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Fluctuating asymmetry analyses: a primer

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Developmental Instability: Its Origins and Evolutionary Implications

Part of the book series: Contemporary Issues in Genetics and Evolution ((CIGE,volume 2))

Abstract

The developmental stability of an organism is reflected in its ability to produce an ‘ideal’ form under a particular set of conditions (Zakharov, 1992). The lower its stability, the greater the likelihood it will depart from this ‘ideal’ form. Ideal forms are rarely known a priori. However, bilateral structures in bilaterally symmetrical organisms offer a precise ideal, perfect symmetry, against which departures may be compared (Palmer & Strobeck, 1986). Thus they provide a very convenient method for assessing deviations from the norm, and studying the factors that might influence such deviations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada

    A. Richard Palmer

  2. Bamfield Marine Station, Bamfield, BC, VOR 1B0, Canada

    A. Richard Palmer

Authors
  1. A. Richard Palmer
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Editor information

Therese Ann Markow

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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Palmer, A.R. (1994). Fluctuating asymmetry analyses: a primer. In: Markow, T.A. (eds) Developmental Instability: Its Origins and Evolutionary Implications. Contemporary Issues in Genetics and Evolution, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0830-0_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0830-0_26

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4357-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0830-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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