传统的Dipodomys(亚)物种鉴定使用地理学,表型,和外部/头骨测量。这种测量与尺寸相关,因此是冗余的。我评估了按比例缩放的颅骨形状的价值,基于二维地标(使用几何形态计量学方法分析)来区分Dipodomys分类群,总结它们的变化。我的数据集包括来自190个地区的20个物种(49个操作分类单位-OTU)的601个成人标本。颅形在不考虑地理的情况下对Dipodomys分类群进行分类非常有用。听觉大疱是其肥大差异最大的区域分类单元,伴随着不同程度的附近结构拥挤。颅骨形状弱异速,没有明显的性二态。检测到弱尺寸二态。(子)特定分类法不能反映形状变化,因为每个物种的亚种数量与差异无关。形状有显著的系统发育信号,但是亚种并不总是与物种聚集在一起,并且根据系统发育关系/分类学,物种也并不总是聚集在一起。形状变化与气候相关,物种在形态差异和专业化程度上有所不同,这可能会导致系统发育过程中形状变异模式的差异。D.Deserti是最专业的物种,与平均属大相径庭;D.heermanni是最不专业的。这项研究为北美基石物种的形态变异提供了新的见解,几个保护利益,例如,D.HeermanniBerkeleyensis,D.H.Dixoni,维生素D.brevinasus,和D.N.硝酸酯。
Traditional Dipodomys (sub)species identification uses geography, phenotype, and external/skull measurements. Such measurements are correlated with size and thus redundant. I assessed the value of scaled cranial shape, based on two-dimensional landmarks (analyzed using geometric morphometric methods) in distinguishing Dipodomys taxa, and in summarizing their variation. My dataset includes 601 adult specimens from 20 species (49 operational taxonomic units - OTUs) across 190 localities. Cranial shape was highly useful in classifying Dipodomys taxa without considering geography. The auditory bulla was the most variable region-taxa differed in its hypertrophy, accompanied by different degrees of nearby structure crowding. Cranial shape was weakly allometric, with no significant sexual dimorphism. Weak size dimorphism was detected. (Sub)specific taxonomy is not reflective of shape variation, as the number of
subspecies per species is not associated with disparity. Shape had significant phylogenetic signal, but
subspecies did not always cluster with conspecifics and species did not always cluster according to phylogenetic relationship/taxonomy. Shape variation was correlated with climate, and species differed in morphological disparity and degree of specialization, which may contribute to divergence in shape variation patterns from phylogeny. D. deserti was the most specialized species, diverging greatly from the genus mean; D. heermanni was the least specialized. This study provides new insights into morphological variation of North American keystone species, several of conservation interest, for example, D. heermanni berkeleyensis, D. h. dixoni, D. nitratoides brevinasus, and D. n. nitratoides.