Phenotypic integration and modularity drives skull shape divergence in the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) from the Commander Islands.

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic integration and modularity influence morphological disparity and evolvability. However, studies addressing how morphological integration and modularity change for long periods of genetic isolation are scarce. Here, we investigate patterns of phenotypic integration and modularity in the skull of phenotypically and genetically distinct populations of the Artic fox (Vulpes lagopus) from the Commander Islands of the Aleutian belt (i.e. Bering and Mednyi) that were isolated ca 10 000 years by ice-free waters of the Bering sea. We use three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to quantify the strength of modularity and integration from inter-individual variation (static) and from fluctuating asymmetry (random developmental variation) in both island populations compared to the mainland

SUBMITTER: Martin-Serra A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6769143 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature