geomorph v4.0 and gmShiny: Enhanced analytics and a new graphical interface for a comprehensive morphometric experience

• Published in: Methods in ecology and evolution Vol. 12; no. 12; pp. 2355 - 2363
• Main Authors: Baken, Erica K., Collyer, Michael L., Kaliontzopoulou, Antigoni, Adams, Dean C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-12-2021
• Subjects: Computer applications; generalized Procrustes analysis; geometric morphometrics; geomorph; Geomorphology; Graphical user interface; Phylogeny; shiny
• ISSN: 2041-210X; 2041-210X
• DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13723

Geometric morphometric (GM) tools are essential for meaningfully quantifying and understanding patterns of variation in complex traits like shape. In this field, the breadth of answerable questions has grown dramatically in recent years through the development of new analyses and increased computational efficiency.
In this note, we describe the ways in which geomorph, a widely used R package for quantifying and analysing GM data, has grown with the field.
We present geomorph v4.0 and describe the ways in which this version has dramatically improved upon previous versions. We also present a new graphical user interface for easy implementation, gmShiny.
These contributions position geomorph to be the primary tool for GM analyses, particularly those employing a phylogenetic comparative approach.