“Confounded variation”? Assessing the impact of intra-specific morphological variability on inter-species comparisons: a case study using petrous bones of extant and extinct suids (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) - Archive ouverte HAL
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2021

“Confounded variation”? Assessing the impact of intra-specific morphological variability on inter-species comparisons: a case study using petrous bones of extant and extinct suids (Mammalia, Artiodactyla)

Résumé

Taxinomic delineation of morphospecies relies on our capacity as taxinomists to disentangle interspecific and intraspecific morphological variability. The petrous bone displays a complex morphology and is an important source of taxinomic and phylogenetic characters in extant and extinct vertebrates, but their use is hindered by a poor understanding of intraspecific variability. We developed an original protocol to quantify morphological variation of the petrous bone by combining 3D traditional morphometrics on surface models and 2D geometric morphometrics on standardized views. We applied this protocol to 72 petrous bones encompassing nine taxa of extant and extinct Suidae to quantify intraspecific and interspecific variability of main morphological structures (bone outline, position and shape of main foramina on lateral and medial faces). We conducted a multiple factor analysis (MFA) of the first 5 PC axes of each geometric morphometrics-based shape analyses (bone outline, medial and lateral faces; a total of 15 variables) to study the degree of similarity between each taxon. Using two reference taxa with more than twenty specimens, the extant wild boar (Sus scrofa) and an extinct suid from Ahl al Oughlam, Morocco, we identified some characters that strongly vary within species (e.g., length of medial process of protympanum in Sus scrofa). In general, conspecific individuals have higher morphological similarities with each other than with individuals of other taxa. This improved knowledge of intraspecific variability allows us to test whether the morphometric differences observed between each pair of specimens are congruent with inter-species differences when following a model of intraspecific variability based on Sus scrofa. It appears that Phacochoerus africanus is the most similar in petrosal morphology to the Ahl al Oughlam suid, which would be congruent with a close phylogenetic relationship between those taxa as inferred from craniomandibular and dental data.
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Dates et versions

hal-03375649 , version 1 (13-10-2021)

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  • HAL Id : hal-03375649 , version 1

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Karl Baltazart, Frédéric Santos, Antoine Souron, Jean-Luc Guadelli. “Confounded variation”? Assessing the impact of intra-specific morphological variability on inter-species comparisons: a case study using petrous bones of extant and extinct suids (Mammalia, Artiodactyla). 11ème symposium de morphométrie et évolution des formes, Jun 2021, Montpellier (en ligne), France. ⟨hal-03375649⟩
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