The spiny lobster Panulirus argus is an iconic species in the Caribbean, where it supports the region's most valuable fishery. Lobsters are susceptible to a lethal, pathogenic virus (PaV1) and we have been studying lobster-PaV1 disease dynamics since we discovered the disease over a decade ago. An important consideration in our research is the role of host behavior in altering the spread of disease, which is particularly relevant in species such as spiny lobsters that are social. Along with laboratory and field experimentation, we have used spatially-explicit agent-based modeling to explore how environmental structure and host behavior influence both larval connectivity and benthic ecology in ways that alter the spread of disease in marine ecoystems.

Mark Butler received a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a M.S. from The Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. from Florida State University. He then held postdoctoral positions at Florida State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining the faculty at Old Dominion University in 1989, where is currently Professor and Eminent Scholar in the Department of Biological Sciences.

Innovation Research Park Building I 4111 Monarch Way, 3rd Floor Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 23508 757-683-4940