Chris Muir

Chris Muir

Assistant Professor

University of Hawaiʻi

About the Quantitative Evolutionary Physiology Lab

My lab is located in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi in beautiful Mānoa. We study how plants work and why they evolved to work that way using a combination of experimental, comparative, and quantitative approaches. Please check out the Research page for more information on current research. If these types of questions interest you, please contact me about working together!

Interests

  • Evolutionary Physiology
  • Adaptation
  • Biostatistics

Education

  • PhD in Evolutionary Biology, 2013

    Indiana University

  • BS in Biology, 2006

    College of William & Mary

Recent Publications

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How important are functional and developmental constraints on phenotypic evolution? An empirical test with the stomatal anatomy of flowering plants

Quantifying the relative contribution of functional and developmental constraints on phenotypic variation is a longstanding goal of …
Preprint PDF Code Dataset

Selection on early survival does not explain germination rate clines in Mimulus cardinalis (Phrymaceae)

Many traits covary with environmental gradients to form phenotypic clines. While local adaptation to the environment can generate …
Preprint PDF Code Dataset

Technical comment on 'Negative-assortative mating for color in wolves'

Hedrick et al (2016) reported on ‘negative-assortative mating for color in wolves’ from Yellowstone National Park, the …
Preprint PDF Code

The acquisitive–conservative axis of leaf trait variation emerges even in homogeneous environments

The acquisitive–conservative axis of plant ecological strategies results in a pattern of leaf trait covariation that captures the …
PDF

Core arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are predicted by their high abundance–occupancy relationship while host-specific taxa are rare and geographically structured

Habitat restoration may depend on the recovery of plant microbial symbionts such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, but this …
PDF Code
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Recent Posts

Last updated on Feb 3, 2023 1 min read

Welcome Max!

Max Gatlin is new technician studying how pathogens colonize leaves

Last updated on Dec 25, 2022 1 min read

BIOL 499 Project on adaptive plasticity in sea urchins

Summary of Lily's BIOL499 project

Last updated on Jan 4, 2023 1 min read

Welcome Paul!

Welcome Paul!

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Teaching

I am currently teaching the following course(s) at the University of Hawaiʻi:

  • BOT 470: Evolution
    Lecture: MWF, 10:30-11:20 PM HST
    HIG 110

Recent & Upcoming Talks

Genetic Variation in Ontogenetic Patterns in Leaf Anatomical Traits in a Long-Term Field Experiment

Ontogeny refers to the genetically regulated shifts in phenotypic traits across developmental phases. While ontogenetic variation is …
Jul 26, 2022 8:15 AM Anchorage, Alaska

Finding genes responsible for evolution of complex 3D leaf anatomy using tomographic microscopy

Traits in wild relatives of crop species can help breed sustainable crop varieties that produce more food with fewer resources. To make …
Jul 25, 2022 8:15 AM Anchorage, Alaska
Project

Eons of pore decisions: how selection shapes the stomatal morphospace

The paleontologist David Raup introduced the concept of a morphospace, the theoretical limits on morphological variation among …
Jul 19, 2021 12:00 AM Virtual
Project

How will climate change affect the variance in fitness? An empirical test in the perennial herb Mimulus cardinalis

George Gilchrist's fly lab at the College of William and Mary studied adaptation to climate on ecological time scales. Now a major …
Nov 4, 2020 12:00 AM Virtual
Project

licorer: Software to read and process LI-COR photosynthesis data files in R

Measuring photosynthesis is important in a variety of fields, such as botany and agriculture, as there is much to be learned from it. …
Jul 31, 2020 12:00 AM Virtual
Code
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