Morphological Evolution Of The Scapula In Tree Squirrels, Chipmunks, And Ground Squirrels (Sciuridae): An Analysis Using Thin‐Plate Splines

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137581/1/evo01274.pd

Precision Navigation Using Pre-Georegistered Map Data

Navigation performance in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is adversely affected by limitations in current sensor technology for small, lightweight sensors. Because most UAVs are equipped with cameras for mission-related purposes, it is advantageous to utilize the camera to improve the navigation solution. This research improves navigation by matching camera images to a priori georegistered image data and combining this update with existing image-aided navigation technology. The georegistration matching is done by projecting the images into the same plane, extracting features using the techniques Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) [5] and Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF) [3]. The features are matched using the Random Scale and Consensus (RANSAC) [4] algorithm, which generates a model to transform feature locations from one image to another. In addition to matching the image taken by the UAV to the stored images, the effect of matching the images after transforming one to the perspective of the other is investigated. One of the chief advantages of this method is the ability to provide both an absolute position and attitude update. Test results using 15 minutes of aerial video footage at altitudes ranging from 1000m to 1500m demonstrated that transforming the image data from one perspective to the other yields an improvement in performance. The best system configuration uses SIFT on an image that was transformed into the satellite perspective and matched to satellite map data. This process is able to achieve attitude errors on the order of milliradians, and position errors on the order of a few meters vertically. The along track, cross track, and heading errors are higher than expected. Further work is needed on reliability. Once this is accomplished, it should improve the navigation solution of an aircraft, or even provide navigation grade position and attitude estimates in a GPS denied environment

Ecological and evolutionary factors in the morphological diversification of South American spiny rats

Understanding the processes underlying morphological diversification is a central goal in ecology and evolutionary biology and requires the integration of information about phylogenetic divergence and ecological niche diversity. In the present study, we use geometric morphometrics and comparative methods to investigate morphological diversification in Neotropical spiny rats of the family Echimyidae. Morphological diversification is studied as shape variation in the skull, comprising a structure composed of four distinct units: vault, base, orognathofacial complex, and mandible. We demonstrate association among patterns of variation in shape in different cranial units, levels of phylogenetic divergence, and ecological niche diversification. At the lower level of phylogenetic divergence, there is significant and positive concordance between patterns of phylogenetic divergence and cranial shape variation in all cranial units. This concordance may be attributable to the phylogenetic and shape distances being calculated between species that occupy the same niche. At higher phylogenetic levels of divergence and with ecological niche diversity, there is significant concordance between shape variation in all four cranial units and the ecological niches. In particular, the orognathofacial complex revealed the most significant association between shape variation and ecological niche diversity. This association may be explained by the great functional importance of the orognathofacial complex.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Ecological and evolutionary factors in the morphological diversification of South American spiny rats

Understanding the processes underlying morphological diversification is a central goal in ecology and evolutionary biology and requires the integration of information about phylogenetic divergence and ecological niche diversity. In the present study, we use geometric morphometrics and comparative methods to investigate morphological diversification in Neotropical spiny rats of the family Echimyidae. Morphological diversification is studied as shape variation in the skull, comprising a structure composed of four distinct units: vault, base, orognathofacial complex, and mandible. We demonstrate association among patterns of variation in shape in different cranial units, levels of phylogenetic divergence, and ecological niche diversification. At the lower level of phylogenetic divergence, there is significant and positive concordance between patterns of phylogenetic divergence and cranial shape variation in all cranial units. This concordance may be attributable to the phylogenetic and shape distances being calculated between species that occupy the same niche. At higher phylogenetic levels of divergence and with ecological niche diversity, there is significant concordance between shape variation in all four cranial units and the ecological niches. In particular, the orognathofacial complex revealed the most significant association between shape variation and ecological niche diversity. This association may be explained by the great functional importance of the orognathofacial complex.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Application of the geometric morphometrics approach in the discrimination of morphological traits between brown trout lineages in the Danube Basin of Croatia

Brown trout is a salmonid fish with a natural range extending throughout western Eurasia and North Africa. Due to its commercial value, it has also been introduced worldwide. In continental Croatia, introduced trout of the Atlantic lineage hybridizes with native trout of the Danubian lineage, threatening the native genetic diversity. The geometric morphometrics approach was used in this study to analyse changes in shape between native trout, introduced trout and their hybrids, classified a priori by molecular phylogenetic analyses. A total of 19 landmarks and semi-landmarks were used to capture the shape of 92 trout individuals belonging to two lineages and their hybrids. Canonical variate analysis and discriminant function analysis were used to analyse and describe shape variation. A significant difference was found between the shape of the Atlantic lineage trout and both Danubian lineage trout and hybrids, with the most prominent differences in body depth, head length and eye size. No statistically significant shape differences were observed between Danubian lineage trout and the hybrids. The observed significant differences in shape could be the result of genetic diversity or trout phenotypic plasticity. Further studies are needed to clarify the origin of this variation in shape

Visual research in landscape architecture

A core activity of landscape architecture is designing and construction of outdoor space. In addition to that landscape architecture can be considered a matter of epistemology, a way of looking, with the architectonic composition as core of landscape architectonic research and design. An architectural composition can be comprehended by addressing four layers of interest: basic form, corporeal form, visible form and purposive intention. This article argues that GISc offers researchers new possibilities for representing, analysing and modelling landscape architectonic compositions to study its visible form. The visible form derives from the act of perceiving, which is linked with the sequential unfolding of information as our bodies pass through space. We can understand the visible form from the vertical perspective, its conceptual order, and from the horizontal perspective, its perceptual order. GISc in relation to the conceptual order deals with geometric properties such as shape, symmetry, rhythm, alignment, congruence, and repetition. GISc in relation to the perceptual order considers landscape architectonic compositions as it is encountered by an individual within it, moving through it, making use of GIS-based isovists and viewsheds. This article focuses on the analysis of the relationship between the conceptual and perceptual order of a landscape architectonic composition by measuring visible space, using GIS-based methods and techniques and link the outcomes to the geometric properties of the design. Piazza San Marco (Venice, IT) and Stourhead landscape garden (Wiltshire, UK) are used as examples to showcase some applications

