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John W. Terborgh

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences
Environmental Sciences and Policy
Box 90381, Durham, NC 27708-0381
3705C Erwin Rd, Durham, NC 27705-5015

Overview


John W. Terborgh is a James B. Duke Professor of Environmental Science and is Co-Director of the Center for Tropical Conservation at Duke University. He is a member of the National Academy of Science, and for the past thirty-five years, he has been actively involved in tropical ecology and conservation issues. An authority on avian and mammalian ecology in neotropical forests, Dr. Terborgh has published numerous articles and books on conservation themes. Since 1973 he has operated a field station in Peru's Manu National Park where he has overseen the research of more than 100 investigators. Dr. Terborgh earlier served on the faculties of the University of Maryland and Princeton University. In June 1992 he was awarded a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship in recognition of his distinguished work in tropical ecology, and in April 1996 he was awarded the National Academy of Science Daniel Giraud Elliot medal for his research, and for his book Diversity and the Tropical Rainforest. He has served on several boards and advisory committees related to conservation, including the Wildlands Project, Cultural Survival, The Nature Conservancy, The World Wildlife Fund and both the Primate and Ecology Specialist Groups of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences · 2015 - Present Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment
Professor Emeritus in the Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy · 2015 - Present Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment

In the News


Published April 17, 2015
John Terborgh Asks: Which Processes Have Most Effect On Species Diversity: Top-Down Or Bottom-Up?

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Recent Publications


Release of tree species diversity follows loss of elephants .from evergreen tropical forests.

Journal Article Proceedings. Biological sciences · April 2025 We report on a decade of research on elephant impacts in equatorial evergreen forests in Gabon and Malaysia, comparing sites with (+) and without (-) elephants and documenting major differences in forest structure, tree species composition and tree species ... Full text Cite

Functional composition of the Amazonian tree flora and forests.

Journal Article Communications biology · March 2025 Plants cope with the environment by displaying large phenotypic variation. Two spectra of global plant form and function have been identified: a size spectrum from small to tall species with increasing stem tissue density, leaf size, and seed mass; a leaf ... Full text Cite

Phylogenetic conservatism in the relationship between functional and demographic characteristics in Amazon tree taxa

Journal Article Functional Ecology · January 1, 2025 Leaf and wood functional traits of trees are related to growth, reproduction, and survival, but the degree of phylogenetic conservatism in these relationships is largely unknown. In this study, we describe the variability of strategies involving leaf, wood ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring at Cocha Cashu Biological Station, Manu Peru

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Conservation International · 2013 - 2017

DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Novel Approaches to the Study of the Community Ecology of Tropical Trees

Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2006 - 2009

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Education, Training & Certifications


Harvard University · 1963 Ph.D.
Harvard University · 1960 M.A.
Harvard University · 1958 B.A.