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Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists: A Primer, Third Edition explores how these geometric methods allow for the study of biological shape by incorporating the geometry of organisms throughout data analyses. Novel content on phylogenetic comparative methods, evolutionary morphology, analyses of disparity, genetics of shape, and simulating shape data is included. This edition delivers step-by-step guidance on how to effectively utilize updated analytical software while also providing guidance on important methodologies that remain relevant to the field to ensure clear and effective instruction to audiences new to this branch of data analysis.
It succeeds the second edition as the primary resource for teaching modern geometric methods of shape analysis to students, researchers, and practicing scientists in the field of organismal biology. Users will find it to be an immensely valuable introduction for students and practicing biologists interested in learning applications of multivariate statistics and matrix algebra to organismal biology.
List of contents
1. Introduction
Part I: Basics of Shape Data2. Landmarks
3. Simple Size and Shape Variables: Shape Coordinates
4. Theory of Shape
5. The Thin-Plate Spline: Visualizing Shape Change as a Deformation
Part II: Analyzing Shape Variables 6. Ordination Methods
7. Partial Least Squares
8. Statistics
9. General Linear Models
10. Phylogenetic Comparative Methods
Part III: Applications11. Ecological Morphology
12. Evolutionary Morphology
13. Allometry
14. Variational Properties and their Evolutionary Outcomes
15. Systematics
16. Temporal, Geographic and Evolutionary Analyses of Disparity
17. Genetics of Shape Chapter 18: Simulating Shape Data
About the author
Dr. Miriam Zelditch is Associate Research Scientist at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Paleontology. She obtained her PhD in Zoology from Michigan State University and conducted her NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan. Her research interests broadly include zoology, paleobiology, evolutionary biology, comparative biology, and morphology. She has co-edited both prior editions of Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists.
Dr. Donald Swiderski is Adjunct Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology. He obtained his MSc in Paleontology and his PhD in Zoology from Michigan State University. His research interests broadly include zoology, paleontology, comparative vertebrate anatomy, mammalogy, and morphology. He has co-edited both prior editions of Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists.
