Faculty & Staff Directory
David Luther
- Associate Professor
Contact Info
- Name
- Dr. David Luther
- Job Title
- Associate Professor
- Website
- Phone Number
- Office Number
- Exploratory Hall, Room 1216
Affiliations
Departments
- Biology Department (Research Faculty)
Research Areas
- Biodiversity
- Biology
- Conservation
Education
PhD, Ecology, UNC Chapel Hill (2008)
About
My teaching, research, and mentorship span a wide range of topics, each of which includes some component of ecology, evolution, or conservation biology. Current research projects assess the efficacy of implemented conservation actions, the effects of fragmentation on tropical avian communities, the ecology and evolution of birds in cities, and the role of environmental temperatures on avian bill evolution.
Teaching Focus
Animal Behavior, Ornithology, Community Ecology
Selected Publications
- Moseley D, G Derryberry, R Danner, D Luther, E Derryberry. 2019. Cultural selection as a mechanism of acoustic adaptation to city noise for songbirds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. In press.
- Luther D and R Danner. 2016. Birds with larger bills are more active in the heat: Support for the bill as a thermoregulatory organ. The Auk 133(4): 770-778.
- Luther, DA, T Brooks, S Butchart, M Hayward, J Lamoreux, M Kester, A Upgren. 2016. Determinants of bird conservation action implementation and associated population trends of threatened species. Conservation Biology. 30(6): 1338-1346.
- Luther D.A, J. Phillips, E.P. Derryberry. 2015. Not so sexy in the city: urban birds adjust songs to noise but compromise vocal performance. Behavioral Ecology. 27(1):332-340.
Awards
- Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award (2023)
- Chairs Award of Excellence from the Biology Department at Mason (2018)
- Mentoring Excellence Award from the OSCAR Students as Scholars program at Mason (2015)
Contact Info
- Name
- Dr. David Luther
- Job Title
- Associate Professor
- Website
- Phone Number
- Office Number
- Exploratory Hall, Room 1216