The structure of morphological variation : Morphometric analysis of variation in four endemic Lake

The study of morphology is a constant interplay between two sides of the same coin: it is both the study of essential defining characters and the study of morphological variation. Traditionally, morphologists studied “types”: phenotypic variability was seen as noise obscuring phylogenetic signal. It is more recently that morphological variation has become a quantity of interest in evolutionary studies (Debat and David, 2001). Phenotypic variation is the result of the interaction between sources of variation and self-regulatory, buffering processes. Variation in morphology is influenced by environmental effects, genetic mutations and developmental perturbations; buffering mechanisms include canalization, phenotypic plasticity, and developmental stability (Debat and David, 2001).