The Geometric Morphometrics Laboratory for Systematics and Evolutionary
Research was held during 1-5 February 2010 in the Dipartimento Scienze
Tecnologie, dell' Ambiente e del Territorio of the University of Molise,
Pesche, Insernia, Italy. The workshop was organised by Anna Loy, Tassos
Kotsakis and Paolo Piras with the newborn Centre for Evolutionary
Ecology
(http://host.uniroma3.it/laboratori/paleontologia/CEE%20home.htm),
lectured by Dennis Slice (Florida State University), Dean Adams (Iowa
State University), Andrea Cardini (Università di Modena e Reggio
Emilia), Paolo Piras (Centre for Evolutionary Ecology), Pasquale Raia
(Centre for Evolutionary Ecology) and Luciano Teresi (Università Roma
Tre) and attended by about 30 participants from 13 countries.
The objective of the workshop was to explore advanced data analyses
relevant for systematics and evolutionary research using geometric
morphometrics' data. Lecture themes included ordination and
classification methods, allometry and asymmetry (Dennis Slice);
treatment of semilandmark data, phylogenetic and comparative methods,
evolutionary phenotypic trajectories and quantification of rates of
phenotypic evolution (Dean Adams); analysis of spatial data (Andrea
Cardini); linking ontogeny and phylogeny (Pasquale Raia); linking shape
to function and phylogeny with examples from paleobiological studies
(Paolo Piras); and finite element modeling for biological studies
(Luciano Teresi). Software demonstration included several sessions on
data analyses using R, as well as the tps-software series, Morpheus et
al., 3D-ID and MorphoJ. The workshop closed with a series of
presentations by some of the participants (see list below for titles).
The main focus of the workshop was on how methods developed for other
kinds of biological data can be extended for use with GM data and
applied to answer biological questions on shape variation and evolution.
Discussion also examined technological advances that enhance the
quantification of more complex shape traits, such as points on curves,
curves on surfaces and 3D surfaces, and others that facilitate
statistical analyses of the obtained data by decreasing computation time
and making accessible procedures that were before too intense to be
applied. In difference of previous workshops which served as a more
basic introduction to GM tools, this laboratory went further and
concentrated not only on the tools available, but mainly on the
biological questions that can be asked and the way of assessing
biological hypotheses using GM data. Due to the multivariate nature of
GM shape data, some statistical methods need to be adequately modified
and the participants had the opportunity to update their knowledge on
developments in that direction. In some cases such extensions are not
yet available, so new doors are to be opened and directions to be
explored in the (hopefully near) future.
The Proceedings of the workshop will be published in the Italian Journal
of Mammalogy – Hystrix.
Participants' reports
Michael Collyer – A non-parametric permutational MANOVA procedure for
geometric morphometric data
Hans Wellens – Procrustes analysis in craniofacial diagnosis and
treatment planning.
Valentine Meyer – Morphofunctional and virtual reconstruction of the
neandetalian pelvis of Regousdoua: interaction obstentia, locomotion,
enchephalization
Vincenzo Viscosi – Analysis of covariation pattern in leaf
morphological variability of European white oaks (Quercus sp.)
Gabriele Sansalone and Paolo Colangelo – Geometric morphometrics of the
humerus in the genus Talpa: extant and fossil records
Paola Nicolosi – Morphometric variation in the Mediterranean vs Atlantic
stocks of common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
Angela Roggero – Shape variation on geographic space: the case of the
afrotropical genus Ixodina (Coleoptera: Sccarabeoidea: Ixodina)
Astrid Pizzo – Morphometric variation in an Orthophagus species complex
Carmelo Fruciano – Intraspecific morphological variation in three
species of fishes.
Leonardo Dapporto – Biogeography and biodiversity of Mediterranean
butterflies
Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou
CIBIO/UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos,
Vairão, PORTUGAL
Dep. Biología Animal, Fac. Biología, Univ. Barcelona, Barcelona, SPAIN
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