Quantifying plant colour and colour difference as perceived by humans using digital images.

Area of Science:

• Botany
• Ecology
• Image analysis

Background:

• Plant color perception influences species management.
• Detecting invasive or rare species relies on color and contrast.
• Standardized, quantitative plant color measurement is needed for research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a standard method for measuring plant leaf and flower color using digital cameras.
• To demonstrate the method's utility in an invasive species detection experiment.
• To assess the reliability of the method across different camera types and lighting conditions.

Main Methods:

• Quantifying plant color traits from digital camera images.
• Measuring flower and leaf color distributions and differences.
• Comparing color-based estimates with traditional methods for plant cover estimation.

Main Results:

• Digital image analysis provides practicable, repeatable plant color measurements.
• Digital SLR and mirrorless cameras yielded more reliable measurements than phone or point-and-shoot cameras.
• Color measurements correlated well with qualitative assessments and traditional cover estimates.

Conclusions:

• Standardized digital image analysis enables quantitative plant color assessment.
• Repeatable measurements facilitate cross-study comparisons and species generalizations.
• This method supports relating plant color to human perception and improving species management strategies.