A landmark-free analysis of the pelvic girdle in Sulawesi ricefishes (Adrianichthyidae): How 2D and 3D geometric morphometrics can complement each other in the analysis of a complex structure.

ABSTRACT: Geometric morphometrics (GM) enable the quantification of morphological variation on various scales. Recent technical advances allow analyzing complex three-dimensional shapes also in cases where landmark-based approaches are not appropriate. Pelvic girdle bones (basipterygia) of Sulawesi ricefishes are 3D structures that challenge traditional morphometrics. We hypothesize that the pelvic girdle of ricefishes experienced sex-biased selection pressures in species where females provide brood care by carrying fertilized eggs supported by elongated pelvic fins ("pelvic brooding"). We test this by comparing pelvic bone shapes of both sexes in species exhibiting pelvic brooding and the more common reproductive strategy "transfer brooding," by using landmark-free 2D and 3D GM, as well as qualitat

SUBMITTER: Spanke T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10582673 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature