Specimen alignment with limited point-based homology: 3D morphometrics of disparate bivalve shells (Mollusca: Bivalvia).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Comparative morphology fundamentally relies on the orientation and alignment of specimens. In the era of geometric morphometrics, point-based homologies are commonly deployed to register specimens and their landmarks in a shared coordinate system. However, the number of point-based homologies commonly diminishes with increasing phylogenetic breadth. These situations invite alternative, often conflicting, approaches to alignment. The bivalve shell (Mollusca: Bivalvia) exemplifies a homologous structure with few universally homologous points-only one can be identified across the Class, the shell 'beak'. Here, we develop an axis-based framework, grounded in the homology of shell features, to orient shells for landmark-based, comparative morphology.

Methods

Using 3D s

SUBMITTER: Edie SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9235814 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature