Ontogenetic and interspecific skeletal allometry in nonhuman primates
Bivariate versus multivariate analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8316650 |
|---|---|
| Authors | William L Jungers (0000-0002-8092-1429, State University of New York), Rebecca Z German (0000-0001-9989-7847, Harvard University) |
| Year | 1981 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 195-202 |
| Publication date | 1981-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajpa.1330550206 |
| OpenAlex | W2135026159 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 21 |
| References cited | 17 |
The critical problem confronting all allometric studies is the choice of an appropriate size variable, especially when body mass or some other measure of total size is unavailable. A method proposed by Jolicoeur (1963a,b) claims to generate an internal size variable by a principal components analysis of the covariance matrix of logarithmically transformed data, from which allometric coefficients can be computed. Despite the current popularity of this method, the precise relationship and degree of compatibility between such multivariate coefficients and the exponent of the bivariate power function (Y = βX α ) is unknown. This study evaluates the comparability and interpretability of allometric values computed by Jolicoeur's procedure and by standard bivariate regressions (least squares and major axis). Two primate data sets with known measures of size were utilized for these purposes: (1) longitudinal growth data from radiographs of two species of capuchin monkeys, Cebus apella and Cebus albifrons; and (2) interspecific osteometric data from a series of adult lemurs, species of prosimians from Madagascar. Consistent differences exist between multivariate and bivariate allometric coefficients for both ontogenetic and static data sets. Multivariate analysis underestimated the coefficients in the former and overestimated them in the latter. The internal size variable generated by principal components analysis is clearly not equivalent to, and hence not a suitable substitute for, known measures of size. Moreover, multivariate coefficients are very sensitive to the composition of variables in a given data set; α values of a variable changed appreciably depending on the other variables included in the analysis. The multivariate coefficients are also sample‐specific, and provide misleading biological information when compared between samples (e.g., between species of capuchin monkey). For allometric investigations designed to evaluate scaling parameters relative to total size, alternative analytical solutions to the Jolicoeur method should be considered
Allometry · Biology · Bivariate analysis · Bivariate data · Interspecific competition · Multivariate analysis · Multivariate statistics · Principal component analysis · Statistics · Amphibian and Reptile Biology · Ecology · Mathematics · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Ontogenetic Allometry of the Skull and Dentition of the Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatto)
Genetic and Evolutionary Aspects of Allometry
Intraspecific, Interspecific, Metabolic, and Phylogenetic Scaling in Platyrrhine Primates
A new coordinate system using the orbital axis for morphological analysis of primate skulls
Multivariate Cranial Ontogenetic Allometries in Crab-eating, Rhesus and Japanese Macaques
Body Size and Skeletal Allometry in African Apes
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Paleozoology and Paleoenvironments
The ontogeny of sexual dimorphism in the cranium of Bornean orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) as detected by principal-components analysis
Relationships among ontogenetic, static, and evolutionary allometry
Scaling of linear anthropometric dimensions in living humans
Allometric relations of teeth and jaws in man
Shape, relative size, and size-adjustments in morphometrics
Principal components for allometric analysis
Tail growth tracks the ontogeny of prehensile tail use in capuchin monkeys ( Cebus albifrons and C. apella )
Allometry and adaptation in the catarrhine postcranial skeleton
Bivariate versus multivariate allometry
Aspects of size and scaling in primate biology with special reference to the locomotor skeleton
Allometry and prediction in Hominoids
New body mass estimates forOmomys carteri, a middle Eocene primate from North America
Pads and Claws in Arboreal Locomotion
New Statistical Methods for Allometry With Application to Florida Red-Winged Blackbirds
Size Allometry
Note
Adaptive diversity in subfossil Malagasy prosimians
Multivariate dental allometry in primates
Postnatal growth allometry of the extremities in Cebus albifrons and Cebus apella
Relative femoral head size in early hominids
The functional significance of skeletal allometry in Megaladapis in comparison to living prosimians
| Citations per year | 0.48 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1982 - 2021 (40) |
| Highly cited | No |