معرفی
Elizabeth Derryberry is a Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she also directs the ‘Easy as Play’ initiative. She holds a Ph.D. from Duke University (2007) and an A.B. from Princeton University (2000). Her research focuses on behavioral evolution and phylogenetics, particularly in avian communication systems. Her lab investigates how environmental factors like urbanization, climate change, and soundscapes influence signal evolution, territorial behavior, and physiological responses in birds such as white-crowned sparrows and Neotropical suboscines.
Her work integrates behavioral ecology, genomics, and field experiments to understand proximate and ultimate mechanisms driving phenotypic variation. Recent studies highlight adaptations to thermal stress, noise pollution effects on gut microbiota, and the role of vocal learning in acoustic adaptation. The Derryberry Lab collaborates on projects like AVONET—a comprehensive database for avian biodiversity—and develops tools like DialectDecoder for automated bird song analysis.
Key contributions include uncovering links between temperature and avian courtship displays, the impact of urban environments on song structure, and the genomic basis of phenotypic divergence. Her research bridges ecological and evolutionary scales, emphasizing the urgency of studying biodiversity in rapidly changing environments.
