Error message

  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $form_state follows optional parameter $input in include_once() (line 1439 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $options follows optional parameter $data in require_once() (line 342 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $name follows optional parameter $data in require_once() (line 342 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $options follows optional parameter $data in require_once() (line 342 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $name follows optional parameter $data in require_once() (line 342 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $entity_type follows optional parameter $file in require_once() (line 342 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $entity_type follows optional parameter $entity in require_once() (line 342 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $entity_type follows optional parameter $values in require_once() (line 342 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $entity_type follows optional parameter $view_mode in require_once() (line 342 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $complete_form follows optional parameter $item in include_once() (line 1439 of /webinfo/1/drupals/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $node follows optional parameter $edit in include_once() (line 52 of /webinfo/1/drupals/sites/manoa.hawaii.edu.biology/modules/nodequeue/nodequeue.module).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $node follows optional parameter $edit in include_once() (line 52 of /webinfo/1/drupals/sites/manoa.hawaii.edu.biology/modules/nodequeue/nodequeue.module).
  • Deprecated function: Required parameter $plugin follows optional parameter $data in include_once() (line 480 of /webinfo/1/drupals/sites/manoa.hawaii.edu.biology/modules/ctools/includes/plugins.inc).
Marguerite Butler

Marguerite Butler

Associate Professor

Functional Morphology, Biomechanics, Phylogenetics, Macroevolution, Modeling, and Statistics

Website

Contact

Email
Room

EDM 316

Phone

(808) 956-8303

Fax

(808) 956-4745

Website(s): 

Visit my lab website

Courses Taught

Research Interests

At the simplest level, I am interested in how animals function, and the interaction between morphological design (what variations can animals have), environmental needs (or selective pressures), and evolutionary history (phylogeny).

I am especially interested in sexual dimorphism, especially where males and females differ in ways that are important for function or ecology. Sexual dimorphism is a great phenomenon to study because it not only provides a window into the biology of a species, but also can help us to understand the functional significance of morphological variation.

Why does a feature evolve? Is it a result of natural selection? Testing hypotheses of natural selection and adaptation requires flexible and powerful analytical methods. I work on phylogenetic methods which aim to combine phylogenetic relationships (or species pedigree) with our ideas of biological process to explicitly model the tempo and mode of evolution.

Current projects in the lab include

  • Biomechanics of locomotion in iguanas and the effects of reproduction
  • The evolution of sexual dimorphism in Anolis lizards
  • Color vision, target detection, and behavior in Hawaiian Megalagrion damselflies
  • Phylogenetic methods for adaptive evolution using a direct modeling approach

Please see my lab website for details and lab equipment.

Selected Publications

Butler M.A. (June 25, 2007) Vive le difference! Sexual dimorphism and adaptive patterns in Anolis lizards. Integrative and Comparative Biology doi: 10.1093/icb/icm061

Scales J. and Butler M. (June 18, 2007) Are powerful females powerful enough? Acceleration in gravid green iguanas (Iguana iguana). Integrative and Comparative Biology doi: 10.1093/icb/icm054

Butler M.A., Sawyer S.A., and Losos J. B. (2007) Sexual dimorphism and adaptive radiation in Anolis lizards. Nature 447:202-205.

Tags
Content Type
Faculty
Post Date
09/02/2013 at 10:53pm
Last Modified
03/01/2017 at 3:54pm