Eric LoPresti 2064 Imperial Ave
Davis, CA, 95616
(508) 463-5131
Bachelor of Science, honors: Brown University, 2006-2010
PhD program in Ecology, UC Davis 2012-
Research experience
Lab technician, 2007-2010
Brown University, Dr. Beth Brainerd
Fish morphology and biomechanics
Field researcher, 2008-2012
Brown University, Dr. Douglass Morse
Insect and spider ecology and behavior
Field assistant, 2011
Maria Mitchell Association, Andrew McKenna-Foster, MS
Endangered insect conservation, museum collection research and curatorial duties
Field assistant, 2010-2012
Cornell University, Dr. David Winkler
Swallow life-history and breeding biology: Peru, Argentina, Chile and the Bahamas
Teaching experience
Teaching assistantships:
Vertebrate evolution, 2008, Dr. Christine Janis, Brown University
Animal behavior, 2009, Dr. Jonathan Waage, Brown University
Introduction to Ecology and Evolution, 2013, Dr. David Spiller, UC-Davis
Introduction to Ecology and Evolution, 2014, Dr. Jason Baumsteiger, UC-Davis
Other:
Grant-writing workshop co-leader, 2013, 2015,UC Davis
Invited lectures:
2013: “Insect Reintroduction Projects” UC Davis, EVE 198 (Undergraduate conservation seminar).
2015: “Siren song of a columbine” Davis Botanical Society
Students mentored:
2014: Jacob Ewald, capstone project in animal sciences. “Do cowbirds match host egg shape?”
Professional Training
“Cursoecologia de bosques” Drs. Juan Armesto, Juan Celis-Diez & David Wardle. 2011, Chiloe Island, Chile.
“Phylogenetically corrected statistics” Dr. Luke Mahler. 2013, UC Davis
Presentations
LoPresti, E.F.;Gidmark, N. & Brainerd, E. Morphological adaptations for high dexterity and extreme bite force in the pharyngeal jaw of Black Carp. 2011. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference, poster presentation.
Caraces-Apaza, D; LoPresti, E; Stager, M; Angulo, F; Cooper, K; Ardia, D & Winkler, D. Breeding biology of the Tumbes Swallow, Tachycinetastolzmanni, the smallest and least fecund in its genus. 2011. Neotropical Ornithology Congress, oral presentation.
LoPresti, E.F. External chemical defenses in plants: tests of abiotic and insect herbivore community consequences. 2014. Ecological Society of America annual meeting, oral presentation.
Krimmel, B.A.; Pearse, I.S.; Zaragoza, G.; Hughes, K. & LoPresti, E.F. Divergent antiherbivore syndromes in tarweed: Play it safe and hide or roll the dice and call for help. 2014. Ecological Society of America annual meeting, oral presentation.
Honors
2010, James F. Kidwell prize in genetics and population biology, Brown University biology department
2010, election to Sigma Xi
2013, NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Grants
2009:$3000 “To build or not to build: shelter construction and parasitism in fern moths” Brown University undergraduate teaching and research awards
2011: $500 Blyth, J & LoPresti, EF. “Resurveying Nantucket’s Odonate Fauna” Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative annual research grant.
2013: $2330 Jastro Research Award, UC Davis
2013: $1500 Center for Population Biology, Hartman Native Plant Award, UC Davis
Refereed Publications
In review
LoPresti, EF; Karban, R; Robinson, ML.;Grof-Tisza, P. and WC Wetzel. The natural history supplement; furthering natural history study amongst ecologists and evolutionary biologists.
Krimmel, BA and EF LoPresti. Plants reduce costs of herbivory by provisioning “herbivores” with carrion.
Grof-Tisza, P.; LoPresti, EF and SK Heath. Plant structural complexity and mechanical defense mediate predator-prey interactions.
LoPresti, EF. Carrion-provisioning in tarweed: limits of a protective, largely constitutive, mutualism and contrasts with ant-plant systems.
In revision:
LoPresti, EF & Morse, DH. Nowhere to run: a parasitoid’s mating success decreases with increasing space.
2016:
LoPresti, EF and Karban, R. Chewing sandpaper: grit, plant apparency and plant defense in sand-entrapping plants.Ecology. doi: 101890/15-1696
2015:
LoPresti, EF; Pearse, IS & Charles, GK. (2015) The siren song of a sticky plant: columbines provision mutualistic arthropods by attracting and killing passerby insects. Ecology. doi: 10.1890/15-0342.1
LoPresti, EF. (2015) Chemicals on plant surfaces are a heretofore unrecognized, but ecologically-informative, class for investigations into plant defense.Biological Reviews. doi:10.1111/brv.12212
Gidmark, NJ; Taylor, C; LoPresti, EF & Brainerd, E. (2015) Functional morphology of durophagy in Black Carp, Mylopharygodonpiceus. Journal of Morphology. doi: 10.1002/jmor.20430
LoPresti, EF; Warren, AW; Stichter, SB & Eastwood, R. (2015) A review of the historical occurrence of Hesperia attalus in New England. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. 48: 9-12
2014:
LoPresti, EF. (2014) Chenopod salt bladders deter insect herbivores. Oecologia. 174: 921-930 doi: 10.1007/s00442-013-2827-0
LoPresti, EF & Angulo F. (2014) New bird distribution records for Lambayeque, Peru: Nomonyxdominicus (Linneaus 1766) (Aves: Anatidae) and Incaspizapulchra (Sclater, 1886) (Aves: Emberizidae). Checklist 10: 618-620 doi:10.15560/10.3.618
2013:
Gidmark, NJ; Konow, N; LoPresti, EF & Brainerd, EL. (2013) Bite force is limited by the length-tension relationship of muscles in the durophagous black carp,Mylopharyngodonpiceus. Biology Letters. 9(2).doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.1181
Celis-Diez, JL; Ippi, S; LoPresti, EF, Salinas D; Diaz, IA & Willson, M.F. 2012. Presencia y nidificacion de la tenca (Mimusthenca) en el norte de la isla de Chiloe.La Chiricoca. 14:15-17
LoPresti, EF & Morse, DH. (2013)Costly leafshelters protect moth pupae fromparasitoids. Arthropod-plant Interactions. 7:445–453doi: 10.1007/s11829-013-9261-4
2012:
Stager, M; Lopresti, EF; Angulo F; Ardia DR; Caraces-Apaza D; Cooper CB; Molina J; Taylor N & Winkler DW. (2012) Reproductive biology of a narrowly endemic Tachycinetaswallow in dry, seasonal forest in coastal Peru. Ornitologia Neotropical: 23:1 95-112
Reviewer:
Journal of Insect Behavior (1); Hydrobiologia (1).
Press:
Siren song of a sticky plant (2015): covered by Discover, Smithsonian,Science¸ IFL Science.
Natural Musings (naturalmusings.blogspot.com): my ecology/natural history blog. 25,000 page views as of Oct. 2015.
Other contributions
Non-refereed articles:
LoPresti, EF. Nantucket Butterflies: past and present. Massachusetts Butterflies. 37: Fall 2011
LoPresti, EF; Mckenna-Foster, AM; Perrotti, L & Blyth, J. American burying beetle (Nicrophorusamericanus) survey on Nantucket, 2011. Submitted to US Fish & Wildlife Service as a report of the reintroduction project of the federally-listed beetle on November 1, 2011.
Photo contributions:
Odonates of Brazil (Guillermo, R),Butterflies of America (butterfliesofamerica.com),Saturniidae of the World (La Chiricoca, Cotinga, Massachusetts Butterflies, Bird Observer