Whitney Anthonysamy

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Whitney Anthonysamy

Personal Profile

Research interests

Ongoing anthropogenic change in the environment is often detrimental to native species and is contributing to a global loss of biodiversity. I strive to understand how biodiversity is distributed in the landscape, the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that shape the observed patterns of biodiversity, and how variation in ecological and life history traits among species influences how they respond to anthropogenic change. I employ both field and molecular approaches to answer my research questions, with the intent to help guide a variety of conservation efforts in human-altered environments.

My current research focuses largely on urban ecology, including the use of camera traps to monitor wildlife biodiversity and more recently, molecular tools to investigate the presence of tick pathogens. This work is a collaboration with local scientists at Tyson Research Center and a major focus of the St. Louis Wildife project.

URL

https://stlwildlifeproject.org/

Teaching

I currently teach:

  • Introductory Biology II (BIOL-1112)
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics (BIOL-4201/4355)
  • One Health (BIOL-3311/3312)

Education/Academic qualification

Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy

2007 → 2012

Biology, Master in Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

2004 → 2006

Zoology, Bachelor of Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

2000 → 2004

Research Interests

  • Urban Ecology
  • Conservation
  • Biodiversity
  • Population Ecology
  • Herpetology
  • Population Genetics
  • Disease Ecology

  • Archival data reveals human impacts on Blanding's turtle population persistence

    King, R., Anchor, C., Anthonysamy, W. J. B., Denham, S., Dreslik, M., Dunham, N., Glowacki, G., Golba, C. K., Graser, W., Jablonski, C., Janzen, F., Kessler, E. J., Kuhns, A. R., Ludwig, D. R., McCabe, K., Phillips, C., Thompson, D. & Towey, J. B., Sep 2025, In: Journal for Nature Conservation. 87, 126966.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    Open Access

  • Urban intensity predicts eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) occupancy and detection in St. Louis green spaces

    Anthonysamy, W. J. B., Biro, E. G., Adalsteinsson, S. A., Fidino, M., Moylan, M. A. & Zahrai, L. M., 2025, In: Journal of Urban Ecology. 11, 1, juaf005.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

  • When the wild things are: Defining mammalian diel activity and plasticity

    Devarajan, K., Fidino, M., Farris, Z. J., Adalsteinsson, S. A., Andrade-Ponce, G., Angstmann, J. L., Anthonysamy, W., Aquino, J., Asefa, A., Avila, B., Bailey, L. L., de Sousa Barbosa, L. M., de Frias Barreto, M., Barton, O., Bates, C. E., Beltrão, M. G., Bird, T., Biro, E. G., Bisi, F. & Bohórquez, D. & 197 others, Boyce, M., Brashares, J. S., Bullington, G., Burns, P., Burr, J., Butler, A. R., Calhoun, K. L., Cao, T. T., Casado, N., Cepeda-Duque, J. C., Cepek, J. D., Chiarello, A. G., Collins, M., Cordeiro-Estrela, P., Costa, S., Cremonesi, G., Cristescu, B., Cruz, P., de Albuquerque, A. C. F., De Angelo, C., de Campos, C. B., de Sena, L. M. M., Di Bitetti, M., de Matos Dias, D., Diefenbach, D., Doherty, T. S., Dos Santos, T. P., Duarte, G. T., Eppley, T. M., Erb, J., Esteves, C. F., Evans, B., Falcão, M. L. M., Fernandes-Ferreira, H., Fieberg, J. R., de Souza Filho, L. C. F., Fisher, J., Fortin, M. J., Gale, G. A., Gallo, T., Ganoe, L. S., Garcia-Anleu, R., Gaynor, K. M., Gelmi-Candusso, T. A., Gichuru, P. N., Gomez, Q., Green, A. M., Guimarães, L. N., Haight, J. D., Harris, L. R., Hawn, Z. D., Heiman, J., Hoang, H. Q., Huebner, S., Iannarilli, F., Iezzi, M. E., Ivan, J. S., Jaspers, K. J., Jordan, M. J., Kamilar, J., Kane, M., Karimi, M. H., Kelly, M., Kohl, M. T., Kuvlesky, W. P., Ladle, A., Larson, R. N., Le, Q. T., Le, D., Le, V. S., Lehrer, E. W., Lendrum, P. E., Lewis, J., Link, A., Lizcano, D. J., Lombardi, J. V., Long, R., López-Tello, E., Lugarini, C., Lugo, D., MacKay, P., Madadi, M., Magalhães, R. A., Magle, S. B., Maia, L. H. R. D., Mandujano, S., Marchenkova, T., Marinho, P. H., Marker, L., Pardo, J. M., Martinoli, A., Massara, R. L., Masseloux, J., Matiukhina, D., Mayer, A., Mazariegos, L., McClung, M. R., McInturff, A., McPhail, D., Mertl, A., Middaugh, C. R., Miller, D., Mills, D., Miquelle, D., Miritis, V., Moll, R. J., Molnár, P., Montgomery, R. A., Morelli, T. L., Mortelliti, A., Mueller, R. I., Mukhacheva, A. S., Mullen, K., Murphy, A., Nepomuceno, V., Ngoprasert, D., Nguyen, A., Van Nguyen, T., Nguyen, V. T., Quang, H. A. N., Nipko, R., Nobre, A. C. C., Northrup, J., Owen, M. A., Paglia, A. P., Palmer, M. S., Palomo-Munoz, G., Pardo, L. E., Parks, C., de Oliveira Paschoal, A. M., Patterson, B., Paviolo, A., Pejchar, L., Pendergast, M. E., Perotto-Baldivieso, H. L., Petrov, T., Poisson, M. K. P., Polli, D. J., Pourmirzai, M., Reebin, A., Remine, K. R., Rich, L., Richardson, C. S., Robino, F., Rocha, D. G., Rocha, F. L., Rodrigues, F. H. G., Rohnke, A. T., Ryan, T. J., Salsbury, C. M., Sander, H. A., da Cruz Santos-Cavalcante, N. M., Sekercioglu, C. H., Seryodkin, I., Setiawan, D. H., Shadloo, S., Shahhosseini, M., Shannon, G., Shier, C. J., Smith, G. B., Snyder, T., Sollmann, R., Sparks, K. L., Sribuarod, K., St Clair, C. C., Stankowich, T., Steinmetz, R., Stevenson, C. J., Sunarto Sunarto, S., Surasinghe, T. D., Sutyrina, S. V., Swaisgood, R. R., Taktehrani, A., Thapa, K., Thorton, M., Tilker, A., Tobler, M. W., Tran, V. B., Tucker, J., Van Horn, R. C., Vargas-Soto, J. S., Velásquez-C, K. L., Venter, J., Venticinque, E. M., Verschueren, S., Wampole, E., Watchorn, D. J., Wearn, O. R., Weiss, K. C. B., Welschen, A., Widodo, F. A., Williamson, J., Wilting, A., Wittemyer, G., Zavaleta, A., Zellmer, A. J. & Gerber, B. D., Feb 28 2025, In: Science advances. 11, 9, p. eado3843

