Hello Morphmet, Glad I found you! I am working on a project investigating the influence of biological and ecological factors on the deposition of cementum (mineralized tissue surrounding the roots of teeth). I was hoping to create an easy & quick method of analysis which wildlife researchers could use to interpret individual and population history.
But My biggest concern is that I am not getting an accurate estimation of cementum deposition. My current approach is to obtain linear measurements of cementum width from digital images captured from a compound microscope; this quite literally only gives me snapshots of the tooth. There is the added variation caused by the fact that not all teeth are readable in the same locations and cementum deposition around the surface of the root is not uniform. In some areas the lines that distinguish between years of deposition become merged and unidentifiable. I have tried to address these issues by only using teeth that can be read in one general area and limiting my comparisons to that region. I am further limited to using teeth that were originally processed and mounted for age determination (slides containing 8 longitudinal sections of the tooth root). However, it would be pretty safe to say that I am not limited by sample size If those of you more experienced in acquiring morphometric data from such vagarious biological sources have any suggestions, directions, or comments I would love to hear from you! More information about me and my current research (including sample pictures of sectioned teeth!) can be viewed at: http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/faculty/andrew_derocher/index.php?Page=4171 or contact me: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sarah -- Replies will be sent to the list. For more information visit http://www.morphometrics.org