Estructura morfològica i biodiversitat en comunitats de peixos

Memoria de tesis doctoral presentada por Marc Farré Foix para obtener el título de Doctor por la Universitat de Barcerlona (UB), realizada bajo la dirección del Dr. Víctor Manuel Tuset Andújar y del Dr. Antoni Lombarte Carrera del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC).-- 296 pages[EN] One of the essential principles provided by the Darwin’s theory of natural selection is that the evolution of organisms and their phenotypic features should be assessed by analyzing the interaction between the anatomical structures of organisms with the external environmental conditions acting on them (Darwin, 1859; Allen, 1907; Thompson, 1917; Bock and von Wahlert 1965). Basing on this premise, since then the study of morphology of organisms attracted high attention within the scientific community, in order to describe and understanding the evolution, adaptations and behaviors of organisms from their morphological and anatomical differences. From its early times, the study of morphology of organisms was focused in descriptive and comparative anatomical analyses used with taxonomical and phylogenic purposes (Bock, 1990). The first references manifesting the relation between the morphology of th species with their surrounding environment appeared at the beginning of the 20 century, suggesting the existence of direct correlations between the phenotype (morphology) and the physic external factors (Allen, 1907), and that this association was the main driver of the evolution of species. This hypothesis was accepted, maintained and incorporated to studies of many scientific branches. In its studies of comparative anatomy from natural observations in the wild, Böker (1935) defined the term “ecological anatomy”, which linked again the morphological features of organisms with the environmental conditions. Other disciplines, such as systematic and genetics, also began to consider these statements in its competences (Dobzhansky, 1937; Mayr, 1942). [...][CAT] L’anàlisi de la morfologia dels organismes ha estat una disciplina clau dins la comunitat científica des dels inicis del segle XX, quan va començar a establir-se una relació directa entre el fenotip (característiques anatòmiques) dels organismes i les condicions ambientals del seu entorn (Allen, 1907; Thompson, 1917; Bock and von Wahlert 1965). L’estudi de la variabilitat morfològica entre espècies va esdevenir un anàlisis essencial a l’hora d’entendre la evolució, adaptacions i estratègies dels organismes dins els ecosistemes on habiten (Bock, 1990). A mitjans de segle XX (anys 1950-1960), el camp científic va experimentar un salt important, quan la morfologia va començar a considerar-se com un component no només lligat a les condicions externes, sinó també com un factor que permetia definir i entendre els rols ecològics i funcionals de les espècies dins els ecosistemes. Els ecòlegs es van veure ràpidament atrets per aquestes idees, ja que els permetien abordar aspectes tradicionalment del seu d’interès, com ara la repartició de recursos o la diferenciació de l’hàbitat, que ajudaven a entendre el funcionament de les comunitats biològiques (Hutchinson, 1959; Keast and Webb, 1966; MacArthur, 1968; Schoener, 1974). En aquest context, aprofitant la creixent relació entre la morfologia i la ecologia de les espècies, un nou concepte (anomenat ecomorfologia; Karr and James, 1975) va ser definit amb l’objectiu d’analitzar les interaccions entre la morfologia de les espècies i els seu entorn dins un context ecològic i evolutiu (Motta et al., 1995a; Douglas and Matthews, 1992; Ricklefs and Miles, 1994). A més, aquestes relacions podien ser analitzades a diferents escales (des d’organismes individuals fins a nivell de comunitats), fet que va permetre que comencés a aplicar-se en estudis d’organització i estructura de comunitats (Gatz, 1979; Winemiller, 1991; Wainwright and Reilly, 1994). […]The present thesis was conducted within the framework of the projects CONFLICT (Ref. CGL2008-00047) of the Spanish National Research Plans, ESCAL 1 (Ref. PCC30004/99), ESCAL 2 (Ref. 02P30015) of the DG Fisheries of the Government of Catalonia, EMPAFISH (E.U. DG MARE project Ref. 006539), IDEADOS (Ref. CTM2008-04489-C03-03) MAFIA (Ref. CTM2012-39587-C04-03), MEDER, financed by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), and ANTROMARE (Ref. CTM2009-12214-C02-01-MAR), thanks to a pre-doctoral grant from the Government of Andorra (ATC010-AND, academic years 2012-2015)Peer Reviewe

Tomato Analyzer: A Useful Software Application to Collect Accurate and Detailed Morphological and Colorimetric Data from Two-dimensional Objects

Measuring fruit morphology and color traits of vegetable and fruit crops in an objective and reproducible way is important for detailed phenotypic analyses of these traits. Tomato Analyzer (TA) is a software program that measures 37 attributes related to two-dimensional shape in a semi-automatic and reproducible manner1,2. Many of these attributes, such as angles at the distal and proximal ends of the fruit and areas of indentation, are difficult to quantify manually. The attributes are organized in ten categories within the software: Basic Measurement, Fruit Shape Index, Blockiness, Homogeneity, Proximal Fruit End Shape, Distal Fruit End Shape, Asymmetry, Internal Eccentricity, Latitudinal Section and Morphometrics. The last category requires neither prior knowledge nor predetermined notions of the shape attributes, so morphometric analysis offers an unbiased option that may be better adapted to high-throughput analyses than attribute analysis. TA also offers the Color Test application that was designed to collect color measurements from scanned images and allow scanning devices to be calibrated using color standards3