Tropical Ecology, Climate, and Forest Fragmentation

The impacts of habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate change on biodiversity are everywhere, our lab primarily focuses on these impacts in the Amazon Rainforest at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragmentation Project near Manaus Brazil. Here we investigate the relationship between forest structural complexity and species richness, the mechanisms behind the disproportionate loss of certain feeding guilds and taxonomic groups, changes in community composition and structure of understory birds over the past 40 years, mutualistic ecological interactions, reproductive success, survival, and more.

Examples of our work include:

Luther D, WJ Cooper, J Wolfe, R Bierregaard Jr, A Gonzalez, T Lovejoy. 2020. Tropical forest

       fragmentation and isolation; Is community decay a random process. Global Ecology and  

       Conservation. 23, e01168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01168

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Luther D et al. 2022. Long-term changes in avian biomass and functional diversity within disturbed

      and undisturbed Amazonian rainforest. Royal Society Proceedings B. 289: 20221123.     

      https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1123

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Kazo L,** T Lovejoy, and D Luther. 2022. Effects of forest fragmentation on body condition of

       understory birds at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in Amazonia.   

       Biotropica. 54 (4): 852-859. http://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13108

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Coddington C**, J Cooper, and D Luther. 2023. Avian breeding activity declines after forest

       fragment isolation. Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14063

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Rutt C, P Stouffer, B Amaral, D Luther. 2023. Long-term capture data reveal Amazonian birds shift 

       daily activity patterns. Oikos. 2023 e09670. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.09670

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A short video about the project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-kPP99BQkU

Bibliography of research at the BDFFP

https://apis.gmu.edu/kerkoapp/bibliography/?sort=date_desc

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Animal Behavior and Conservation Biology 

Our research focuses on the ecology and evolution of animal behavior and how a greater understanding of how animals behavior can improve their conservation. This work centers on the how animals respond to differences in their environment, such as problem of communicating in the presence of background noise. Components of this research range from acoustic partitioning of sound space in species-rich environments, such as the Amazon basin, to the production and perception of signals in the presence of human-generated sounds, such as rush hour traffic. Study sites include Virginia, California, Puerto Rico, and Brazil.

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We also use the fundamentals of animal behavior, such as foraging and communication strategies to improve translocation success for threatened species when they are reintroduced into the wild.

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Examples of our work include:

Roberts J**, and . 2024. Captive birds exhibit greater foraging efficiency and vigilance after anti-

       predator training. Behavioral Ecology. Aerae051

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Derryberry EP, J Phillips, G Derryberry, MJ Blum, D Luther. 2020. Singing in a silent spring: birds

       respond to a half-century soundscape reversion during the COVID-19 shutdown. Science. 370

       (6516): 575-579. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd5777

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Gentry K**, Mckenna M, Luther D. 2017. Evidence of suboscine song plasticity in response to

       traffic noise fluctuations and temporary road closures. Bioacoustics 27(2): 165 – 181.   

       https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2017.1303645

Luther, D. 2009. The influence of the acoustic community on songs of birds in a

     Neotropical rainforest. Behavioral Ecology. 20: 864 – 871. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arp074

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