Measurement error associated with external measurements commonly used in small-mammal studies

Journal of Mammalogy

Volumn 87, Issue 2, 2006, Pages 216-223

  Blackwell, Grant L ^a,b   Bassett, Suzanne M ^a,b   Dickman, Chris R ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY   (Australia)

^b UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO   (New Zealand)

Author keywords

Accuracy; Dasyurid; Mammal; Marsupial; Measurement error; Model II analysis of variance; Morphometrics; Observer bias; Precision; Rodent

Indexed keywords

ERROR ANALYSIS; MORPHOMETRY; PRECISION; SMALL MAMMAL;

DASYURIDAE; MAMMALIA; METATHERIA; RODENTIA;

EID: 33646238945     PISSN: 00222372     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1644/05-MAMM-A-215R1.1     Document Type: Article

References (39)

1. ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE. 1998. Guidelines for the capture, handling, and care of mammals as approved by the American Society of Mammalogists. Journal of Mammalogy 79:1416-1431.
2. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. 1997. Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes. Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
3. BABIK, W., AND J. RAFINSKI. 2004. Relationship between morphometric and genetic variation in pure and hybrid populations of the smooth and Montandon's newt (Triturus vulgaris and T. montandoni). Journal of Zoology (London) 262:135-143.
4. BAILEY, R. C., AND J. BYRNES. 1990. A new, old method for assessing measurement error in both univariate and multivariate morphometric studies. Systematic Zoology 39:124-130.
5. BININDA-EMONDS, O. R. P., AND A. P. RUSSELL. 1992. Minimization of potential problems associated with morphometry of spirit-preserved bat wings. Collection Forum 8:9-14.
6. BLACKWELL, G. L. 2002. A potential multivariate index of condition for small mammals. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 29: 195-203.
7. COLE, J., AND J. WOINARSKI. 2002. Field guide to the rodents and dasyurids of the Northern Territory. 1st ed. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Sydney, Australia.
8. COX, M. P., C. R. DICKMAN, AND J. HUNTER. 2004. Effects of rainforest fragmentation on non-flying mammals of the eastern Dorrigo Plateau, Australia. Biological Conservation 115:175-189.
9. CROWTHER, M. S., J. SUMNER, AND C. R. DICKMAN. 2003. Speciation of Antechinus stuartii and A. subtropicus (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) in eastern Australia: molecular and morphological evidence. Australian Journal of Zoology 51:443-462.
10. DONNELLAN, S. C., AND M. J. MAHONY. 2004. Allozyme, chromosomal and morphological variability in the Litoria lesueuri species group (Anura: Hylidae), including a description of a new species. Australian Journal of Zoology 52:1-28.
11. GANNON, W. L., R. E. SHERWIN, T. N. DECARVALHO, AND M. J. O'FARRELL. 2001. Pinnae and echolocation call differences between Myotis californicus and M. ciliolabrum (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Acta Chiropterologica 3 (1):77-91.
12. GONC̃ALVES, P. R., AND J. A. DE OLIVEIRA. 2004. Morphological and genetic variation between two sympatric forms of Oxymycterus (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae): an evaluation of hypotheses of differentiation within the genus. Journal of Mammalogy 85:148-161.
13. GREEN, A. J. 2001. Mass/length residuals: measures of body condition or generators of spurious results? Ecology 82:1473-1483.
14. HENDRICKX, F., J. P. MAELFAIT, AND L. LENS. 2003. Relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and fitness within and between stressed and unstressed populations of the wolf spider Pirata piraticus. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 16:1270-1279.
15. HUNT, M. K., C. J. NICHOLLS, R. J. WOOD, A. P. RENDON, AND A. S. GILBURN. 2004. Sexual selection for symmetrical male medflies (Diptera: Tephritidae) confirmed in the field. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 81:347-355.
16. JORDAENS, K., S. VAN DONGEN, P. VAN RIEL, S. GEENEN, R. VERHAGEN, AND T. BACKELJAU. 2002. Multivariate morphometrics of soft body parts in terrestrial slugs: comparison between two datasets, error assessment and taxonomic implications. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 75:533-542.
