The Sperry Lab

I joined the Sperry Lab in the summer of 2014 to work on the Seed Dispersal Services of Exotic Birds in Hawaii project. As a PhD student on the project I am working on an independent project that investigates the divergence of the introduced birds that act as seed dispersers from their native ranges and how this may influence their the ecology. The main goal of this research is to relate the divergence seen in these species to their effectiveness as dispersers and ultimately the long term stability and functioning of this novel system.

Broadly I am interested in the factors that influence the evolution of species and behavior. Specifically, the role of ecological interaction in evolution and how that in turn influences ecological process.

 

 

 

Publications:

 

Gleditsch, JM and Sperry, JH (2019) Rapid morphological change of non-native frugivores on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu. Evolution, 73: 1456-1465. doi:10.1111/evo.13744

Vizentin-Bugoni, J., C.E. Tarwater, J.T. Foster, D.R. Drake, J.M. Gleditsch, A.M. Hruska, J.P. Kelley, and J.H. Sperry (2019) Structure, spatial dynamics, and stability of novel seed dispersal mutualistic networks in Hawaiʻi. Science 364(6435): 78-82.

Gleditsch, JM, Hruska, AM, and Foster, JT (2017) Connecting resource tracking by frugivores to temporal variation in seed dispersal networks. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 5:98. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00098 PDF

Gleditsch, JM, (2017) The role of invasive plant species in urban avian conservation. In: Ecology and Conservation of Birds in Urban Environments. (Eds) Murgui, E. and M. Hedblom. Springer Publishing.

Gleditsch JM, Carlo TA (2014) Living with aliens: Effects of invasive shrub honeysuckles on avian nesting ecology. PlosOne 9(9): e107120. PDF

Carlo TA, García D, Martínez D, Gleditsch, JM, Morales JM (2013) Where do seeds go when they go far? Integrating distance and directionality of avian seed dispersal in heterogeneous landscapes. Ecology 94: 301-307. PDF

Carlo TA, Perez-Rivera RA, and Gelditsch JM (2012) Folivory rates in a tropical tanager: spectrum of plant use and relationships to phenology of fruiting plants. Journal of Field Ornithology 83(1):11-16. PDF

Gleditsch JM and Carlo TA (2011) Fruit quantity of invasive shrubs predicts the abundance of common native avian frugivores in central Pennsylvania. Diversity and Distributions 17:244-253. PDF