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

  • Correction to: Urbanization, climate and species traits shape mammal communities from local to continental scales (Nature Ecology & Evolution, (2023), 7, 10, (1654-1666), 10.1038/s41559-023-02166-x)

    Haight, J. D., Hall, S. J., Fidino, M., Adalsteinsson, S. A., Ahlers, A. A., Angstmann, J., Anthonysamy, W. J. B., Biro, E., Collins, M. K., Dugelby, B., Gallo, T., Green, A. M., Hartley, L., Jordan, M. J., Kay, C. A. M., Lehrer, E. W., Long, R. A., MacDougall, B., Magle, S. B. & Minier, D. E. & 21 others, Mowry, C., Murray, M., Nininger, K., Pendergast, M. E., Remine, K. R., Ryan, T., Salsbury, C., Sander, H. A., Schell, C. J., Șekercioğlu, Ç. H., Shier, C. J., Simon, K. C., St. Clair, C. C., Stankowich, T., Stevenson, C. J., Wayne, L., Will, D., Williamson, J., Wilson, L., Zellmer, A. J. & Lewis, J. S., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Nature Ecology and Evolution.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review

    Open Access

  • Gentrification drives patterns of alpha and beta diversity in cities

    Fidino, M., Sander, H. A., Lewis, J. S., Lehrer, E. W., Rivera, K., Murray, M. H., Adams, H. C., Kase, A., Flores, A., Stankowich, T., Schell, C. J., Salsbury, C. M., Rohnke, A. T., Jordan, M. J., Green, A. M., R Gramza, A., Zellmer, A. J., Williamson, J., Surasinghe, T. D. & Storm, H. & 28 others, Sparks, K. L., Ryan, T. J., Remine, K. R., Pendergast, M. E., Mullen, K., Minier, D. E., Middaugh, C. R., Mertl, A. L., McClung, M. R., Long, R. A., Larson, R. N., Kohl, M. T., Harris, L. R., Hall, C. T., Haight, J. D., Drake, D., Davidge, A. M., Cheek, A. O., Bloch, C. P., Biro, E. G., Anthonysamy, W. J. B., Angstmann, J. L., Allen, M. L., Adalsteinsson, S. A., Short Gianotti, A. G., LaMontagne, J. M., Gelmi-Candusso, T. A. & Magle, S. B., Apr 23 2024, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 121, 17, p. e2318596121

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    Open Access
View all 22 Research Outputs