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Quantitative methods used for understanding the taxonomy of acritarchs: a case study of the Middle Ordovician genus Frankea Burmann 1970.

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Title: Quantitative methods used for understanding the taxonomy of acritarchs: a case study of the Middle Ordovician genus Frankea Burmann 1970.
Authors: Wang, Wenhui1,2,3 (AUTHOR) wwhever@126.com, Monnet, Claude2 (AUTHOR), Servais, Thomas2,4 (AUTHOR)
Source: Palynology. Nov2017 Supplement, Vol. 41, p69-79. 11p.
Subjects: Acritarchs, Biological classification, Ordovician Period, Biostratigraphy, Morphometrics
Abstract: The triangular-shaped acritarch genusFrankea, which displays characteristically branched appendices, has considerable stratigraphical and palaeobiogeographical significance in the Ordovician. High intraspecific variability of terminal processes (appendices) numbers and process lengths withinFrankeasuggest that the genus could be suitable for use in studying the relationship between morphological characters and environmental conditions. Quantitative multivariate exploratory analyses onFrankeaindicate that the length of the appendices varies according to different localities and is most probably ecologically dependent and not age diagnostic as previously suggested. Principal components analyses and discriminant analyses are used to assess the original specific classification ofFrankea. The morphometric analyses suggest that usage of quantitative characters, such as the process length, should be taken into consideration during the separation of species. A comprehensive discussion of qualitative and quantitative characters is carried out and suggests there are only three species ofFrankea: F. hamata, F. hamulata and F. sartbernardensis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
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Abstract:The triangular-shaped acritarch genusFrankea, which displays characteristically branched appendices, has considerable stratigraphical and palaeobiogeographical significance in the Ordovician. High intraspecific variability of terminal processes (appendices) numbers and process lengths withinFrankeasuggest that the genus could be suitable for use in studying the relationship between morphological characters and environmental conditions. Quantitative multivariate exploratory analyses onFrankeaindicate that the length of the appendices varies according to different localities and is most probably ecologically dependent and not age diagnostic as previously suggested. Principal components analyses and discriminant analyses are used to assess the original specific classification ofFrankea. The morphometric analyses suggest that usage of quantitative characters, such as the process length, should be taken into consideration during the separation of species. A comprehensive discussion of qualitative and quantitative characters is carried out and suggests there are only three species ofFrankea: F. hamata, F. hamulata and F. sartbernardensis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
ISSN:01916122
DOI:10.1080/01916122.2017.1366206