Tulane University

Contact Info
tsherry@tulane.edu

Degrees

• B.A., Dartmouth College, Biology, 1973
• M.A., Dartmouth College, Biology, 1975
• Ph.D., University of California-Los Angeles, Ecology, 1981

Academic Experience

• Professor, Tulane University, 1999-
• Associate Professor, Tulane University, 1994-1999
• Assistant Professor, Tulane University, 1989-1994
• Visiting Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College, 1984-1988

Research & Teaching Specializations: Natural Sciences; Tropical Ornithology; Population Limitation and Regulation of Migratory Birds; Habitat Selection; Feeding Ecology and ecological specialization in birds; Conservation of Biological Diversity, especially tropical diversity

Related Experience

• Co-developed and organized Tulane’s inaugural CIAPA interdisciplinary (Spring) semester study-abroad program in San José, Costa Rica (2013-14); and taught Tropical Conservation and Global Change course as part of this program (2014)
• Participated in Tulane (Provost)-initiated Tulane faculty rapprochement with discipline-relevant faculty at University of Havana, Havana, Cuba, 2012
• Treasurer, International Ornithologists Union, 2011-
• Served on MS, and Ph.D. thesis external review committee for three students, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica, 2010-2011.
• Co-organized symposium “Habitat fragmentation in tropical forest birds” for 25th International Ornithological Congress, Campos do Jordão, Brazil (with Luis Dos Anjos, Brazil), 2010.
• National Science Foundation, Ecology Panel, Evolutionary and Population Ecology Panel, 2006, 2007; Population and Community Panel, 2011
• Chercheur Associé, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Montpellier, France, 2004-2005
• Chair, International Affairs Committee, American Ornithologists’ Union, 2004-2007

Distinctions

• NSF “Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Impacts on migratory shorebirds and carry-over effects to distant ecosystems.” For 2 years, with Caz Taylor. ($198,000), 2010-2012
• NSF “Dissertation research: Do mesoherbivores drive Neotropical rainforest understory insectivorous bird declines by limiting availability of preferred foraging microhabitat?” ($14,894 to Tulane to support Nicole Michel’s dissertation), 2010-2012
• Beetle new to science (from Cocos Island, Costa Rica) named after Sherry and wife: Hoplocopturus sherrywernerorum (Hespenheide, H. A., 2009, Coleopterists Bulletin 63: 333-339)
• Pilot Funding for New Research (PFund), NSF EPSCoR, Louisiana Board of Regents: “Effects of forest fragmentation on genetic population structure of tropical forest birds,” 2009-2010
• National Science Foundation Research Grants, “LTREB Collaborative Research: Density-dependent and Density-independent Effects on the Non-breeding Season Dynamics of a Migratory Bird,” 2007-2012, 2012-2017

Language & Proficiency: Spanish; French

Selected Publications

• 2014. Michel, N.L., T.W. Sherry, and W.P. Carson. “The omnivorous collared peccary negates an insectivo re-generated trophic cascade in Costa Rican wet tropical forest understorey.” Journal of Tropical Ecology 30: 1-11.
• 2014. Michel, N.L., D.R. Robinson, and T.W. Sherry. “Liana-bird relationships: a review.” In Ecology of Lianas, S.A. Schnitzner, F. Bongers, R. Burnham, and F.E. Putz, eds. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. Accepted for publication (5 June 2013).
• 2013. Douglas, L.R., G. Winkel, and T.W. Sherry. “Does the bananaquit benefit commensally from parrot frugivory? An assessment using habitat quality.” Biotropica 45: 457-464.
• 2012. Robinson, W. D., and T. W. Sherry. “Mechanisms of avian population decline and species loss in tropical forest fragments.” Journal of Ornithology 153 (Suppl 1): S141-S152. (DOI 10.1007/s10336-011-0806-y)
• 2012. Woltmann, S., B. R. Kreiser, and T. W. Sherry. “Fine-scale genetic population structure of an understory rainforest bird in Costa Rica.” Conservation Genetics 13: 925-935.
• 2012. Woltmann, S., T. W. Sherry, and B. R. Kreiser. “A genetic approach to estimating natal dispersal distances and self-recruitment in resident rainforest birds.” Journal of Avian Biology 43: 33-42.
• 2011. Woltmann, S., and T. W. Sherry. “High apparent survival and stable territory dynamics of Chestnut-backed Antbird (Myrmeciza exsul) in a large rain forest preserve.” Wilson Journal of Ornithology 123:15-23.
• 2011. Brown, D. R., T. W. Sherry, and J. Harris. “Hurricane Katrina impacts on the breeding bird community in bottomland hardwood forest of the Pearl River basin, Louisiana.” Forest Ecology and Management 261: 111-119.

Recently-Taught Latin American-Related Courses: General Ecology; Conservation Biology; Tropical Conservation and Global Change (CIAPA Study-Abroad Semester, San José, Costa Rica)

Number of Dissertations or Theses Supervised in the Past 5 Years: 7
For more information about Thomas Sherry click here.