A Robust Comparison of Biological Shapes

Localized differences in the form of two related animal skeletons are more effectively determined when resistant fitting techniques are used rather than least squares. The repeated median resistant fitting algorithm is introduced. The methods are tested by comparing hominid skulls with those of othe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biometrics 1982-06, Vol.38 (2), p.341-350
Main Authors: Siegel, Andrew F., Benson, Richard H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allometry
Animals
Biometrics
Coordinate systems
Geometric shapes
Haplorhini - anatomy & histology
Humans
Least squares
Least squares method
Male animals
Mathematics
Models, Biological
Paleontology
Pan troglodytes
Primates
Skull
Skull - anatomy & histology
Species Specificity
Statistical median
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Localized differences in the form of two related animal skeletons are more effectively determined when resistant fitting techniques are used rather than least squares. The repeated median resistant fitting algorithm is introduced. The methods are tested by comparing hominid skulls with those of other primates and the male ostracode with the female. In each case the resistant fit is superior to the least squares fit, in that the differences are more readily identified and agree more closely with the structural differences perceived on biological grounds.
ISSN:0006-341X
1541-0420
DOI:10.2307/2530448