding 

Onchidiidae slug

2nd place winner of the best student presentation award at the 

American Malacological Society

This past week I joined other mollusk researchers to exchange ideas, discuss challenges in the field, and learn from each other’s research at the annual meeting of the American Malacological Society. I was able to attend to present my dissertation research on mangrove gastropods in the Indo-West Pacific. I enjoyed meeting many eminent malacologists, as well as the other students, during our week of activities.

The snails and slugs I study live in tropical mangrove forests, a threatened estuarine habitat. Mangrove forests are cut down across the Indo-West Pacific to produce shrimp ponds, or for firewood and building materials. The loss of mangroves leaves coastlines vulnerable to storms, and results in declining habitats for fish and shellfish which support wild fisheries. Gastropods are an important component of mangrove ecosystems, but the species diversity across the Indo-West Pacific is still poorly known. In order to better understand the species diversity in mangroves, I have explored hundreds of mangroves with collaborators from 10 countries and collected samples of snails and slugs. I extracted DNA from these samples and sequenced a fragment of DNA known as a “DNA barcode,” which is useful in many groups of animals to differentiate species. I used this data to get a better understanding of species richness across the Indo-Pacific. Specifically, I have estimated that the area with the highest number of mangrove gastropod species is found in a region commonly called the Coral Triangle (a region encompassing Indonesia and the Philippines). Interestingly, this data also shows that the South China Sea (between Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo and Vietnam) is also a significant hotspot for diversity in mangrove gastropods, and that many of the species in this region are unique from the fauna of the Coral Triangle.

Afte estimating species richness, the next step to understanding mangrove ecosystems is to identify the species and to describe the new species. I have been working on re-describing the onchidiid slugs and classifying the species into genera using modern microscopy and DNA sequences. Most of the diversity within the family Onchidiidae is in the tropical Indo-West Pacific (from eastern Africa to the Pacific Islands). However, original species descriptions, mostly from the 1800s to 1930s, often did not include information on the habitat of these slugs or their appearance when alive, which are important characteristics used for identification. In addition, museum collections contain very few of these slugs because mangroves have rarely been explored (possibly because of the other fauna in mangroves: mosquitos, snakes and crocodiles!).