Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
The genus Astarte is known for variable shell morphology and polymorphism
within living and fossil species. Astarte borealis, the most common living species, is
recognizable and common among mid-to-high latitude North Pacific, Arctic Ocean and
North Atlantic waters, and has been divided into many subspecies and varieties based on overall shell shape. A collection of recent A. borealis specimens from Camden Bay,
northern Alaska (641 specimens) with outline intact were used for analyses. Bivariate
analysis of height vs. length and morphometric analysis of shell outline determined
variants within a population of A. borealis, and then compared to Pliocene A. borealis
and Oligocene A. martini. The computer program SHAPE uses elliptic Fourier
coefficients of shell outline to evaluate and visualize shape variations. The multivariate outline analysis indicates that A. borealis intraspecies variation is based upon a common
shape that grades into other shapes, rather than grade between two or more end-forms.
within living and fossil species. Astarte borealis, the most common living species, is
recognizable and common among mid-to-high latitude North Pacific, Arctic Ocean and
North Atlantic waters, and has been divided into many subspecies and varieties based on overall shell shape. A collection of recent A. borealis specimens from Camden Bay,
northern Alaska (641 specimens) with outline intact were used for analyses. Bivariate
analysis of height vs. length and morphometric analysis of shell outline determined
variants within a population of A. borealis, and then compared to Pliocene A. borealis
and Oligocene A. martini. The computer program SHAPE uses elliptic Fourier
coefficients of shell outline to evaluate and visualize shape variations. The multivariate outline analysis indicates that A. borealis intraspecies variation is based upon a common
shape that grades into other shapes, rather than grade between two or more end-forms.
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