Meristics, as a method in biological and ecological research, involves the quantitative assessment of countable anatomical structures or discrete morphological features to characterize individuals, populations, or species. It typically includes standardized counts of traits such as fin rays, scales, vertebrae, or leaf structures, and is often combined with morphometrics to enhance taxonomic resolution and population discrimination. Meristic methods require rigorous sampling protocols, repeatable counting criteria, and statistical analysis to account for intraspecific variation, developmental plasticity, and environmental influences. They are widely applied in systematics, stock identification, evolutionary studies, and monitoring of phenotypic responses to ecological or anthropogenic pressures.
Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) has published two scientific studies presenting the most comprehensive documentation of a sperm whale birth ever recorded and the first quantitative evidence of cooperative birth ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 26, 2026
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Paleobiologist Geerat Vermeij is enthralled with mollusks. Their shells line the surfaces and fill the cabinets and drawers in his office on the second floor of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Building at UC Davis. But Vermeij's ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 4, 2026
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A global review of tiny sea animals called foraminifera has identified 57 new living species, including three from NZ waters. The NZ-led research team used DNA sequencing and physical structure to describe types of foraminifera ...
Ecology
Nov 14, 2025
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On occasion, it is of vital importance to consider how little we know about the spinning rock we all live on. Take coral reefs, for example. Given how much they've been studied, you'd think we've learned just about everything ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 24, 2025
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