Environment influences the geographic phenotypic variation in Velazquez’s Woodpecker (Centurus santacruzi)

Benites, Pilar; Eaton, Muir D.; Navarro‐Sigüenza, Adolfo G.

doi:10.1007/s10336-020-01748-x

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 70 publications

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“…Yet, detailing which measurement definitions were used is rather common, either by citing other sources or by directly defining morphological variables (e.g., Chornelia et al, 2022;Michaloudi et al, 2018;Radespiel et al, 2008Radespiel et al, , 2012. Using these definitions and measuring individuals by only one researcher is occasionally stated to dispel doubts about the reliability of a dataset (e.g., Benites et al, 2020;Macdonald et al, 2017), even though intra-observer bias can still exist. If more than one researcher was taking measurements, the researcher's experience is sometimes reported (e.g., Pilloud et al, 2018), while joint researcher trainings are considered particularly useful by others (e.g., Morrison, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological variability or inter‐observer bias? A methodological toolkit to improve data quality of multi‐researcher datasets for the analysis of morphological variation

Schüßler,

Blanco,

Guthrie

et al. 2023

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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ObjectivesThe investigation of morphological variation in animals is widely used in taxonomy, ecology, and evolution. Using large datasets for meta‐analyses has dramatically increased, raising concerns about dataset compatibilities and biases introduced by contributions of multiple researchers.Materials and MethodsWe compiled morphological data on 13 variables for 3073 individual mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae, Microcebus spp.) from 25 taxa and 153 different sampling locations, measured by 48 different researchers. We introduced and applied a filtering pipeline and quantified improvements in data quality (Shapiro‐Francia statistic, skewness, and excess kurtosis). The filtered dataset was then used to test for genus‐wide sexual size dimorphism and the applicability of Rensch's, Allen's, and Bergmann's rules.ResultsOur pipeline reduced inter‐observer bias (i.e., increased normality of data distributions). Inter‐observer reliability of measurements was notably variable, highlighting the need to reduce data collection biases. Although subtle, we found a consistent pattern of sexual size dimorphism across Microcebus, with females being the larger (but not heavier) sex. Sexual size dimorphism was isometric, providing no support for Rensch's rule. Variations in tail length but not in ear size were consistent with the predictions of Allen's rule. Body mass and length followed a pattern contrary to predictions of Bergmann's rule.DiscussionWe highlighted the usefulness of large multi‐researcher datasets for testing ecological hypotheses after correcting for inter‐observer biases. Using genus‐wide tests, we outlined generalizable patterns of morphological variability across all mouse lemurs. This new methodological toolkit aims to facilitate future large‐scale morphological comparisons for a wide range of taxa and applications.

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