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Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists

A Primer

  • 3rd Edition - November 14, 2025
  • Latest edition
  • Authors: Miriam Zelditch, Donald Swiderski
  • Language: English

Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists: A Primer, Third Edition explores how these geometric methods allow for the study of biological shape by incorporating the geometry of org… Read more

Description

Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists: A Primer, Third Edition explores how these geometric methods allow for the study of biological shape by incorporating the geometry of organisms throughout data analyses. Novel content on phylogenetic comparative methods, evolutionary morphology, analyses of disparity, genetics of shape, and simulating shape data is included. This edition delivers step-by-step guidance on how to effectively utilize updated analytical software while also providing guidance on important methodologies that remain relevant to the field to ensure clear and effective instruction to audiences new to this branch of data analysis.

It succeeds the second edition as the primary resource for teaching modern geometric methods of shape analysis to students, researchers, and practicing scientists in the field of organismal biology. Users will find it to be an immensely valuable introduction for students and practicing biologists interested in learning applications of multivariate statistics and matrix algebra to organismal biology.

Key features

  • Introduces geometric, morphometric analyses to researchers and students of organismal biology
  • Presents updated coverage of emerging methods
  • Provides detailed instructions for conducting analyses with free, easy-to-use software
  • Delivers graphical presentations of key concepts and demonstrations of alternative modeling approaches

Readership

Advanced undergraduate and graduate students of organismal biology and geometric morphometrics

Table of contents

1. Introduction

Part I: Basics of Shape Data

2. Landmarks

3. Simple Size and Shape Variables: Shape Coordinates

4. Theory of Shape

5. The Thin-Plate Spline: Visualizing Shape Change as a Deformation

Part II: Analyzing Shape Variables

6. Ordination Methods

7. Partial Least Squares

8. Statistics

9. General Linear Models

10. Phylogenetic Comparative Methods

Part III: Applications

11. Ecological Morphology

12. Evolutionary Morphology

13. Allometry

14. Variational Properties and their Evolutionary Outcomes

15. Systematics

16. Temporal, Geographic and Evolutionary Analyses of Disparity

17. Genetics of Shape Chapter 18: Simulating Shape Data

Product details

  • Edition: 3
  • Latest edition
  • Published: November 17, 2025
  • Language: English

About the authors

MZ

Miriam Zelditch

Dr. Miriam Zelditch is Associate Research Scientist at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Paleontology. She obtained her PhD in Zoology from Michigan State University and conducted her NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan. Her research interests broadly include zoology, paleobiology, evolutionary biology, comparative biology, and morphology. She has co-edited both prior editions of Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists.

Affiliations and expertise
Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, USA

DS

Donald Swiderski

Dr. Donald Swiderski is Adjunct Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology. He obtained his MSc in Paleontology and his PhD in Zoology from Michigan State University. His research interests broadly include zoology, paleontology, comparative vertebrate anatomy, mammalogy, and morphology. He has co-edited both prior editions of Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists.

Affiliations and expertise
Museum of Zoology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, USA

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