معرفی
Eric LoPresti is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina, part of the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. He leads the LoPresti Plant/Insect Ecology Lab, where research spans the ecology and evolution of plant-animal interactions, including herbivory, pollination, seed predation, and protective mutualisms. Studies employ field, laboratory, and greenhouse methodologies across diverse systems.
Research focuses on three primary areas: (1) ecological roles of seed mucilage in defense against granivores, (2) pollination dynamics (e.g., pigment/morphology effects on sand verbenas), and (3) sand-entrapment defenses in sticky plants. Secondary interests include plant evolution, volatile chemistry, and insect community ecology.
Awards:
- NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (PRFB)
Dr. LoPresti advises graduate students and mentors undergraduates. He collaborates extensively with researchers from Michigan State, Oberlin College, Texas Tech, UC Davis, and others on sand verbena (Abronia/Tripterocalyx) conservation, evolution, and ecology projects.
