Therese Lamperty
Postdoctoral Scholar
University of Washington
jtl28@uw.edu
Education
Rice University, doctoral student, (August 2014 – May 2020): Houston, TX
Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
PhD Adviser: Dr. Amy Dunham
Emory University, undergraduate student (August 2009-December 2011): Atlanta, GA
B.A., Environmental Studies and Visual Arts
Advisers: Drs. Tom Gillespie, Berry Brosi, and Larry Wilson
Research Interests
I am broadly interested in how the structure and composition of ecological communities affects ecological functioning, and how this is influenced by human activities and environmental change. Much of my background has addressed this type of research in tropical forest systems where I have focused on understanding how defaunation (the loss of large-bodied vertebrates, such as primates and forest elephants) can alter species interactions and, subsequently, the ecological and evolutionary processes that they drive (such as animal-mediated seed-dispersal and seed-mediated gene flow). Regardless of the ecological system, I am interested in understanding how species assemblages work together to create functioning ecosystems and the cascading effects that can occur when species are lost or their abundances and behaviors altered. I have asked questions related to this in a variety of contexts, such as examining how overhunting and losing large vertebrates in central Africa affects rainforest understory vegetation, invertebrate communities, and the ecological processes that invertebrates drive (e.g., decomposition). I have also examined how overhunting in the Peruvian Amazon and habitat disturbance in Ecuador’s Choco forest change seed dispersal by primates and birds, and how this may affect seed-mediated gene flow. Some of my current work includes looking at how current vertebrate declines in the Brazilian Atlantic forest may change plant-frugivore networks, and how climate change affects plant-pollinator networks in high-elevation ecosystems.
Publications
Lamperty, T., Zhu, K., Poulsen, J. R., & Dunham, A. E. (2019). Defaunation of large mammals alters understory vegetation and functional importance of invertebrates in an Afrotropical forest. Biological Conservation, 108329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108329. (Featured in Scientific American, Cosmos Magazine, Environmental News Network, Rice University News, and Futurity)
Lamperty, T., Karubian, J., and Dunham, A. E. (2021). Lasting effects of selective logging on frugivore foraging preferences and fruit removal rates within a continuous tropical forest. Biotropica. Accepted, in revision.
Manuscripts in prep for 2021 publication:
Lamperty, T., Swamy, V., Diaz-Martin, Z., Choo, J., Karubian, J., & Dunham, A. E. (2021). Genetic consequences of defaunation on a generalist Neotropical palm. In prep. Manuscript available upon request.
Lamperty, T., Max Khoo, Nick Baker, Marcus Chua, Chung Yi Fei, Chua Yen Kheng, Joshua Koh, Ben Lee, Shawn Kaihekulani Yamauchi Lum, Calebe P. Mendes, Bryan Lim Tze Ming, Jonathan Ngiam, Anthony ODempsey, Adia Sovie, Lorraine Tan, Robert Teo, Noel Thomas, Li Tianjiao, David Wardle, Chiok Wen Xuan, and Matthew Scott Luskin. (2021) Rewilding Singapore. In Prep. Manuscript available upon request.
Lamperty, T. & Brosi, B (2021). Consequences of losing endangered vertebrates from a hyperdiverse plant-frugivore network in the Brazilian Atlantic. In prep.
Awards (selected)
2019: Emory Institute for Quantitative Theory and Methods pre-doc award ($18,800)
2018: Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid-of-Research Grant ($900)
2018: Society for the Study of Evolution Graduate Research Excellence Grant ($3,500)
2017: American Society of Naturalists Student Research Grant ($2,000)
2017: Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid-of-Research Grant ($900)
2017: American Philosophical Society Lewis and Clark Grant ($5,000)
2017: Explorer’s Club Research Grant ($1,500)
2017: Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation Student Grant ($300)
2016: James Wagoner Grant for Foreign Study ($6,470)
2015: James Wagoner Grant for Foreign Study ($8,500)
2015: Sam and Helen Worden Fellowship ($20,000)
2015: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention
2014: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention
Teaching Experience
Tropical Field Biology and Conservation (Ecuador) – EBIO 3780 – Tulane University
2019, Instructor/Teaching Assistant
Tropical Field Biology (Belize) – EBIO 319 – Rice University
2017, Instructor/Teaching Assistant
Introductory Biology – EBIO 202 – Rice University
2017, Teaching Assistant
Ecology of Infectious Diseases – EBIO 331- Rice University
2015, Teaching Assistant
Conservation Biology – EBIO 323 – Rice University
2014, Teaching Assistant
Outreach and Volunteering
2019: Workshop Leader, Adventures in Science at Fernbank Museum, Atlanta, GA
2019: BATS Workshop Leader (Boys At Tulane in STEM, engaging youth in science), New Orleans, LA
2018: BATS Workshop Leader (Boys At Tulane in STEM, engaging youth in science), New Orleans, LA
2016-2017: Teacher & Course Developer, Rice University Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Outreach Program, Houston, TX
2016: Teacher & Course Developer, “Science of Running” (Citizen School’s Afterschool Programs), Houston, TX
2014: Teacher & Workshop Developer, Sally Ride Festival engaging girls in STEM
Selected Talks
2019: Lamperty, T., Swamy, V., Diaz-Martin, Z., Choo, J., Karubian, J., & Dunham, A. E. Genetic consequences of defaunation on a generalist Neotropical palm. Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation Conference, Antananarivo, Madagascar
2018: Lamperty, T., Zhu, K., Poulsen, J. R., & Dunham, A. E. Defaunation of Large Mammals Alters Understory Vegetation and Functional Importance of Invertebrates in an Afrotropical Forest. Ecological Society of America, New Orleans, LA
2018: Lamperty, T., Karubian, J., and Dunham, A. E. Lasting effects of selective logging on frugivore foraging preferences and fruit removal rates within a continuous tropical forest. Rice University Graduate Student Symposium, Houston, TX
2017: Lamperty, T., Zhu, K., Poulsen, R., Dunham, A. E. Defaunation of Large Mammals Alters Understory Vegetation and Functional Importance of Invertebrates in an Afrotropical Forest. Ecological Integration Symposium, Texas A&M, College Station, TX
