Assessing trait covariation and morphological integration on phylogenies using evolutionary covariance matrices.

ABSTRACT: Morphological integration describes the degree to which sets of organismal traits covary with one another. Morphological covariation may be evaluated at various levels of biological organization, but when characterizing such patterns across species at the macroevolutionary level, phylogeny must be taken into account. We outline an analytical procedure based on the evolutionary covariance matrix that allows species-level patterns of morphological integration among structures defined by sets of traits to be evaluated while accounting for the phylogenetic relationships among taxa, providing a flexible and robust complement to related phylogenetic independent contrasts based approaches. Using computer simulations under a Brownian motion model we show that statistical tests based on the approac

SUBMITTER: Adams DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3984176 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature