Selection of landmarks and semilandmarks in fishes for geometric morphometric analyses: a comparative study based on analytical methods

Authors

  • Marc Farré Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC
  • Víctor M. Tuset Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC
  • Francesc Maynou Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC
  • Laura Recasens Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC
  • Antoni Lombarte Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.04280.15A

Keywords:

morphological traits, landmarks, geometric morphometrics, diversity, point pattern, morphospace, marine fishes

Abstract


We applied and compared three different sets of landmarks and semilandmarks commonly used in studies of fish assemblages to identify a standardized method of landmark selection that includes the maximum amount of morphological information of species. The different landmark-based methods used produced differences regarding the distribution of case-study species within the morphospace. We suggest that adding landmarks and semilandmarks that provide more specific information about anatomical structures with important roles in the biology of species, such as transformed fins or sensory organs, contributes to a clearer differentiation of species within the morphospace and a better interpretation of their occupancy. In addition, three types of method were used to establish how species are distributed within morphospace. The results demonstrated that aggregation points methods, including analyses based on quadrants or distances, are more appropriate for this purpose than indices of morphological disparity. The results also confirmed that although numerical methods are needed to test the statistical significance of outcomes, graphical methods provide a more intuitive interpretation of morphospace occupancy. The kernel density and Gabriel graph were useful to infer the morphospace zone where species are more densely grouped, improving the knowledge of space occupancy and structural complexity of fish assemblages.

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References

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Published

2016-06-30

How to Cite

1.
Farré M, Tuset VM, Maynou F, Recasens L, Lombarte A. Selection of landmarks and semilandmarks in fishes for geometric morphometric analyses: a comparative study based on analytical methods. Sci. mar. [Internet]. 2016Jun.30 [cited 2024Mar.29];80(2):175-86. Available from: https://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1630

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