01 · The plant
Leaf morphometrics
What are the leaf area, aspect ratio, margin type and venation?
- Status
- Specified, unbuilt
- Field
- Thin — some prior work
- Who wants it
- Palaeoclimate, functional ecology.
Why it matters
The proportion of entire-margined species in a flora tracks mean annual temperature. Leaf shape is a palaeoclimate instrument, and every sheet is a reading.
What it needs
Organ segmentation, scale-bar calibration, and a way to handle torn leaves.
State of the art
Leaf margin analysis is decades old and done by hand. Automation is partial.
Next head
Herbivory damage →