Morphometrics course from the University of Manchester

Analysis of Organismal Form

An introduction to morphometrics, delivered as a Web-based course

7 November – 16 December 2011

Instructor: Chris Klingenberg

The fee for the course is GBP 260.00 for external participants (those not enrolled in a course of study at the University of Manchester).

Course web site:
http://www.flywings.org.uk/MorphoCourse

The deadline for pre-registration for this year's course is 18 September 2011.

Lecture Content

The unit will be taught primarily via the web, with various opportunities for exchange and discussion.

• Data acquisition: the kinds of data and the equipment used to collect them.
• Definitions of size and shape
• Geometric methods to characterise shape from a configuration of landmark points
  (Procrustes superimposition)
• Statistics of variation, scatter plots, basic multivariate statistics
• Principal component analysis
• Measurement error and outliers
• Shape transformations and 'warping' -- the thin plate spline
• Analysis of outline shapes
• Distinguishing between groups (taxonomy, clinical diagnosis, etc.)
• Allometry and size correction
• Influence of external factors on shape (ecomorphology, dose-response studies)
• Symmetric forms and measurement of asymmetry.
• Morphometric inferences on developmental processes
• Morphological integration, modularity
• Genetics of shape: analyses of resemblance between relatives, QTL analyses.
• Phylogeny: reconstructing the evolution of shape