3D picture of a hybridization in between Rhytidophyllum auriculatum and Rhytidophyllum vernicosum. Credit: Marion Leménager
A group of researchers has actually developed 3D designs in order to get a much better understanding of the advancement of flowers.
A group of researchers from Montreal, consisting of those from McGill University, the University of Montréal, and the Montreal Botanical Garden, are using photogrammetry– a technique commonly utilized to rebuild landscape topography– to acquire insights into the advancement of flowers.
This is the very first time that photogrammetry has been utilized in the study of flowers, the results of which have been published in the journal New Phytologist.
Photogrammetry utilizes details collected from pictures drawn from various angles. Thanks to the triangulation of typical points present in the pictures, its possible to rebuild a 3D model of a flower. Colors are then applied to the 3D flower utilizing details from the photos.
According to the researchers, photogrammetry has the prospective to enhance research study on flower development and ecology by supplying an easy method to gain access to three-dimensional morphological information. Databases of flowers– and even of total plants– could provide scientists and the general public a way to lastly see the unique features of plant types that remained concealed from view.
” The range of colors and shapes seen in the plant world are difficult to catch with easy photography. Thats why I became interested in adjusting technological tools to capture the form of flowers,” states McGill University professor Daniel Schoen, who initially had the idea of applying photogrammetry to flowers, while doing research study at the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale. “Understanding flower evolution is very important because flowers are the primary chauffeurs of plant diversification through speciation, a significant determinant of plant biodiversity,” states Professor Schoen.
” Together, the group established something we think will assist advance our understanding of how flowers diversify in response to their interaction with pollinators. Thanks to our 3D models, its possible to admire flowers from every angle,” he states.
Bring in pollinators by shape and colour
Flowers are intricate and exceptionally differed three-dimensional structures. Capturing their types is crucial to comprehending their development and evolution. 91 percent of blooming plants engage with pollinators to guarantee their reproduction in a 3D environment. The morphology and colors of the flowers imitate magnets on pollinators to attract them. Yet the 3D structure of flowers is hardly ever studied, the researchers describe.
Using photogrammetry has real benefits compared to other existing approaches, in particular X-ray microtomography, which is without a doubt the most extensively used method to construct 3D flower models, state the scientists.
” Photogrammetry is a lot more available, considering that its inexpensive, requires little specialized devices, and can even be utilized directly in nature,” says Marion Leménager, a doctoral student in life sciences at Université de Montréal and lead author of the study. “In addition, photogrammetry has the benefit of reproducing the colors of flowers, which is not possible with approaches utilizing X-rays.”
The very first results, although imperfect, were enough to encourage Leménager to commit a chapter of her thesis to it. “The approach is not refined yet,” she says. “Some parts of the flowers stay hard to rebuild in 3D, such as reflective, really hairy or clear surface areas.”
Looking for responses
” We have shown that photogrammetry works at least in addition to more complex and expensive X-ray techniques for visible flower structures,” states University of Montréal teacher Simon Joly, who conducts research at the Botanical Garden. “Thanks to the living collections of the Montreal Botanical Garden, our research study of plants from the Gesneriaceae family, like the African violet, shows that 3D designs produced utilizing this method allow us to explore a great deal of concerns about the advancement of flowers.”
Reference: “Studying flowers in 3D using photogrammetry” by Marion Leménager, Jérôme Burkiewicz, Daniel J. Schoen and Simon Joly, 20 October 2022, New Phytologist.DOI: 10.1111/ nph.18553.
Thats why I became interested in adapting technological tools to record the form of flowers,” states McGill University teacher Daniel Schoen, who first had the concept of applying photogrammetry to flowers, while doing research at the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale. The 3D structure of flowers is hardly ever studied, the researchers discuss.
“Some parts of the flowers remain hard to reconstruct in 3D, such as reflective, really hairy or clear surface areas.”
Thanks to the triangulation of common points present in the photos, its possible to reconstruct a 3D design of a flower. Colors are then used to the 3D flower utilizing info from the photos.
