{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T09:37:08Z","timestamp":1787564228246,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"22","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,8]],"date-time":"2025-11-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1762560000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The mandible of domestic dogs represents a key structure in veterinary anatomy. This study tested the hypothesis that mandibular shape variation in adult mesocephalic dogs follows a non-random modular pattern with limited allometric influence. A total of 168 dry mandibles from academic osteological collections were analyzed using geometric morphometrics. Four anatomical landmarks and two curves of sliding semilandmarks were digitized and processed through Generalized Procrustes Analysis. Principal component analysis revealed that 62.7% of total variance was concentrated in the first two axes, associated with the coronoid height, ramus robustness, and curvature of the mandibular body. Cluster and Canonical Variate Analyses identified two overlapping but statistically distinct configurations, reflecting the intrinsic morphological diversity of mesocephalic dogs. Procrustes regression confirmed a significant yet low allometric effect (2.34%), while modularity tests based on RV coefficients supported a structured organization involving the ramus, coronoid, and angular processes (processus angularis mandibulae) as relatively independent modules. These results indicate that mandibular shape variation is hierarchically organized rather than random, highlighting the coexistence of integration and modular independence within the masticatory apparatus. Beyond its morphometric contribution, this study provides a reproducible anatomical baseline for veterinary and comparative research, facilitating future analyses of sexual dimorphism, functional adaptation, and surgical applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15223244","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,10]],"date-time":"2025-11-10T11:47:27Z","timestamp":1762775247000},"page":"3244","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Mandibular Shape Variation, Allometry and Modularity in Adult Mesocephalic Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris): Insights into Morphological Integration and Animal Anatomy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Resef","family":"Contreras","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Natural Resources and Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Santo Tom\u00e1s, Talca 3460000, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2273-0904","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paulo","family":"Salinas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Animal & Experimental Morphology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica de Valpara\u00edso, Valpara\u00edso 2374631, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"443","DOI":"10.1111\/ahe.12807","article-title":"Morphometric analysis for the sex determination of the skull of the Deltari Ilir dog (Canis lupus familiaris) of Kosovo","volume":"51","author":"Jashari","year":"2022","journal-title":"Anat. 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