Use of fractal dimension ratios of plant images as an allometric predictor of plant biomass

摘要

This study explored the use of plant images to perform fractal analysis of plant architecture and growth to estimate above ground biomass. Fractal analysis of plant architectures was performed to quantify and describe functional obligations of plants. The methods used for this study included a) the assimilation of various plant species' images, b) computation of fractal dimensions and derived measures and c) statistical analysis of these measures. Initial results from this study suggests that a) shade tolerant plants have distinct fractal dimensions within a characteristic range of 1.6 - 1.85, suggesting that the fractal dimension strongly reflects a branching and photosynthesis strategy to maximize available light for energy production. b) Plants exhibit distinct fractal geometries at the leaf level and the whole plant level. The fractal dimensions of the plant (FDP), the leaf (FDL) and the ratio of the two (FDR=FDL/FDP) characterizes the overall foliage architecture. c) The fractal dimension ratio extracted from images is predictive of the actual biomass of the plant accounting for its particular environmental stressors impacting foliage. This could aid in refining biomass calculations and in the estimation of carbon sequestration potential of plants, as current models may be overestimating these values.