Promoter: Raoul Van Damme
Supervisor: Eleesha Annear
Osteoderms are bony elements in the dermis of a disparate set of vertebrates, including several taxa of reptiles and amphibians. The reason for their occurrence in some species and not in others remains poorly understood. The Cape cliff lizard (Hemicordylus capensis) is exceptional in exhibiting strong intraspecific variation in osteoderm expression, both in terms of volume, and number. But do these osteoderms also vary in shape? Understanding the morphological differences of osteoderms will facilitate the exploration of the relationship between form and function in these bony structures.
With the increasing use of micro-CT scanning technologies in the study of osteoderms, more techniques have become available for analysing morphological variation. In this project the student will use 3D geometric morphometrics to assess the variation in shape between and within four populations of Cape cliff lizards.
The student will learn how to use software tools such as: ORS Dragonfly; Geomagic wrap; Landmark Editor; and will conduct shape-based analyses in R.