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Biogeographic Analysis Using Geometric Morphometrics: Clines in Skull Size and Shape in a Widespread African Arboreal Monkey

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Morphometrics for Nonmorphometricians

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences ((LNEARTH,volume 124))

Abstract

Despite the “renaissance” of biogeography in the last two decades with its central role in the study of biodiversity and evolution, and the “revolution” in morphometrics brought about by methods based on the analysis of Cartesian coordinates of anatomical landmarks, the use of geometric morphometrics in biogeographic studies has been rather limited. With this analysis we aim to provide an example of how geometric morphometrics can fruitfully be applied to the study of clinal variation in a widespread African monkey group by a simple extension of methods widely employed by macroecologists and biogeographers to multivariate shape data. Throughout the paper we aim to explain these techniques so that those who are new to them can use and adapt them for their own needs, in some cases providing specific instructions on how to perform certain operations in standard morphometrics and statistical software. Our hope is that this may stimulate morphometricians and scientists from other disciplines to explore geographic variation in size and shape using up-to-date geometric morphometric methods. The application of geometric morphometrics to ecological, biogeographic and phylogeographic studies has enormous potential for a thorough understanding of how form changes in space and time during evolution and in relation to genetic and environmental factors.

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Acknowledgments

We are deeply grateful to all the collection managers and curators who allowed us to study their collections and gave us help whilst doing so. We would also like to thank a lot the Editor, Prof. Ashraf M. T. Elewa, for inviting us to contribute to this edited volume and for his patience and help during the whole editorial process.

This study was funded by grants from the Leverhulme Trust and the Royal Society.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Universitá di Modena e Reggio Emilia, via Campi 213, 41100, Modena, Italy

    Andrea Cardini

  2. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiania, GO, Brasil

    José Alexandre Felizola Diniz Filho

  3. Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    P. David Polly

  4. Hull York Medical School, The University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK

    Sarah Elton

Authors
  1. Andrea Cardini
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  2. José Alexandre Felizola Diniz Filho
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  3. P. David Polly
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  4. Sarah Elton
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrea Cardini .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fac. Science, Dept. Geology, Minia University, Minia, 61519, Egypt

    Ashraf M.T. Elewa

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Cardini, A., Filho, J.A.F.D., Polly, P.D., Elton, S. (2010). Biogeographic Analysis Using Geometric Morphometrics: Clines in Skull Size and Shape in a Widespread African Arboreal Monkey. In: Elewa, A. (eds) Morphometrics for Nonmorphometricians. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, vol 124. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-95853-6_8

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