Research | lutherlab

We explores behavioral, ecological, evolutionary, and conservation topics through field observations, experiments, and global analyses of threatened species.

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. A short video about the project

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

At the BDFFP we investigate the effects of site level, landscape, and global stressors on community composition, population demographics, and species loss. We are leveraging (and continuing) 40 years of mistnet data to understand how fragmentation and climate effect competition, 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

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

Siegel T, WJ Cooper, RE Forkner, WF Laurance, JL Camargo, D Luther. 2024. Forest fragmentation

effects on mutualistic interactions: Frugivorous birds and fruiting trees. Oikos. Accepted.

http://doi.org/10.1111/oik.10383

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

Wolfe JD, D Luther, V Jirinec, J Collings, EI Johnson, RO Bierregaard Jr, PC Stouffer. 2025. Climate

change aggravates bird mortality in pristine tropical forests. Science Advances. 11, eadq8086 January 29 2025. https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adq8086

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

Pollock H, C Rutt, W Cooper, J Brawn, Z Cheviron, D Luther. 2023. Equivocal support for the

climate variability hypothesis within a Neotropical bird assemblage. Ecology e4206.

https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4206

IRRIGA - We are also collaborating with the Federal University in Manaus Brazil (UFAM) and Michigan Tech University on an NSF funded project to investigate impacts of climate change on tropical biodiversity through a rainfall manipulation experiment in which we artificially water the rainforest in 1hectare sections during the dry season and assess the impacts of no water compared to additional dry season water on plants, birds, invertebrates, mammals, frogs, and more.

Animal Behavior and Conservation Biology

We use the fundamentals of animal behavior such as habitat selection, foraging, movement, and communication strategies to improve the conservation of threatened species through habitat protection, translocation and other conservation strategies.

Examples of our work include:

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

predator training. Behavioral Ecology. Aerae051

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

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

Roberts J, and D Luther . 2024. Captive birds exhibit greater foraging efficiency and vigilance after

anti-predator training. Behavioral Ecology. Aerae051 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae051

Conservation Actions

We investigate how to maximize the efficacy of conservation management strategies, from road crossings to species re-introductions and habitat restoration, for threatened species. The research uses global data sets in association with the IUCN, Birdlife International, the Alliance for Zero Extinction and other organizations to understand when and where conservation actions, such as habitat restoration, species reintroduction, educational awareness, etc. is most effective at protecting threatened species.

Examples of our work include:

Roberts J** and D Luther. 2023. An exploratory analysis of behavior-based and other management

techniques to improve avian conservation translocations. Biological Conservation. 279: 109941.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109941

Luther et al. 2021. Conservation actions benefit the most threatened species: A 13-year assessment

of Alliance for Zero Extinction species. Conservation Science in Practice. 3;e510.

http://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.510

Roberts JL**, WJ Cooper, D Luther. 2021. Global assessment of forest quality for threatened

terrestrial vertebrate species in need of conservation translocation programs. PloS One, 16(4):

e0249378. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249378

Luther D, C Beatty, WJ Cooper, N Cox, S Farinelli**, M Foster, J Lamoreux, PJ Stephenson, T

Brooks. 2020. Global assessment of critical forest and landscape restoration needs for

threatened terrestrial vertebrate species. Global Ecology and Conservation. 24, e01359.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01359

Hertel S**, and D Luther. 2023. The role of social and political factors in the success of rewilding

projects. Frontiers in Conservation Science. 4: 1020530. http://doi:10.3389/fcosc.2023.1205380

Ecology & evolution of terrestrial vertebrates restricted to tidal wetlands

Mangrove forests and salt marshes are distinct habitats with abundant food resources and depauparate terrestrial fauna. Our research began with a global approach to the ecology, evolution, and conservation of mangrove-dependent fauna. Current research focuses on morphological, behavioral, and physiological adaptations in these environments.

Examples of our work include:

Clark JD**, PB Benham, JE Maldonado, D Luther, HC Lim. 2022. Maintenance of local adaption

despite gene flow in a coastal songbird. Evolution. 76(7): 1481-1494.

http://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14538

Luther, D. and R. Greenberg. 2009. A global perspective on the evolution and conservation of

terrestrial vertebrate species in mangroves. BioScience. 59: 602 – 612.

https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2009.59.7.11

Luther D and R Danner. 2016. Birds with larger bills are more active in the heat: Support for the

bill as a thermoregulatory organ. Auk 133(4): 770-778. https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-16-6.1

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Recently funded projects

Virginia Department of Transportation PIs Tom Akre Grant Connette and David Luther - Identifying road segments that bisect predicted movement corridors for small priority species in Virginia

National Science Foundation PIs Jared Wolfe Michigan Tech and David Luther - Forest fragmentation and climate change result in understory warming that adversely affects tropical avian biodiversity at the BDFFP in Amazonian Brazil. $200,000. 2023 - present.

National Science Foundation PI Luther, Co-PIs, LynnChristensen Vasser, Nina Lany USFS - Forest biodiversity responses to changing climate across the Americas: Synthesis of long-term ecological data. $49.998. 2022 -present

GMU College of Science SEED grant PI Luther, Co-PIs Hunt, Glaberman, & Foster Investigation of legacy and current chemical pollution as drivers of avian species declines in the Amazon. $50,000. 2022 - 2024

4-VA at Mason Collaborative Research Grant PI Hanley Co-PIs Luther & John Swaddle William and Mary. Coordinated outreach across Virginia Universities and behavioral experiments to invent novel technology that reduces avian window collision mortality $19,700. 2022 - 2024

4VA: Species richness resilience to habitat fragmentation and restoration in tropical rainforest with a remote acoustic and camera network to sample biodiversity. David Luther $19,680. 2019 - 2022

NSF: Linking remote animal detection and movement data with macrosystem environmental datasets and networks. David Luther, Bill McShea, Gil Bohrer. $ 47,604. 2018 - 2019

NSF: Coupling remote acoustic recorders and camera traps with crowd sourcing for monitoring vertebrate biodiversity. A collaborative project between GMU and Smithsonian researchers. David Luther, Bill McShea, and Tavis Forrester. $227,849. 2014 - 2017

NSF: Urban-dependent selection on bird song. A collaborative project between GMU and Tulane researchers. David Luther and Elizabeth Derryberry. $841,085. 2014 - 2018

Popular Press articles about recent projects

(Click here to see more articles)

GMU coverage of rainforest biodiversity monitoring network

Science Daily covers article on predictions of precipitation regime changes in tropical forests and the effects on birds and protected areas. October 2024

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241022154128.htm

Science Daily covers new Ecology article that finds that tropical birds could tolerate heat better than expected. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240314122116.htm

David is interviewed on the weather channel to discuss bird song during the Covid-19 lock down.

May 11 2020 Weather Channel link of the interview posted online

https://www.facebook.com/AMHQonTWC/videos/279463906702272/

March 31 2020 NPR story With COVID-19, Fewer Cars, Quieter Soundscape For Birds And Humans

https://www.nepr.net/post/covid-19-fewer-cars-quieter-soundscape-birds-and-humans#stream/0

Sarah Farinelli's research is featured on the CNN documentary about African manatees! http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2020/03/02/african-manatee-senegal-gabon-conseravtion-inside-africa.cnn.html

National and international stories in response to Kate Gentry's Masters thesis publication on song and traffic noise:

https://tandf.altmetric.com/details/18922441/news

https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2017/04/19/urban-birds-sing-shorter-songs-when-traffic-is-loud/#1eae14b75636

Bay Nature Magazine Jan-Mar 2016 Issue

https://baynature.org/article/the-language-of-sparrows/

National Public Radio