Multiscale quantification of morphodynamics: MorphoLeaf software for 2D shape analysis.

Area of Science:

• Plant morphology
• Developmental biology
• Computational biology

Background:

• Analyzing complex biological shapes, like leaves, presents a significant challenge in morphometrics due to variations at multiple scales.
• Existing methods often focus on either overall shape or fine margin details, but struggle to integrate both aspects effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive, quantitative, and multiscale strategy for analyzing diverse leaf architectures.
• To create a freely available platform for this advanced morphological analysis.
• To establish a framework for studying developmental trajectories and gene function in plant morphology.

Main Methods:

• Automatic extraction and hierarchical organization of biologically relevant landmarks.
• Landmark-guided reconstruction of average contours capturing global and local shape features.
• Application to model organisms like Arabidopsis for developmental studies and mutant analysis.

Main Results:

• A novel quantitative framework for multiscale leaf morphology analysis.
• Insights into the developmental trajectory of Arabidopsis leaves and the origins of leaf heteroblasty.
• Demonstration of the tool's utility in understanding gene function, specifically CUC2's role in leaf serration.

Conclusions:

• The developed strategy and platform enable robust, multiscale analysis of complex plant morphology.
• This approach facilitates a deeper understanding of developmental processes and genetic influences on plant form.
• The tool shows broad applicability, including analysis of non-leaf structures like hands.