Morphological Integration on the Calcaneum of Domestic Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i> Linnaeus, 1758)—A Geometric Morphometric Study
Morphological integration and modularity refer to the degree of covariation between the different components of an anatomical structure. Modularity refers to structures that have components which covary strongly, but at the same time are relatively independent. Integration refers to the coordinated...
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| author | Pere Miquel Parés-Casanova Carme Rissech Simon Davis Lluís Lloveras |
| author_facet | Pere Miquel Parés-Casanova Carme Rissech Simon Davis Lluís Lloveras |
| author_sort | Pere Miquel Parés-Casanova |
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| description | Morphological integration and modularity refer to the degree of covariation between the different components of an anatomical structure. Modularity refers to structures that have components which covary strongly, but at the same time are relatively independent. Integration refers to the coordinated variation of the components of a functional anatomical structure. The hindlimb basipodium is a complex functional structure. The integration of its parts must arise from a coordinated development and functionality. Our objective in this study was to study the levels of integration of two modules on the calcaneum in domestic sheep. The calcaneum develops from two different centres. One gives rise to the body and its process while the other gives rise to the distal half of the bone. The hypothesis of modularity of two parts of the calcaneum was tested using the Escoufier RV coefficient and an analysis of two blocks of Partial Least Squares. These allowed us to evaluate the level of morphological integration. For this purpose, digital images of the medial aspect of complete calcanea of 47 domestic sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i>) were used. Twenty 2D coordinates of homologous anatomical landmarks (4 for the body and the process and 16 for the distal half of the bone) were collected as morphometric data. These were studied using geometric morphometrics. The results indicated good evidence of modular organization and a medium morphological integration between the two modules. Thus, according to our results, the two modules seem to exist and behave in a rather independent way. They appear to share functions rather than precursors of development. This study is important in order to elucidate the underlying factors in the processes of the development of the sheep calcaneum. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-c05e9ab7013a4823a569ee57a92e57202023-11-17T16:16:36ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-03-01137417710.3390/app13074177Morphological Integration on the Calcaneum of Domestic Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i> Linnaeus, 1758)—A Geometric Morphometric StudyPere Miquel Parés-Casanova0Carme Rissech1Simon Davis2Lluís Lloveras3Institució Catalana d’Història Natural, 08001 Barcelona, SpainHuman Anatomy Unit, Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Sant Llorenç 21, 43201 Reus, SpainLaboratório de Arqueociências, DGPC, Calçada do Mirante à Ajuda 10A, 1300-418 Lisbon, PortugalDepartament d’Història i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, SpainMorphological integration and modularity refer to the degree of covariation between the different components of an anatomical structure. Modularity refers to structures that have components which covary strongly, but at the same time are relatively independent. Integration refers to the coordinated variation of the components of a functional anatomical structure. The hindlimb basipodium is a complex functional structure. The integration of its parts must arise from a coordinated development and functionality. Our objective in this study was to study the levels of integration of two modules on the calcaneum in domestic sheep. The calcaneum develops from two different centres. One gives rise to the body and its process while the other gives rise to the distal half of the bone. The hypothesis of modularity of two parts of the calcaneum was tested using the Escoufier RV coefficient and an analysis of two blocks of Partial Least Squares. These allowed us to evaluate the level of morphological integration. For this purpose, digital images of the medial aspect of complete calcanea of 47 domestic sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i>) were used. Twenty 2D coordinates of homologous anatomical landmarks (4 for the body and the process and 16 for the distal half of the bone) were collected as morphometric data. These were studied using geometric morphometrics. The results indicated good evidence of modular organization and a medium morphological integration between the two modules. Thus, according to our results, the two modules seem to exist and behave in a rather independent way. They appear to share functions rather than precursors of development. This study is important in order to elucidate the underlying factors in the processes of the development of the sheep calcaneum.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/7/4177basipodiummodularityontogenysheepsmall ruminantstarsus |
| spellingShingle | Pere Miquel Parés-Casanova Carme Rissech Simon Davis Lluís Lloveras Morphological Integration on the Calcaneum of Domestic Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i> Linnaeus, 1758)—A Geometric Morphometric Study Applied Sciences basipodium modularity ontogeny sheep small ruminants tarsus |
| title | Morphological Integration on the Calcaneum of Domestic Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i> Linnaeus, 1758)—A Geometric Morphometric Study |
| title_full | Morphological Integration on the Calcaneum of Domestic Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i> Linnaeus, 1758)—A Geometric Morphometric Study |
| title_fullStr | Morphological Integration on the Calcaneum of Domestic Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i> Linnaeus, 1758)—A Geometric Morphometric Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphological Integration on the Calcaneum of Domestic Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i> Linnaeus, 1758)—A Geometric Morphometric Study |
| title_short | Morphological Integration on the Calcaneum of Domestic Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i> Linnaeus, 1758)—A Geometric Morphometric Study |
| title_sort | morphological integration on the calcaneum of domestic sheep i ovis aries i linnaeus 1758 a geometric morphometric study |
| topic | basipodium modularity ontogeny sheep small ruminants tarsus |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/7/4177 |
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