Peter Williams

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Publications and presentations

In review and in revision

  1. Williams, PJ, JF Brodie, C Hsieh, & EF Zipkin. Functional consequences of biogeographic isolation vary by mammal clade. In review.
  2. Gilbert, NA,PJ Williams, DJ Carlson, RM Dunlap, M Worland, CS Jennelle, & EF Zipkin. Limited capacity of habitat features to buffer grassland bird declines. In review after revision.
  3. Ayebare, S, PJ Williams, S Ceyzyk, & EF Zipkin. Global impacts of anthropogenic threats on bird and mammal functional groups. In review after revision.

Peer-reviewed publications

  1. Gilbert, NA, N Queally, JC Cooper, HN Eyster, & PJ Williams (in press) Heterogeneity, productivity, and migration drive continental evenness patterns of bird assemblages. Global Ecology and Biogeography.
  2. Shabrani, A, A Granados, PJ Williams, MAF Suis, CT Tappa, AYC Chung, & JF Brodie (in press) Frugivores flock, but do carnivores follow? Multitrophic responses to masting in a tropical rainforest. Oecologia.
  3. Williams, PJ, EF Zipkin, A González-Melo, B Salgado-Negret, R González-M, N Norden, JP Benavides-Tocarruncho, JM Cely, JA Ferrer, D García-Villalobos, F Garzón, Á Idárraga-Piedrahita, R López-Camacho, E Moreno, J Nieto, C Pizano, J Puentes, EN Pulido-R, K Rivera, F Rojas-Bautista, V Salinas, JF Solorzano, & MN Umaña (2026) Ontogenetic shifts in wood anatomy and leaf traits in tropical dry forests. New Phytologist 249:848–859. DOI: 10.1111/nph.70725 [PDF]
  4. Williams, PJ & SR Curley (2025) Functional and phylogenetic convergence of winter and breeding bird communities in the Northeastern United States. Ecography 2025:e07717. DOI: 10.1002/ecog.07717 [PDF]
  5. Zipkin, EF, PJ Williams (2025) Revealing species responses to environmental change through long-term data and mechanistic frameworks. Journal of Animal Ecology 94:2155–2158. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.70143 [PDF]
  6. Youngflesh, C, K Kaspar, A Uscanga, PJ Williams, J Doser, L Kounta, & PL Zarnetske (2025) Environmental variability shapes life history of the world’s birds. Ecology Letters 28:e70077. DOI: 10.1111/ele.70077 [PDF]
  7. Burns, P, Z Kaszta, SA Cushman, JF Brodie, CR Hakkenberg, P Jantz, M Deith, MS Luskin, JGC Ball, J Mohd-Azlan, DFRP Burslem, SM Cheyne, I Haidir, AJ Hearn, E Slade, PJ Williams, DW Macdonald, & SJ Goetz (2025) The utility of dynamic forest structure from GEDI lidar fusion in tropical mammal species distribution models. Frontiers in Remote Sensing 6:1563430. DOI: 10.3389/frsen.2025.1563430 [PDF]
  8. Williams, PJ, EF Zipkin, & JF Brodie (2024) Deep biogeographic barriers explain divergent global vertebrate communities. Nature Communications 15:2457. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46757-z [PDF]
  9. Gilbert, NA, BR Amaral, OM Smith, PJ Williams, S Ceyzyk, S Ayebare, KL Davis, W Leuenberger, JW Doser, & EF Zipkin (2024) A century of statistical Ecology. Ecology 105:e4283. DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4283 [PDF]
  10. Williams, PJ & JF Brodie (2023) Predicting how defaunation-induced changes in seed predation and dispersal will affect tropical tree populations. Conservation Biology 37:e14014. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14014 [PDF]
  11. Brodie, JF, J Mohd-Azlan, C Chen, OR Wearn, MCM Deith, JGC Ball, EM Slade, DFRP Burslem, SW Teoh, PJ Williams, A Nguyen, JH Moore, SJ Goetz, P Burns, P Jantz, CR Hakkenberg, ZM Kaszta, S Cushman, D Coomes, OE Helmy, G Reynolds, JP Rodriguez, W Jetz, & MS Luskin (2023) Landscape-scale benefits of protected areas for tropical biodiversity. Nature 620:807–812. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06410-z [PDF]
  12. Williams, PJ, AK Moeller, A Granados, H Bernard, RC Ong, & JF Brodie (2022) Food availability alters community co-occurrence patterns at fine spatiotemporal scales in a tropical masting system. Oecologia 200:169–181. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05252-2 [PDF]
  13. Williams, PJ, RC Ong, JF Brodie, & MS Luskin (2021) Fungi and insects compensate for lost vertebrate seed predation in an experimentally defaunated tropical forest. Nature Communications 12:1650. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21978-8 [PDF]
  14. Yao, G, Y Li, D Li, P Williams, & J Hu (2016) Phylogenetic analysis of the endangered takin in the confluent zone of the Qinling and Minshan Mountains using mtDNA control region. Mitochondrial DNA Part A 27:2594-2605. DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2015.1041115 [PDF]

