Grantee Spotlight
Allegra DePasquale is a Leakey Foundation grantee and a PhD candidate in biological anthropology at the University of Calgary. She studies how interactions between primates, fruiting plants, and other fruit-eating animals have shaped the evolution of key primate traits like color vision and grasping hands. Her research interests include primate sensory ecology, nutritional ecology, and plant-animal interactions.
Before beginning her PhD at the University of Calgary, Allegra earned a master’s degree while working in Dr. Amanda Melin’s lab, where she combined her interests in fruit ecology and sensory biology. As an undergraduate, she worked in Dr. Jessica Rothman’s primate nutritional ecology lab, where she first developed a passion for understanding fruit as an ecological resource.
After completing her PhD, Allegra hopes to continue studying fruit-foraging behavior and seed dispersal in diverse ecological communities. She aims to contribute to a broader understanding of how community-level interactions have shaped primate evolution and to inspire more scientists to explore the connections between plants, animals, and evolutionary history.
Questions and answers with Allegra DePasquale
What is the focus of your Leakey Foundation-supported research?
In my Leakey project, I study the ecological and evolutionary dynamics between primates, fruiting plants, and other fruit-eating animals (frugivores) such as birds, bats, and non-flying mammals. While fruit foraging has shaped primate evolution, we know little about how primates interact with other frugivores. For example, how might competition or coexistence with non-primate frugivores have influenced the evolution of primate traits like color vision and grasping hands? I use a multimethod approach combining frugivore behavioral observations with fruit trait analysis. Using canopy and ground camera traps at fruiting trees in Costa Rica’s tropical dry forest, I quantify fruit consumption by primates and other frugivores. I also measure fruit traits (color, odor, hardness, ethanol, sugar content) to understand how different frugivores may have shaped the appearance, smell, and taste of fruit.
While primatologists know that fruit foraging shaped primate evolution, few have explored the broader ecological community in which this occurred. This perspective is crucial for understanding primate adaptations. In what ways are primates unique among frugivores, and where do they converge? These answers shed light on the origins of key human traits, such as dexterous hands and trichromatic color vision.
How did you first become interested in this field of study?
I have loved nature since childhood, when I built backyard snail “hospitals” and collected pinecones, rocks, and leaves. My interest became more scientific during my undergraduate years in Dr. Jessica Rothman’s primate nutritional ecology lab, where I gained a deep appreciation for fruit as an ecological resource. As I progressed in primatology, I became curious about species interactions and how primates coexist with other frugivores. Joining Dr. Amanda Melin’s lab for my master’s allowed me to combine my interests in fruit, nutrition, and sensory ecology. Now, as a PhD candidate, I am pursuing my dream project on fruit foraging and fruit traits across an entire ecological community.
What are you most excited about in your research?
I want to know: (1) Which frugivores eat which fruit species, and how much do different frugivore groups overlap? (2) How well are the sensory systems of frugivores matched to the diversity of fruit traits in the forest? These questions are key to understanding seed dispersal, a vital ecosystem service that drives biodiversity. By answering them, we can better understand seed dispersal as an eco-evolutionary process and the ecological context of primates within it.
How do you feel about receiving your Leakey Foundation grant, and what will it allow you to do?
I was thrilled to learn my project had been funded! As a PhD student planning nearly a year of fieldwork in Costa Rica, securing this grant was a huge relief. Leakey Foundation support will allow me to capture a full year of fruit-feeding behavior across dozens of plant species. It is also deeply encouraging to know that the Foundation values both my work and its contribution to understanding primate evolution.
Why is it important to study human evolution?
People should care about human evolution because it tells the story of how we became who we are. Studying fruit is especially relevant, since fruit has been central to human societies throughout history.
What’s your favorite mind-blowing science fact?
Figs are critical resources for nearly all frugivores worldwide, helping them survive when other fruit is scarce. But did you know figs were likely the first plant domesticated by humans, predating cereals? It’s true! Click to read the research and learn more.
