Mathematical Shape Description of Alueritopteris
Corinna A. Warnars
Dr. Jason E. Miller, Faculty Mentor
Mathmatical Shape Description of Aleuritopteris Corinna Warnars, Lake St. Louis, Mo Dr. Jason Miller For taxonomists ferns are particularly difficult to classify, which is why the classification of the Cheilanthes genus is still being separated into new species like Aleuritopteris. The process of classification involves measuring which is a problem because the samples are incredibly delicate. We hope to develop a new way to take measurements that involves taking a digital picture of the fern and a program written for Matlab that would take hundreds of measurements in less time, and more accurately than a person ever could. This would not only help the botanist be more efficient, but it would also prevent degradation of the specimen. The steps we took in that direction was identifying points on the edge of the fern and then running principle component analysis to look for patterns in the way the ferns shape changes.
Keywords: aleuritopteris, fern, shape, cheilanthes, matlab, digital, pca, pattern
Topic(s):Biology
Mathematical Biology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 7-1
Location: SUB-GEO
Time: 4:15