Two principal methods are commonly employed for the estimation of developmental instability at the population level. Some studies use variances of morphological traits (σ2p), while others use fluctuating asymmetry (FA). In both cases, differences in the degree of developmental instability can be tested with an F-test, which is the most common way to compare variances. However, the variance is e...

With the exception of Carabelli's trait, the European dentition is better known for the morphological traits that it does not exhibit rather than the ones that it does. One root trait, however, runs counter to the characterization of reduced and simplified European crowns and roots. Although a rare trait in general, two-rooted lower canines are much more common in Europeans than in any other re...

genetics and functional linear model 2 Abstract Advances of modern sensing and sequencing technologies generate a deluge of high dimensional space-temporal physiological and next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. Physiological traits are observed either as continuous random functions, or on a dense grid and referred to as function-valued traits. Both physiological and NGS data are highly correl...

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Hawaii is home to 238 native and 35 alien fern and lycophyte taxa distributed across steep gradients in elevation and resource availability. The fern flora spans a wide range of growth forms, with extraordinary diversity in morphology and plant size. Yet the potential factors underlying this diversity have remained enigmatic. METHODS We used a trait database generated fro...

Increasing temperature and CO2 concentration are among the most important factors affecting marine ecosystems under climate change. We investigated morphological, biochemical, physiological trait responses of seedlings tropical seagrass Enhalus acoroides experimental conditions. Trait were greater effects than increasing concentration. Seedlings rising temperatures showed enhanced leaf growth, ...

Eye stalks and their scaling relationship with body size are important features in the mating system of many diopsid species, and sexual selection is a critical force influencing the evolution of this exaggerated morphology. Interspecific variation in eye span suggests there has been significant evolutionary change in this trait, but a robust phylogenetic hypothesis is required to determine its...