David Luther
Term Assistant Professor
Coordinator for Biology 103 and 104
Biology Department
George Mason University
4400 University Dr., MS 3E1
Fairfax VA 22030
Phone: 703-993-5267
Fax: 703-993-1046
email: dluther@gmu.edu
Courses
at GMU
Fall
2011
Animal
Behavior 472
Spring
2012
Ornithology
Teaching
Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is
student-centered and incorporates active learning and in-class assessments.
These practices allow for a diversity of students to learn the course material
in a manner appropriate to their individual learning styles. I have found that
incorporating student participation in the learning process allows students to
arrive at and explore questions themselves, which helps them to better
understand fundamental concepts and the scientific process.
Research
My research
addresses questions at the intersection of behavioral and community using birds
as a model group. I am also interested in the ecological and evolutionary
processes that lead to species assembly and endemism, with salt marshes and
mangroves as my study systems. Finally, I am just starting to embark on a new
line of research that focuses on conservation management strategies for
globally endangered species.
My research
program focuses on:
(1) The
interaction between community ecology, the local sound environment, and
animal
communication strategies
(2) A greater understanding
of the factors that result in ecological speciation and generate
endemic
species in coastal wetland ecosystems
(3) Conservation
of mangrove-restricted species and their habitats
Popular
Press articles about research projects
Scientific American
How
city noise is reshaping birdsong – October 2009
Science Daily
Mangrove-dependent
animals globally threatened –July 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701082905.htm
ItŐs no sweat for salt marsh sparrows to
beat the heat if they have a larger bill – August 2011
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110720163518.htm
Current Collaborators
Russ Greenberg – Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
Elizabeth Derrberry – Tulane University
Candy Feller – Smithsonian Ecological Research Center
Diane Ebert-May – Michigan State University
Mitch Aide – University of Puerto Rico
Publications
Peer-Reviewed
Luther, D. A.
and E.P. Derryberry. 2011. Rapid cultural evolution in an urban songbird
affects communication. In Press. Animal Behaviour.
Downing J., D. Luther, P. Marra. 2011. Comparative
effects of urban development and anthropogenic noise on bird songs. In Press. Behavioral Ecology.
Greenberg,
R., R. Danner, B. Olsen, and D. Luther.
2011. High summer temperature explains bill size variation in salt marsh
sparrows. Ecography. 000:001-007. PDF
Luther, D.A.
and R. Greenberg. 2011. The island syndrome in coastal wetland ecosystems:
convergent evolution of large bills in mangrove passerines. Auk. 128 (2):201-204. PDF
Luther, D.A.,
M.A. Acevedo, M.I. Herrera Montes, A.R. Estrada, T.M. Aide. 2010. Is congener
abundance related to vocal adjustments that minimize acoustic interference? In
Press. Caribbean Journal of Science.
Luther,
D.A. and L. Baptista. 2010. Does urban noise influence the cultural evolution
of bird songs? Proceedings of the Royal
Society B Biological Sciences. 277:469-473. pdf
Luther,
D.A. and R. Greenberg. 2009. A global perspective on the evolution and
conservation of terrestrial vertebrate species in mangroves. BioScience. 59:602-612. PDF
Luther, D.A. 2009. The acoustic community
and its influence on signal evolution: bird song in the Neotropics. Behavioral Ecology. 20:864-871. PDF
Luther,
D.A. and R.H. Wiley. 2009. The evolution of communication: a comparison of production
and perception in songs of Neotropical birds. Biology Letters. 5:183-187. PDF
Luther, D.A.
2008. Signaler-receiver coordination and the timing of communication in
Amazonian birds. Biology Letters. 4:
651-654. PDF
Luther, D.A. et al. 2008. Assessing the impact of local habitat variables and
landscape context on riparian birds in agricultural, urbanized, and native
landscapes. Biodiversity and Conservation.
17:1923-1935. PDF
Other Publications
Luther, D.A. 2009. Mangrove Hummingbird (Amazilia boucardi), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=25358
Luther, D.A. 2009. Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird (Lepidopyga lilliae), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=25190