title: Phenotypic variability and heritability of the cephalic region of Caiman latirostris.
abstract: The study of the cephalic shape of crocodilian is relevant in the fields of ecology, systematics, evolution, and conservation. Therefore, the integration of geometric analysis within quantitative genetics allows the evaluation of the inheritable shape components. In this study, the dorsal cephalic region of 210 Caiman latirostris hatchlings was analyzed from seven populations in Santa Fe, Argentina, to detect intra-, and inter-population phenotypic variability, and to determine the heritability of biological shape and size, using newly available geometric morphometric tools. The principal component analysis showed two configurations of cephalic shape that could be related to sexual dimorphism. In the canonical variate analysis, Procrustes distances between groups indicated that there are differences in shape among populations. Furthermore, the method of partial least squares indicated a covariation between cephalic shape and environmental variables. Regarding to CS of the skull we found significant differences among populations, moreover the partial least squares was also significant. Estimates of the heritability of shape and size were high, indicating that the components of these features are susceptible to the selection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio De Genética, Depto. De Ciencias Naturales, Facultad De Humanidades Y Ciencias, UNL, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, 3000, Argentina.|Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917 (C1033AAJ), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Imhoff
authors.affiliation: Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917 (C1033AAJ), Buenos Aires, Argentina.|Instituto Nacional De Limnología (CONICET-UNL), Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, 3000, Argentina.|Facultad De Humanidades Y Ciencias, UNL, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, 3000, Argentina.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giri
authors.affiliation: Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917 (C1033AAJ), Buenos Aires, Argentina.|Proyecto Yacaré-Laboratorio De Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA), a. Del Valle 8700, Santa Fe, 3000, Argentina.|ICiVet-Litoral (FCV-UNL-CONICET), Laboratorio De Biología Celular Y Molecular, Kreder 2805 (S3080HOF) Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siroski
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio De Genética, Depto. De Ciencias Naturales, Facultad De Humanidades Y Ciencias, UNL, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, 3000, Argentina.|Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917 (C1033AAJ), Buenos Aires, Argentina.|Proyecto Yacaré-Laboratorio De Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA), a. Del Valle 8700, Santa Fe, 3000, Argentina.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amavet
mesh_terms: D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D014644:Genetic Variation; D010641:Phenotype; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
keywords: broad-snouted caiman; morphology; phenotypic variability; quantitative genetics