几何形态学: 关于形态定量比较的科学计算工具
摘要
Shape comparison plays an important role in many kinds of studies. Traditionally, qualitative comparison methods have been applied in morphological variations. There are numerous limitations in qualitative comparison methods and quantitative comparison methods are wanted. The tools of geometric morphometrics analysis have a tremendous advantage in this application: it does not only offer precise and accurate descriptions, but also serves the equally important purposes of visualization, interpretation and communication of results. Geometric morphometrics have been successfully applied in Biology for a long time. However, it could be applied in other fields also by minor adjustment. This review is aim to introduce the geometric morphometrics and pointing out the possibilities of application on other fields, which need to solve the problems on shape comparison. The possible problems and future directions during this process are discussed in details.