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Geometric morphometrics: recent applications to the study of evolution and development
Author(s) -
Lawing A. M.,
Polly P. D.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00620.x
Subject(s) - morphometrics , biology , field (mathematics) , variation (astronomy) , evolutionary biology , stability (learning theory) , geometric shape , zoology , computer science , machine learning , geometry , mathematics , pure mathematics , physics , astrophysics
The field of morphometrics is developing quickly and recent advances allow for geometric techniques to be applied easily to many zoological problems. This paper briefly introduces geometric morphometric techniques and then reviews selected areas where those techniques have been applied to questions of general interest. This paper is relevant to non‐specialists looking for an entry into geometric morphometric methods and for ideas of how to incorporate them into the study of variation within and between species, the measurement of developmental stability, the role of development in shaping evolution and the special problem of measuring the shape of fossil specimens that are deformed from their original shape.