17. KREBS, C. J., AND G. R. SINGLETON. 1993. Indices of condition in small mammals. Australian Journal of Zoology 41:317-323.
18. LIHOVA, J., A. TRIBSCH, AND T. F. STUESSY. 2004. Cardamine apennina: a new endemic diploid species of the C. pratensis group (Brassicaceae) from Italy. Plant Systematics and Evolution 245: 69-92.
19. LOCKWOOD, C. A., W. H. KIMBEL, AND J. M. LYNCH. 2004. Morphometrics and hominoid phytogeny: support for a chimpanzee-human clade and differentiation among great ape subspecies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101:4356-4360.
20. LOUGHEED, S. C., T. W. ARNOLD, AND R. C. BAILEY. 1991. Measurement error of external and skeletal variables in birds and its effect on principal components. Auk 108:432-436.
21. MARINIELLO, L., M. ORTIS, S. D'AMELIO, AND V. PETRARCA. 2004. Morphometric variability between and within species of Ligophorus Euzet & Suriano, 1977 (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) in the Mediterranean Sea. Systematic Parasitology 57:183-190.
22. MENKHORST, P., AND F. KNIGHT. 2001. A field guide to the mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Australia.
23. MERILA, J., AND M. BJORKLUND. 1995. Fluctuating asymmetry and measurement error. Systematic Zoology 44:97-101.
24. PALMEIRIM, J. M. 1998. Analysis of skull measurements and measurers: can we use data obtained by various observers? Journal of Mammalogy 79:1021-1028.
25. PANKAKOSKI, E., R. A. VÄISÄNEN, AND K. NURMI. 1987. Variability in muskrat skulls: measurement error, environmental modification and size allometry. Systematic Zoology 36: 35-51.
26. PARKER, A. K., AND A. K. KROCKENBERGER. 2002. Sometimes the simple way is best: an evaluation of total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) and a morphological index as predictors of total body water in the northern brown bandicoot, Isoodon macrourus. Wildlife Research 29:135-140.
27. PREDAVEC, M., AND C. R. DICKMAN. 1994. Population dynamics and habitat use of the long-haired rat (Rattus villosissimus) in south-western Queensland. Wildlife Research 21:1-10.
28. QUINN, G. P., AND M. J. KEOUGH. 2002. Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne, Australia.
29. SAS INSTITUTE INC. 2000. SAS version 8.0 for Windows. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina.
30. SCHULTE-HOSTEDDE, A. I., AND J. S. MILLAR. 2000. Measuring sexual size dimorphism in the yellow pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus). Canadian Journal of Zoology 78:728-733.
31. SETIAWAN, A. N., J. T. DARBY, AND D. M. LAMBERT. 2004. The use of morphometric measurements to sex yellow-eyed penguins. Water-birds 27:96-101.
32. SHEPHARD, J. M., C. P. CATTERALL, AND J. M. HUGHES. 2004. Discrimination of sex in the white-bellied sea-eagle, Haliaeetus leucogaster, using genetic and morphometric techniques. Emu 104:83-87.
33. SHINE, R., T. SHINE, AND B. SHINE. 2003. Intraspecific habitat partitioning by the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus (Serpentes, Hydrophiidae): the effects of sex, body size, and colour pattern. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 80:1-10.
34. SNOEIJS, P., S. BUSSE, AND M. POTAPOVA. 2002. The importance of diatom cell size in community analysis. Journal of Phycology 38: 265-272.
35. SOKAL, R. R., AND F. J. ROHLF. 1995. Biometry: the principles and practices of statistics. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York.
36. SPSS STATISTICAL SOFTWARE. 1998. SYSTAT version 9.0 for Windows. SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois.
37. STRAHAN, R. 1995. The mammals of Australia. Reed New Holland, Sydney, Australia.
38. WIRSING, A. J., T. D. STEURY, AND D. L. MURRAY. 2002. Relationship between body condition and vulnerability to predation in red squirrels and snowshoe hares. Journal of Mammalogy 83:707-715.
39. YEZERINAC, S. M., S. C. LOUGHEED, AND P. HANDFORD. 1992. Measurement error and morphometric studies: statistical power and observer experience. Systematic Biology 41:471-482.