Morphometrics: Applications in Biology and Paleontology

Morphometrics is one of the most dynamic and popular fields on the contemporary biological scene. Focusing, as it does, on the quantitative characterization and analysis of morphological data, students increasingly see morphometrics as a necessary complement to molecular studies in their quests to understand the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Moreover, morphometrics has recently been shown to have direct utility in phylogenetic contexts, by both finding new, and sharpening the definition of old, character states. At this juncture in the field’s development, a more up-to-date and thorough treatment of the use of morphometric procedures in a wide variety of contexts is needed. The book in hand, Morphometrics provides such answers to real-world questions for real-world systematists.