Semilandmarks: a method for quantifying curves and surfaces
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1
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
2
Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Vienna
Publication date: 2013-05-15
Hystrix It. J. Mamm. 2013;24(1):103-109
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ABSTRACT
Quantitative shape analysis using geometric morphometrics is based on the statistical analysis of landmark coordinates. Many structures, however, cannot be quantified using traditional landmarks. Semilandmarks make it possible to quantify two or three-dimensional homologous curves and sur- faces, and analyse them together with traditional landmarks. Here we first introduce the concept of sliding semilandmarks and discuss applications and limitations of this method. In a second part we show how the sliding semilandmark algorithm can be used to estimate missing data in incomplete specimens.