Boston University Department of Biology

Faculty Profiles

Current Research

General interests
Most broadly, my research interests are in the ecology, evolution and behavior of animals. To date, my lab has focused on understanding the ecology and evolution of animal societies. At present, we are beginning an additional line of research, focused on understanding the ecology and evolution of larval dispersal. Our research draws on a wide variety of techniques, from long-term field studies of coral reef fishes to game theory, and from molecular genetics to GIScience, to address fundamental questions at the interface of individual behavior, population ecology, and evolutionary biology.

Main projects

1. Investigating cooperative breeding in the marine environment using the clown anemonefish
I have spent many years investigating the breeding system of the clownfish, Amphiprion percula, in Papua New Guinea. The initial aim was to test the robustness of cooperative breeding theory, by conducting the first test in a marine fish. The work completed to date lays the foundation for some great follow-up projects.

2. Investigating the evolution of individual strategies and the emergence of societies using game theory
My collaborators and I have spent the last few years synthesizing multiple models of social evolution. The initial aim was to provide a more general theoretical framework within which social systems of all organisms could be understood. The work done to date clears the way for the development of a new generation of models.

3. Testing alternative models of social evolution using the humbug damselfish
We are now testing alternative models of social evolution using the humbug damselfish Dascyllus aruanus, in aquaria in the lab. and in the field in French Polynesia. The aim is to conduct one of the most rigorous, quantitative, tests of the assumptions and predictions of alternative models of social evolution.

4. Investigating patterns, causes and consequences of marine larval dispersal using anemonefishes
We are now investigating the patterns, causes, and consequences of marine larval dispersal using anemonefishes, in Fiji. The aim is to directly measure marine larval dispersal kernels, which hold the key to understanding marine population dynamics and designing effective networks of marine reserves.

Courses Taught

• BI 519 Theoretical Evolutionary Ecology

Selected Publications

• Buston P, Fauvelot C, Wong M & Planes S. (2009.) Genetic relatedness in groups of the humbug damselfish, Dascyllus aruanus: small, similarly-sized individuals may be close kin. Molecular Ecology in press.
• Buston PM & Zink AG. (2009.) Reproductive skew and the evolution of conflict resolution: a synthesis of transactional and tug-of-war models. Behavioral Ecology 20: 672-684
• Wong MYL, Munday PL, Buston PM, & Jones GP. (2008.) Fasting or feasting in a fish social hierarchy. Current Biology 18: R372-R373.
• Buston PM, Reeve HK, Cant MA, Vehrencamp SL & Emlen ST. (2007.) Reproductive skew and the evolution of group dissolution tactics: a synthesis of concession and restraint models.
  Animal Behaviour 74: 1643-1654.
• Buston PM, Bogdanowicz S, Wong M & Harrison RG. (2007.) Are clownfish groups composed of relatives? Analysis of microsatellite DNA variation in Amphiprion percula. Molecular Ecology 16: 3671-3678.
• Wong MYL, Buston PM, Munday PL & Jones GP. (2007.) The threat of punishment enforces peaceful cooperation and stabilizes queues in a coral reef fish. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond., Series B 274: 1093-1099.
• Buston PM. (2004.) Does the presence of non-breeders enhance the fitness of breeders? An experimental analysis in the clown anemonefish Amphiprion percula. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 57: 23-31.
• Buston PM. (2003.) Size and growth modification in clownfish. Nature 424: 145-146.
  
  (pdfs available upon request)