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Abstract

In the current study Landmark-based geometric morphometrics (GM), ecomorphological metrics and statistical analyses were used to explore divergence associated with gradients in physicochemical parameters among Glossogobius giuris, sampled from four ecologically significant zones of Vembanad-Kol Wetlands and associated wetland systems of Kerala.  Procrustes ANOVA, discriminant analysis, regression, and Kendall’s tau consistently supported strong associations between environmental variables and body shape variables. Correlations for traits such as body depth, standard length, head and fin measurements with parameters like salinity, pH, and hardness reflect a pattern of adaptive phenotypic plasticity. Kendall’s tau revealed negative relationships between salinity/hardness and major metrics such as total and head length (τ ≈ –0.55, P<0.01), while regression analysis confirmed shape allometry (P<0.001). Discriminant function analysis distinguished freshwater (Thannermukkom, Kumarakom) and brackish (Kumbalangi, Thekkumkara) populations, with shape partitioning evident from Mahalanobis distances (up to 32.7) and Procrustes values (0.022–0.050; all P<0.001). Thin-plate spline wireframe analysis revealed distinct variations in jaw orientation, eye position, and fin morphology corresponding to environmental gradients which clarifies both the magnitude and anatomical integration of shape change among populations, providing direct evidence for adaptive phenotypic plasticity and spatial structuring in G. giuris in response to environmental heterogeneity. These findings highlight the integrative power of geometric morphometrics for ecological and evolutionary inference in wetland fishes.

Keywords

Eco-morphology phenotypic plasticity environmental gradient Gobiidae

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The authors transfer the copyrights of their papers to the Iranian Society of Ichthyology. However, the information could be used in accordance with the Creative Commons licence (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

How to Cite
G.P., K., UNNI M., A., & ANTONY, M. M. (2026). Geometric-morphometric evidence of environmentally driven shape divergence and adaptive morphometric variation in <i>Glossogobius giuris</i> from the Vembanad Kol wetlands and associated wetland areas of Kerala. Iranian Journal of Ichthyology, 12(3), 266–276. https://doi.org/10.22034/iji.v12i3.1103
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