Other publications

  1. Brodie, JF, J Mohd-Azlan, C Chen, OR Wearn, MCM Deith, JGC Ball, EM Slade, DFRP Burslem, SW Teoh, PJ Williams, A Nguyen, JH Moore, SJ Goetz, P Burns, P Jantz, CR Hakkenberg, ZM Kaszta, S Cushman, D Coomes, OE Helmy, G Reynolds, JP Rodriguez, W Jetz, & MS Luskin (2025) Reply to: Causal claims, causal assumptions and protected area impact. Nature 638:E42–E44 (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08513-7

Presentations

  • Williams, PJ, JF Brodie, & EF Zipkin. Biogeographic isolation explains global diversity patterns across major mammal clades. Ecological Society of America, Baltimore, USA. Oral presentation. 2025.
  • Williams, PJ, EF Zipkin, A González-Melo, B Salgado-Negret, R González-M., N Norden & MN Umaña. Ontogenetic differences in wood anatomy traits in tropical dry forests. Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Oaxaca, Mexico. Oral presentation. 2025.
  • Williams, PJ. Ecological functions of communities across scales. Michigan State University Department of Integrated Biology, East Lansing, USA. Invited seminar. 2024.
  • Williams, PJ, EF Zipkin, & JF Brodie. Deep biogeographic barriers explain divergent global vertebrate communities. International Biogeography Society, Prague, Czechia. Poster. 2024.
  • Williams, PJ, EF Zipkin, & JF Brodie. Effects of biogeographic history on global vertebrate diversity. Michigan State University Ecology Evolution & Behavior Research Symposium, East Lansing, USA. Oral presentation. 2024.
  • Williams, PJ. Functional ecology of tropical dry forests in Colombia. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, Colombia. Invited seminar. 2023.
  • Williams, PJ, J Doser, K Kapsar, L Kounta, A Uscanga, & C Youngflesh. Characterizing the role of interannual environmental variability in structuring the life histories of global ecological communities. Michigan State University Ecology Evolution & Behavior Research Symposium, East Lansing, USA. Lightning talk. 2022.
  • Williams, PJ & JF Brodie. The roles of climate and history in structuring global ecological communities. Ecological Society of America, Montreal, Canada. Oral presentation. 2022.
  • Williams, PJ, RC Ong, JF Brodie, & MS Luskin. Fungi and insects compensate for lost vertebrate seed predation in an experimentally defaunated tropical forest. Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Virtual. Lightning talk. 2021.
  • Williams PJ. Cascading impacts of defaunation in tropical forests: a critical role for altered seed predation. American Society of Naturalists, Virtual. Oral presentation. 2021.
  • Williams PJ. Assessing the effect of defaunation on seed mortality in Borneo. BES Conservation Ecology & Tropical Ecology Joint Twitter Conference #TropiCon20, Virtual. Live Twitter thread. 2020.
  • Williams PJ. Factors affecting Tenure of Male Lions (Panthera leo) in Serengeti. University of Minnesota Undergraduate Symposium, Minneapolis, USA. Poster. 2014.
  • Williams PJ. Comparing Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Aardwolves (Proteles cristata) and Black-Backed Jackals (Canis mesomelas) in the Serengeti. University of Minnesota Undergraduate Symposium, Minneapolis, USA. Poster. 2012.